According to the media, the software - which was successfully used to counter explicit violent messages from *Daesh terrorists and other extremists - is now being re-calibrated to respond to "other destructive communities."
In particular, company staffers are reportedly working to adapt the technology to identify and mitigate "anti-vax" conspiracy theories.
“The internet can be used to spread dangerous behaviors and ideas, but there is an opportunity for us to get creative and use technology to solve some of the world’s most complex problems”, Vidhya Ramalingam, a specialist on extremism and a co-founder of the Moonshot CVE told The Guardian.
In addition, the London-based specialists reportedly cooperate with local NGOs in online campaigns and tracking vulnerable individuals.
“When an individual is engaging with violent extremist content online, they might be searching for this content on Google or posting this content on Facebook [...] They’ll see an advertisement, or receive a direct message, which offers counselling or social support. This is an entry for us. If we can get that person into a one-on-one conversation with a social worker, that’s the starting point for longer-term change”, Ross Frenett, a company co-founder told The Guardian.
Moonshot CVE uses the "redirect method", according to the media. The specific algorithm incorporates online advertising at Google and social media user keyword searches.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has put the rise of misinformed anti-vaccination sentiment among the top 10 greatest threats to global health. To address the acute risks of the issue, the WHO has developed a Tailoring Immunization Programme (TIP) – a structured research approach – to help health care professionals and doctors identify populations susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases, diagnose barriers and motivators to vaccination, and make recommendations to improve immunization coverage.
The TIP studies are at present being conducted in Europe as a means of improving vaccination inclusion, a strategic objective for WHO in its European Vaccine Action Plan 2015–2020.
*Daesh (Islamic State, ISIS, ISIL, IS) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countries.
