The Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET) will host a webinar in late September to scrutinise how the intersection of organised crime and violent extremism in Latin America is creating fresh compliance and moderation dilemmas for online platforms.
Focus on the crime–terror nexus and platform responses
The online event, scheduled for 30 September 2026, will bring together academics and practitioners to examine the mechanisms by which cartel-related and extremist content can slip past existing moderation systems, and to assess the wider effects of recent policy moves, including the designation of some Latin American groups as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs).
Speakers will present regional case studies and policy analysis aimed at informing platform safety teams, counter‑extremism practitioners and policymakers about the evolving threat environment. The session is explicitly designed to consider technical, legal and enforcement issues that arise when criminal and terrorist activity overlap online.
Panel and format
The webinar will feature three presentations followed by a question-and-answer session. The invited presenters are:
- Cecelia Polizzi, Founding CEO, Next Wave Center
- Adriana Marin, Lecturer in International Relations, Coventry University
- Rebecca Fainberg, Center for Global Affairs, New York University
GNET has said the discussion will highlight:
- how cartel and extremist material may evade current moderation tools;
- a regional case study on the relationship between digital technologies, organised crime and terrorism;
- an appraisal of designation-based enforcement across jurisdictions and its implications for platforms.
Access and verification
The webinar is open to those who register. For security and verification purposes, GNET requests participants to sign up using an organisational or institutionally affiliated email address. If an attendee lacks such an address, they are asked to contact GNET by email and provide professional or academic verification — for example a work webpage or LinkedIn profile.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| When | 30 September 2026, 16:00 BST / 11:00 EDT |
| Where | Online (Zoom) |
| Format | Presentations and Q&A |
The organisers say the webinar is aimed at policy and P/CVE (preventing/countering violent extremism) practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders tasked with managing the online dimensions of organised crime and terrorism.
Why the session matters
The topic is timely following regulatory and enforcement developments affecting Latin America. Designation of criminal groups as terrorist entities raises complex questions for companies that host user-generated content: whether and how to remove material, how to identify content that constitutes support or coordination, and how enforcement actions by states interact with platform policies and cross-border legal frameworks.
For technology companies, these challenges combine operational and legal risks. Moderation systems built for clear-cut categories of extremism may struggle where criminal and political motives overlap, or where actors use coded language and rapid decentralised networks. The webinar will explore these technical limitations as well as potential policy responses.
GNET’s event follows a wider shift in conversations about online harms: policymakers are increasingly focused on how platforms can be held accountable for content that facilitates serious criminality or violence. The session aims to surface lessons from Latin America that could inform both industry practice and government approaches elsewhere.
Those wishing to attend should consult GNET’s registration guidance and prepare to verify their professional affiliation where required.
