A project kick-off e-meeting held on May 19-20, 2021, outlined the collaboration mechanisms between the 19 partners in the CounteR consortium, the project timelines, expected outcomes, along with other organizational matters related to the activity implementation.
The CounteR consortium brings together an illustrious group of international subject-matter experts in counterterrorism, radicalisation and privacy law, six European law enforcement agencies with practical in-field knowledge, as well as a group of technical SMEs and academic partners.
Assist
ASSIST Software is a software development company located in the north-east of Romania with over 28 years’ experience in the IT&C market. With more than 200 employees, ASSIST has collaborated with over 250 clients around the world to successfully deliver 400+ projects. The majority of business ASSIST receives is a direct result of client recommendations. We have established long-term partnerships with 140 European companies, universities and research centres and have participated as a technical partner in over 17 EU-funded projects.
Focusing our activities towards developing complex software products, ASSIST Software provides consistent results in emerging fields such as military simulators, e-health, e-payment, e-security, business applications, etc. We are experts in Custom Software Development: Backend & Web, Mobile, 3D Applications, Gaming, AR/VR, Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning and Computer Vision, Blockchain and Cloud.
Insikt Intelligence
We are INSIKT Intelligence – experts in Social Media mining and Artificial Intelligence powered data analytics on all digital sources, with over a decade of experience in research and development. Our passion is building easy to use yet scientifically complex investigative tools to help Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) gain vitalintelligence on online crime.
We have developed a number of solutions in order to help detect and combat online crime, including Law Enforcement Training courses, to help police and other interested parties improve and acquire mastery of efficient, powerful techniques for extracting information from large datasets such as social networks, socialgraphs, large document repositories, and other online sources.
At INSIKT Intelligence, we aim to combine rigorous analysis methodologies, powered by proprietary AI, with the newest cutting-edge techniques for classifying and analyzing Social Media and other digital data.
Through our technology we collect and analyze massive amounts of data to help Law Enforcement and Investigative Professionals detect suspicious content, powered by Artificial Intelligence methods, Data Mining, Text Mining with Natural Language Processing, Deep Learning, Big Data Analysis, and Social Network Analysis (Network Science) in order to leverage cutting edge algorithms to surface hidden insights and cut through the noise to effectively neutralize and prevent terror, crime and cyber threats.
Imagga
Imagga Technologies Ltd. (Imagga) is a pioneer and a global innovator in the image and video recognition as a service space. The company has been offering its cloud API since 2014 and its on-premise solution since 2015.
The technologies behind these products have been in active development since 2012. Our content recognition solutions are currently used by over 22,000 developers and 200 businesses worldwide and has received multiple worldwide awards and recognition such as Best Technology Vendor at South Summit ’15 by HM The King of Spain, Global Champion in News and Media at World Summit Awards ’16 by the United Nations, and Global Innovator in Image Analytics ’16 by IDC, among others and as one of the most precise out-of-the-box solutions worldwide outperforming competitors like Google Cloud Vision and Amazon Rekognition based on an independent technology evaluation by a reputable Israeli university. The company is operating out of Sofia, Bulgaria and Seoul, South Korea, and has sales agents in the US and UK. As a leading global provider of AI deep learning-based technologies for automated image and video recognition, classification and tagging, we have dedicated our time, energy, and mind space to our mission – to provide the most powerful and precise set of technologies that enable businesses to derive value out of the image content they manage and provide the best and safest possible experience to their users. Better internal workflows and automation, better insights, better user experience and critical safety for the end users.
We are currently a team of 13 experts with diversified backgrounds in software architecture & development, Machine Learning, AI, marketing, finance and product management. We have recently identified the great and urgent need of many big, medium and small User-Generated Content (UGC) platforms to moderate their evergrowing flow of visual content, and a major opportunity for us to help them in this endeavour. The image recognition and computer vision A.I. technologies we have developed over the years, which are already actively used by our customers around the world in various industries and applications, give us the confidence that we can solve this problem in a fully or semi-automated way much better than any other company in the world can.
ICON Studios
ICON is a digital transformation specialist, assisting local and international businesses in leveraging technology solutions to lower costs, increase profitability, and reach wider audiences.
ICON’s core offering includes business process re-engineering, process analysis and software design, UI/UX and customer journey improvement, as well as web, mobile, and bespoke software development.
ICON employs a team of experienced specialists in software architecture, user-experience, business process engineering, and cloud hosting infrastructure to deliver highly customised and effective solutions.
ICON’s industry focus is aviation and financial services, having deployed solutions for leaders in their respective fields. ICON also provides software and advisory services for local and European government institutions.
Consorzio Ineruniversitario Nazionale per l’Informatica (CINI)
CINI (Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per l’Informatica, www.consorzio-cini.it), a consortium of 47 public Italian universities, is today the main point of reference for the national academic research in the fields of Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Information Technologies. CINI aims at providing added value to the member Universities, the Italian production system, the Italian Public Administration, and the overall country, being the representative of the almost whole Italian Academic Informatics Community. It involves 1,300+ professors of both Computer Science (Italian SSD INF/01) and Computer Engineering (Italian SSD INGINF/05), belonging to 47 universities that do research in CS/CE, deliver MS/PhD degrees, and are public funded.
