Tech Against Terrorism – Details, episodes & analysis

Founded by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s, Al-Qaeda is best known for orchestrating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, which killed nearly 3,000 people. But what kind of threat does the violent Islamist organisation pose in 2025?

In this episode, host Lucas Webber is joined by Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former British diplomat and former Coordinator of the United Nations’ Monitoring Team, and an expert on Al-Qaeda. Edmund shares unique insights into Al-Qaeda’s current capabilities, the group’s strategic recalibration following the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack, and why he believes a directed Al-Qaeda attack may not be far off.

🎧 Listen to learn:

 ➡︎ How serious a threat Al-Qaeda currently poses on the global stage

 ➡︎ Why the group is ramping up recruitment and training

 ➡︎ What indicators suggest a directed attack on the West could be imminent

📱Connect with Edmund Fitton-Brown. 

⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 

🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.

💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 

📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here. 

🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is fighting for the independence of Balochistan, a resource-rich but politically marginalised region in Pakistan. In pursuit of that goal, the group have evolved both their offline and online strategies, from suicide bombings to increasingly sophisticated online propaganda. Now, experts are warning the BLA could represent the most significant internal threat Pakistan faces.

In this episode, host Lucas Webber is joined by Riccardo Valle, a researcher specialising in jihadism, armed groups, and regional politics in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Together, they unpack the rise of the BLA, its growing presence on social media and messaging platforms, and the unique role women play in the group’s operations.

🎧 Listen to learn:

 ➡︎ The origins of the BLA 

 ➡︎ About their sophisticated online media campaign  

 ➡︎ About the group’s female suicide bombers 

 ➡︎ How Pakistan is responding to the BLA’s threat

 ➡︎ How the group has become Pakistan's biggest internal threat 

📱Connect with Riccardo Valle.

⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 

🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.

💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 

📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here. 

🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

In this week’s episode we’re looking at how IS and al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups in Southeast Asia continue to exploit online platforms to disseminate propaganda, even as attacks in the region decline. We explore the history of militant Islamist activities in the region, as well as the key players; Why and how these groups and their supporters focus so much of their energy on online propaganda; And why we should care when terrorist content stays online.

A note: we recorded this episode before the announcement by leaders of the Jemaah Islamiyah, or JI, of the group’s disbandment. It’s one of the main groups we explore in this episode.

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Dr. Judith Jacob. She is the director of Geopolitical Risk and Security Intelligence at Forward Global, a corporate intelligence and influence group. She also holds a PhD on Ideology, Terrorism, and Militant Islamism.

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• Dr. Judith Jacob’s research at LSE

In this week’s episode, we’re returning to the topic of incels to explore the online spaces aiming to help individuals leave this violent misogynistic community. We start by providing a refresher on incel ideology, but if you want a deep dive we recommend first listening to the episode linked below. This time, we focus on tools for deradicalisation, the benefits and limitations of support-focused Reddit forums like r/inceltears and r/incelexit, and consider why it is so difficult to leave the incelosphere.

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Allysa Czerwinsky, a PhD candidate at the University of Manchester, who specialises in male supremacist communities online.

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• Allysa Czerwinsky’s research
• TAT Podcast: Incels, Online Misogyny and Gender-Based Violence

In this week’s episode we’re looking at the spread and normalisation of anti-LGBTQ+ hate online, and its dramatic, real-life consequences. The hysteria promoted by extremists around a so-called gay or trans agenda has led to a societal and legislative backlash for LGBTQ+ people in the US. And the hate has festered in the most mainstream of online spaces. We discuss some of the conspiracy theories against LGBTQ+ people, the link between online and offline violence, and what tech companies can do to protect this marginalised community.

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Sarah Moore, the senior manager of news and research at GLAAD, a non-profit LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation, based in the US.

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• GLAAD’s Social Media Safety Index

There has been a lot of concern about how cryptocurrencies are used by terrorist groups to finance their operations, especially since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7th. So in this week’s episode, we’re investigating that question – do terrorist groups actually use cryptocurrency? We discuss what is known about terrorist financing, where the hysteria around cryptocurrency comes from, and the challenges around adopting more effective international countermeasures.

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Stephen Reimer, an Associate Fellow with the Centre for Finance and Security at the Royal United Services Institute's (RUSI). He is also an Adjunct Professor at the SciencesPo Paris School of International Affairs, where he lectures on financial intelligence and security.

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• Stephen Reimer’s research at RUSI
• TAT Podcast: Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K): A Growing Threat?
• TAT Podcast: Media Jihad: Islamic State's Resurgent Propaganda Network

In this week’s episode, we’re getting unique insights into the state of the far-right in the UK. The advocacy and research organisation HOPE Not Hate is known for its tireless work countering extremism and hate through research, intelligence, campaigning and community engagement. This work has involved infiltrating and exposing extremist movements and even terrorist groups. HOPE Not Hate recently published their State of Hate 2024 report, which we discuss in detail in the episode. 

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Patrik Hermansson, a senior researcher from HOPE Not Hate. We learn what it’s like to go undercover in an extremist group, and the risks associated with it. We explore how far-right extremism has evolved over the years, the role of social media, and the wider societal drivers of hate.  

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• HOPE Not Hate’s State of Hate 2024 report
• Patrik’s research feature on Active Clubs
• TAT Podcast: Active Clubs: Fitness, Fraternity, and Fascism
• TAT Podcast: What is the #tradwives Movement?

In this week’s episode, we’re delving into the key trends of the past three years in how online users disseminate far-right terrorist propaganda online. From gamification to Generative AI, we’ll be sharing findings from our upcoming report – TCAP Insights: Mapping Far-Right Terrorist Propaganda Online.

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Adam Donald, TCAP Manager at Tech Against Terrorism, who was part of the team working on our latest TCAP research report. We discuss the distribution of terrorist content online using TCAP statistics, which terrorist entities are most proficient, and which platforms are most heavily exploited. We also cover how gamification and sanctification of far-right propaganda is leading to a larger audience reach for this content, even on mainstream platforms. Finally, we offer policy recommendations for platforms to counter these trends.

Sign up to join the webinar launching the full report here.

You can read a transcript of this episode here.

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Since 2017, the UK has seen fifteen terrorist attacks – from the Manchester Arena bombing to the Dover firebomb attack. But during that time, more than twice as many attacks have also been foiled. So in this week’s episode, we’re looking at terror plotters in the UK. We are delving into the case studies of two very young plotters who were largely radicalised online, trying to understand what led them down their violent pathways and what can be done by stakeholders to prevent similar cases in future. 

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Lizzie Dearden, a home affairs and security journalist, and author of the book Plotters: The UK Terrorists Who Failed. 

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• Lizzie Dearden’s book, Plotters: The UK Terrorists Who Failed
• TAT Podcast: How has the Online Dissemination of Jihadist Propaganda Evolved?
• TAT Podcast: Gaming and Extremism: Threats and Opportunities
• TAT Podcast: Gaming and Extremism: Identity Fusion

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Brody McDonald, director of the Oxford Disinformation and Extremism Lab, and Associate Fellow at King’s College London.

You can read a transcript of the episode here.

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• Brody’s recent research 
• TAT Podcast: God, Guns and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America