ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the particular considerations within the context of the strategies and measures employed by law enforcement to counter escalating extremism. Legal restrictions are varied, but two of the more prominent issues include jurisdictional boundaries and the protection of constitutional rights. The efforts of the State Department and the Defense Department underscore a number of challenges for law enforcement. As can be expected, the use of encryption technology has made it difficult for law enforcement to police the online community, particularly in the United States. The foremost challenge is that while the logic behind countering extremist messages is sound, the practice leaves much to be desired. One positive counter-terrorism initiative involves building awareness in the community. Negative measures include approaches that aim to regulate, restrict, or remove extremist online content and to penalize the purveyors or users of such content. One of the more extreme methods of reducing radical reach involves the nationwide filtering of online content.