Established in 6.12.1989, CINI is under the supervision of the competent Italian Ministry for University and Research. The Consortium is submitted to the periodic Quality Evaluation of its research activities by ANVUR, the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of the University System and Research.
Institut national de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique (INRIA)
Inria is the French national research institute for digital sciences. World-class research and technological innovation are part of its DNA, together with the aim of developing and supporting scientific and entrepreneurial projects that create value for France, within a European context. It is Inria’s duty to respond to the challenges of digital transformation to contribute to the development of an innovative and trusting society and to ensure the economic and societal impact of its research. Inria has an annual budget of 231 million euros, 25% represents its own revenue. The institute is strongly involved in programmes aimed at fostering scientific excellence, such as the European Research Council: 59 Grants. Inria makes a firm commitment to Horizon 2020, with which the institute’s strategic plan is aligned. One of Inria’s objectives is to combine scientific excellence with a focus on major European and global societal challenges. Inria is currently involved in more than 150 H2020 funded projects.
In May 2019, Inria obtained the Human Resources Excellence in Research from the European Commission. It is also fully committed via its internal Operational Committee for the assessment of Legal and Ethical risks. Inria focuses on several scientific themes including core digital technology, digital security, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Inria aims at meeting major societal challenges in which digital technology plays a key role (from personalised medicine to precision farming, as well as reducing the energy footprint of digital technology). Inria’s goal is to help revitalizing and ensuring the digital sovereignty of French and European industries using and developing digital technology.
The Inria Paris’ ALMAnaCH project-team, which will be in charge of the Inria’s part of the project, brings together specialists of a pluri-disciplinary research domain at the interface between computer science, linguistics, statistics, and the humanities, namely that of natural language processing, computational linguistics and computational humanities and social sciences.
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) is Hungary’s most prestigious university with the richest traditions and the highest international rankings in the country. In 2010 it was recognized as a Research University and in 2013 it received the distinguished title of University of National Excellence. Such distinction is attested by its outstanding educational and research capacities, scientific results and international relations. With 8 faculties, 96 master’s degree programs, more than 50 foreign-language programs, 76 academic lecturers (20% of the total Hungarian academics), 16 PhD schools, 118 PhD programs, 25 800 students from more than 70 different countries, ELTE offers the widest range of higher education in Hungary. The Faculty of Science at Eötvös Loránd University is the largest institution in the country where all the natural sciences are represented at the highest level. The intellectual capital accumulated here is a unique opportunity for our students to expand their knowledge and exploit their individual resources, thereby meeting the requirements of a knowledge-intensive information society. One of the strengths of the Faculty is multidisciplinary research including data intensive network science projects in collaboration with the Faculty of Informatics and several national and international partners.
Universià Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
UCSC – Founded in 1921, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) is the largest private university in Europe with 12 Faculties, 5 campuses across Italy (Milan, Rome, Piacenza, Cremona and Brescia), 80 specialized research labs, 2000 faculty members, and about 43.000 students of which nearly 1850 are international students.
Research activity draws on 1272 tenured researchers, 30 institutes, 35 departments, 87 research centres, 5 university centres and 10 spin-offs and is aimed towards the study and understanding of crucial issues of life and society: new frontiers in economics and bioethics, changes in the field of law, family and cultural trends, mass media, changes in political systems, aims and goals of medicine, technological applications of mathematics and physics, and the most recent discoveries in environmental research. UCSC boasts strong industrial and institutional ties that facilitate networking at national and international level, as well as collaborations in groundbreaking research projects, which generated about 4.500 scientific publications over the last year particularly in the fields of science innovations, environment and sustainability, and health.
UCSC is highly engaged in carrying out multidisciplinary research project both at national and international level. The annual average of research funds is 30M Euro, coming from UCSC own funds (10%), national grants and international grants (45%) and funds from applied research with private and public, national and international entities (45%).
Malta Information Technology Law Association (MITLA)
MITLA is a non-governmental organisation that groups professionals, including lawyers, working in industries
that depend on or are based on IT Law. It aims can be summed up as follows:
- To promote the advancement and development of information technology law, including but not solely limited to computer law, internet law, electronic communications law, information law, electronic commerce law, remote gaming law and cybercrime (collectively ‘ICT Law’) in Malta and the advancement of Malta and an international centre of excellence in ICT Law;
- To actively research, discuss and circulate information on legal development taking place on theinternational plane and within the European Union with respect to ICT Law and the knowledge economy;
- To promote with international and regional organisations or associations and other national government and non-government bodies legislative and regulatory changes related to ICT Law and to consider together with these entities proposals for legislative interventions having the same aim;
- To afford opportunities for discussion and consideration of matters of interest to members of the Association and to undertake or assist in the preparation of legal instruments and papers in respect of such matters; and
- To collect and circulate statistical and other information of interest to the members of the Association and to form a collection of publications and documents accessible to members of the Association.
