What we do
ISD has been at the forefront of detecting, exposing and combatting all forms of terrorism, extremism, foreign interference and authoritarianism for two decades. We work in different geographic regions to detect and prevent threats to public safety, safeguard national security and protect democratic process and individual rights. We do this in three principle ways: threat detection, training, and policy.
Threat Detection, Analysis and Prevention
Our mission is to identify foreign interference, violent groups and extremism propaganda at scale; to protect citizens; and to safeguard elections and other democratic processes.
Our work includes threat detection, monitoring, incident response, trend analysis, as well as training for law enforcement, public officials, election agencies, businesses and state and local governments. We combine best-in-class research technologies and methods with in-depth subject matter expertise in both state (e.g. Russian, Chinese, Iranian) and non-state (e.g. terrorist, criminal network) threat actors. This allows us to deliver contextualised threat intelligence to our law enforcement, national security and civil society partners in real-time.
Training, Education and Communications
Our mission is to deliver proven models and training in violence prevention at the front line; to build networks to share and scale best practices; and to forge resilience through innovative strategic interventions.
To drive large-scale impact, we partner with law enforcement, governments, communities, cities, businesses and regulators. ISD provides the tools, insights and training to build resilience and operational capacity on the front line. ISD provides the tools, insights and training to build resilience and operational capacity on the front line. To drive large-scale impact, we partner with law enforcement, governments, communities, cities, businesses and regulators. This includes Strong Cities (our global network of mayors and local officials dedicated to countering polarisation and hate in their communities); our digital literacy education programming for kids and adults, businesses and schools; our civic actions networks such as the Coalition to Counter Online Antisemitism (CCOA); and our violence prevention resources for teachers, practitioners and public officials.
Informing Policy Strategies
Our mission is to provide data and insight to policymakers; to encourage industry cooperation; and to promote platform accountability.
We use our data and expertise to advise policymakers on strategies that have the potential to achieve widespread change. To do this, we provide insights and data to governments, international organisations and companies to assist them with policy strategies needed to prevent and respond to extremism. We educate law enforcement on the ever-changing threat environment, and we work to understand and counter foreign influence operations and violent groups both online and offline.
Who and Where We Are
ISD’s mission is delivered by teams in the UK, Germany, Jordan, Canada, France and the US. In addition, regional Strong Cities Hubs serve East & Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and the Western Balkans.
Our teams include researchers, policy experts, former government and law enforcement officials, frontline practitioners and technologists. They ensure ISD’s work is systematically ahead of the curve, safeguarding communities and democratic processes all over the world.
We are a group of independent non-profit organisations focused on protecting democracy and human rights from threats including authoritarian regimes, extremist actors and normalised conspiracy theories, hypercharged by social media products, algorithms, and generative AI. We are fiercely independent and maintain the highest standards of ethics and integrity.
