Cyber Threats Research Centre Projects

Funded by the EU’s Internal Security Fund, the TATE project aims to increase the awareness of smaller tech companies of the EU’s Terrorist Content Online Regulation. Through technical support and a bespoke mentorship programme, the project aims to enable tech companies to improve their internal processes and policies to better combat terrorist use of their services.

Find out more about TATE.

The Cybercrime and Online Harms Practice and Research Network is a pan-Wales network for practitioners and researchers across law enforcement, public, private and third sectors, with a shared interest in supporting individuals and small organisations who experienced, or are at risk of, online crime or harm.

Read more about COPRNET.

Professor Nuria Lorenzo-Dus is leading on a new project, DRAGON-S, which looks to keep children safe from technology-assisted child abuse.

Every 30 seconds a child makes their first click online. Although the internet offers great opportunities to learn and connect with others, it also has a dark side, where children are vulnerable. It is estimated that at any one time approximately 750,000 individuals are looking to connect with children online for sexual purposes, including grooming for sex. Online groomers use language to form a relationship with the children they prey on, to gain and then betray children’s trust, exploiting children’s wonderful sociability, kind-heartedness, and curiosity.

During 2021-2022 the project’s research and development team will be developing state-of-the-art, ethically-responsible tools (Spotter and Shield) to help detect and prevent online child sexual grooming.

Find out more about the project.

The Swansea University Research on the Incel Community (SURIC) is a research group who conduct empirical research to better understand the dynamics of the involuntary celibate (incel) community. Their work includes the largest survey of incels to date.

Find out more about SURIC.

This project is focused on understanding the harms that researchers face when working in the field of terrorism and extremism online. The project has conducted both interview and survey-based research, as well as conducting practitioner workshops.

Find out more about REASSURE.

Developed by Dr Lella Nouri and her Research Team, StreetSnap is an innovative technological solution allowing councils and police in the UK to better record, utilise and remove hateful graffiti and visual representations of hate throughout their boroughs. The app allows users (from council officials to PCSOs and integrated partners) to track potential areas of higher hate crime and incidences of extremism effectively and efficiently within their communities. StreetSnap enables councils to communicate with ease across departments, teams and partners as well as better allocate resources and funds into areas where issues are identified to ensure public safety and support community cohesion.

Find out more about StreetSnap.

TASM is our biennial international conference on Terrorism and Social Media, which brings together researchers, policymakers and practitioners, from a number of different countries and disciplinary backgrounds.

Find out more about TASM.