UK counterterrorism chiefs warn online platforms fuel growing threats

Vicki Evans, a senior national coordinator for counterterrorism at the Metropolitan Police, called the fight a continual battle and said police cannot handle the scale of the threat alone without help from technology companies. Online platforms have become a live operational space for extremists, hostile states and criminals, not just a place where propaganda circulates.

Laurence Taylor, head of counterterrorism policing, said Islamic extremism remains the biggest threat in the United Kingdom. He also said the danger from far-right groups and hostile states has grown significantly over the past five years, reflecting a shift in the mix of cases officers are facing. Police and security officials are confronting threats that move quickly across borders and use the same digital tools for recruitment, targeting and command.

A Metropolitan Police file image shows a damaged warehouse in east London, where goods had been stored for Ukraine. Prosecutors said the fire was organized on behalf of Russia’s intelligence services. AP tracked 145 cases of sabotage and disruption blamed by Western officials on Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

On June 3, MI5 and Five Eyes partners warned that China’s military intelligence services were using professional networking sites and online job platforms to target people with access to secrets. China’s military intelligence services use ordinary digital services as intelligence tools, seeking access through recruitment and social engineering as well as hacking infrastructure.

The National Security (State Threats) Bill received Royal Assent on July 8, giving the government new powers designed to deter, detect and disrupt hostile-state operations. Counterterrorism officials have also said the hostile-state caseload has risen sharply in recent years, with one account putting the increase at four or five times.

Authorities are dealing with more than 10,000 referrals to the deradicalization program.