New London counter-terror hub will target online content and AI
Key Points
- Five Eyes agreed a permanent Countering Violent Extremism Hub in London.
- The hub covers intelligence sharing, threat assessment and early intervention.
- Partners will press technology firms to remove content that breaches terms of service.
- AI-driven harm dominated the Sydney ministerial, according to Australia's Tony Burke.
- A new diversion programme will refer at-risk people to Prevent.
The five Five Eyes governments will set up a permanent counter-extremism hub in London, agreed at the Five Country Ministerial in Sydney on Wednesday (26 August).
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood secured the commitment from her counterparts in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The Countering Violent Extremism Hub will bring counter-terrorism and counter-extremism specialists from all five countries into a single centre for intelligence sharing, collaboration and early intervention.
The Home Office said the hub follows attacks linked to individuals radicalised online through harmful content, extremist propaganda and violent networks.
It also said violent attacks and the radicalising effects of new technologies, including AI, are emerging rapidly as threats across the globe.
Pressure on platforms to remove content that is not illegal
Five Eyes partners will work with technology companies, industry partners and governments to act faster against harmful content and strengthen protections for users.
The Home Office said acting together means greater pressure to remove content that may not be illegal, but could breach a platform’s terms of service.
That widens the target beyond unlawful material to anything a company’s own rules already prohibit.
The department said the approach will make it harder for extremists to exploit online platforms for recruitment, radicalisation and the spread of violent material.
“The radicalisation of children and young people online is a particular concern across the globe,” said Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary.
“Bringing together intelligence and expertise from our closest international partners will strengthen our ability to disrupt dangerous networks and prevent violence before lives are put at risk.”
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the sharp acceleration in the capacity to cause harm through AI had dominated the talks, which he held with US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Mahmood, Canadian Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and New Zealand Police Minister Mark Mitchell.
The ministers discussed applying AI across the threat areas their departments handle.
Ministers also agreed a new diversion programme so authorities can intervene sooner when someone shows signs of radicalisation or a fixation with violence.
The programme will help professionals identify vulnerable people online, connect them with support and refer them to Prevent where necessary.
The hub itself will identify emerging patterns of behaviour, share lessons from previous incidents and assess risks before they escalate into violence.
It will also support threat assessments and prevention work so intelligence and law enforcement agencies can act before harm occurs.
The five countries used last year’s ministerial in London in September 2025 to acknowledge that emerging technologies including AI carry both risks and opportunities, and committed to working in partnership with technology companies on the most serious crimes.
