Europol tasked with online search-and-destroy mission to combat Islamic State

On the 22nd June 2015 it was reported that Europol was running a new Europe-wide police unit to monitor the internet to track and block social media accounts run or linked to the terrorist group Islamic State (IS).1 IS has been effective in their use of electronic communications, especially the various forms social media to get their message out to a global audience. One way they have done this is by decentralising their propaganda campaign by allowing its members and those living within the caliphate they formed in northern Syria and north-western Iraq to use their personal social media accounts. As it is estimated that over 25,000 foreign fighters have joined the group in the conflict zone2 their daily messages are literally reaching a global audience as they are sent in various languages. IS social media accounts have been used to recruit foreign fighters, encourage women to travel to the region and become jihadi brides as well as encouraging families form around the world to in effect emigrate to the IS caliphate