The use of the Internet and online ecosystems by terrorist and violent extremist actors has become increasingly complex, intersecting with a broad range of harmful narratives, violent content and online subcultures. These risks are compounded by limited content moderation capacities, systemic gaps in awareness of what constitutes harmful and unlawful content, linguistic and cultural challenges, and weaker partnerships between governments, civil society and information and communication technology companies.

In this complex and evolving digital landscape, responses to terrorism and violent extremism online must adapt and evolve accordingly. Existing approaches and solutions, despite their strengths, can be limited in their effectiveness and adaptability. Alternative ways of thinking and a more holistic approach are needed to encourage cross-learning among information and communication technology companies, law enforcement and civil society.

Thinking in Alternatives- A Community Note for Southeast Asia: Strengthening Responses to Terrorist and Violent Extremist Use of the Internet explores complementary and alternative approaches to detecting, monitoring and responding to terrorist and violent extremist use of the Internet and online ecosystems. In particular, it examines the potential of open-source intelligence (OSINT) to identify and track emerging threats, and community-driven approaches to content moderation that draw on local knowledge, expertise and participation.

Although online threats, methods and approaches are global in nature, the report focuses on Southeast Asia, examining the current terrorist and violent extremist threat landscape in the region and how digital technologies are exploited to advance terrorist and violent extremist objectives. It considers how approaches and solutions can be adapted to specific contexts while upholding human rights and taking linguistic and cultural norms into account.

The publication draws on the findings of the regional workshop Thinking in Alternatives: Exploring Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Community-Driven Approaches to Content Moderation for Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online, convened by UNICRI and the Ministry of Home Affairs of Singapore on 2–3 December 2025 in Singapore, complemented by consultations with international and national experts and desk-based research.

The report builds on UNICRI’s Cybercrime and Online Harms Workstream and its longstanding cooperation with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) in addressing terrorist and violent extremist exploitation of digital technologies.