Terrorism is among the plagues of humanity that have persisted through the ages. It's difficult to quell as it is more than just radicals with guns and bombs, but an idea. And we all know that ideas are almost impossible to eradicate.
When it reaches the ear of the misinformed and the hearts of those frustrated by the on-going war it can lead them to fight for the wrong side. So what methods are best to hinder the spreading of an idea?
Experts will propose a lot of alternatives, but perhaps one of the best means is providing valid information. And who better to fill this role than the tech giant, Google.
Google's tech Incubator, Jigsaw, has developed a program - called the Redirect Method - that uses a combination of Google's search ad algorithm and Youtube video platform aimed at potential recruits wanting to join ISIS. These materials are believed to reverse ISIS' brainwashing and to show the real horror and hypocrisy of the dangerous extremists.
Clips of testimonials from former ISIS members, imams condemning the group's Islam corruption, and clandestine filming of the extremist's dysfunctional caliphate are among those that will be shown to people who will trigger the program should they enter a certain keyword.
The test project that Jigsaw ran earlier this year had a surprisingly effective result. Within two months, the initiative managed to draw 300,000 people towards anti-ISIS Youtube channels.
Searchers were three or four times as likely to click the clips compare to a typical ad campaign. The project also found that among the hundreds of thousands of people who clicked on the ad spent a total of half a million minutes consuming the online materials that Jigsaw collected, with the most effective videos getting eight minutes and 20 seconds average time.
Because of these numbers, Jigsaw plans to relaunch the program in a second phase geared towards North American Extremists, applying the strategy to both ISIS sympathizers and violent white supremacists.
While this campaign is far from the ultimate solution that world leaders are looking for, it's certainly is treading the right path. After all, what better way to cure ignorance than to arm the misinformed with the right information.
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