Australia has launched a new Big Brother style watchdog for terrorists hiding online

A new 24/7 surveillance system is coming to Australia and it’s target is anyone promoting terrorism online. See how it will work.

Terrorism content being shared online in Australia and surrounding regions will be monitored 24/7 in a new move to combat extremism on digital platforms.

The initiative comes out of government funding committed in the aftermath of October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

The new watchdog — called Tech Against Terrorism — will allow government intelligence agencies to monitor terrorism around the clock.

The program is an expansion of a London-based project to combat terrorism.

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Tech Against Terrorism was previously instrumental in stopping the spread of terrorist and violent content online in the aftermath of the Christchurch terror attack

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government was serious about protecting Australians online.

“By partnering with Tech Against Terrorism, we are taking a proactive step to help address the threat of online radicalisation and terrorism here in Australia and in our region,“ he said.

, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman

“This collaboration will help us strengthen our national security measures and protect our digital space from the spread of terrorist content, wherever in the world it originates.”

Between July 1 2018 and August 31 2024, the Home Affairs Department has flagged 18,378 terrorist and violent extremist content to online platforms for removal.