European Institute Foundation (EIF)
The European Institute (EI) is an independent policy centre that was founded in April 1999 just before Bulgaria started EU membership negotiations. Since its creation the Institute has become one of the leading Bulgarian independent policy and research centres dealing with matters related to European integration. It has commendable in-house expertise of practitioners who have worked with the EU and boast a profound understanding of the process of Europeanization and legal harmonization and compatibility within Member States.
EI has developed a comprehensive network of external experts in key areas like Social policies, Justice and Home Affairs, Migration policy, Agriculture, Security, SME business, etc. Over the years this network has also widened to include representatives from Central and South East Europe. EI’s expertise is widely recognized both by the governmental institutions and non- governmental community in Bulgaria, South East Europe, Turkey and the Eastern Partnership countries.
Association les Militants du Savoir (MDS)
The association “Militants des savoirs” aims to accompany or manage local, regional, national or international projects that promote new forms of mediation or appropriation of knowledge and enabling young people to regain the power to learn.
- Through its action, the association produces events, supports, actions of diffusion of university and citizen knowledge.
- Through its human, logistical and financial support, the association enables the emergence of new knowledge.
- Through its citizen action, the association intervenes to denounce, support and valorize existing forms of democratic diffusion of knowledge.
- Through its action, the association contributes to the development of action research by building operations of valorisation or transfer of knowledge.
- Through its action, the association acts to prevent extremism and radicalisation. It acts within the framework of citizen media education.
- Through its action, the association contributes to the development of fraternal and cooperative forms of living together.
The following association in the framework of the prevention of radicalization and extremism is the head of the network of the Unesco Chair for the Prevention of Radicalization (Unesco Prev Chair).
Eticas Research and Consulting (ERC)
Eticas Research and Consulting is a Spain-based SME founded in 2012 as a university spin-off. Since then, Eticas has been working on the legal, ethical and social impact of security policy, innovation and technology development, as well as the interaction between changing societal values, engineering possibilities and fundamental rights. We support responsible research and innovation by assessing the ethical, legal and social impact of data-intensive technologies.
Our mission is to focus on the analysis of the contextual factors that can and should guide technological development and implementation, with a particular emphasis on understanding broader contextual issues linked to trust and acceptability, legal compliance, social externalities and ethics.
We solve problems and provide assistance on topics related to: AI, Big Data and Open Data, Cybersecurity, Technology audit and smart cities, Ethics in ICT, Impact Assessment, Acting and Assisting Living Technologies, Privacy Enhancing Technologies, Secure societies, Economics of surveillance.
Elliniki Etairia Tilepoikinonion kai Tilematikon Efarmogon A.E. – Forthnet S.A. (FNT)
Forthnet (FNT) is one of the largest alternative fixed operators that provide broadband and pay TV services in Greece with more than 1 million subscriptions. FNT is active in the fields of telecommunications and PayTV and it is listed in the main market of the Athens Stock Exchange since 2000. Using state‐of‐the art technologies and fully exploiting its knowhow, FNT offers a set of individual or bundled fixed telephony, broadband internet and TV‐content services (both OTT and DTH), to customers, enterprises and Public Bodies throughout Greece.
Currently has a chain of 115 shops in more than 60 cities all over the country. FNET is devoted to the development of pioneering solutions for the provision of integrated communication and entertainment services to the Greek family. It utilises and integrates technological solutions on the basis of the latest telecommunications and transmission infrastructure in order to develop and provide new services on its network and beyond. In addition, FNET has started providing OTT Content services, targeting also mobile devices, aiming to strengthen its position by providing enhanced applications and services.
FNT, in parallel to the retail sector, holds a significant position offering informative sports portals e.g. novasports.gr.
Ministério da Justiça (PJ)
Polícia Judiciária (PJ) Portuguese Criminal Police is the Portuguese higher criminal police body, hierarchically organized under the aegis of the Ministry of Justice. PJ’s mission consists on assisting the judicial and prosecuting authorities with investigations, by developing and promoting preventive, detection and investigative actions. As a criminal investigation police force, LEA, PJ has reserved competence for the investigation of serious and organized crime in general.
Hochschule für den öffentlichen Dienst in Bayern
The Department of Police is located in Fürstenfeldbruck and in Sulzbach Rosenberg and currently trains the majority of police students in Bavaria at the campus in Fürstenfeldbruck. Students here train for their career on professional and executive levels for the Police Enforcement Service (either Police Force/Constabulary or Criminal Investigation Police Department). The University of Applied Sciences – Police Affairs (HfoeD) teachesfuture higher ranked police officers in various disciplines including psychology, political science and social sciences.
The inter-disciplinary research team of the HfoeD examines various domains relevant for policing including cybercrime, radicalisation, extremism, terrorism among others. Security research for and via the police strengthens everyday networking in police practice with training and further education, in other words integrating theory and practice. The research team of the HfoeD provides scientific knowledge on relevant topics in the field (i.e. security research, crime prevention or crime research) to police or institutions of the security structure and aids in the design of further training courses and seminars and the mediation of contacts.
In addition, the research team supports police and security authorities by providing scientific services in solving day-to-day problems.
State Police Latvia (SPLV)
The State Police of Latvia is a State direct administration institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Latvia, which in accordance with its competency is responsible for implementation of the State policy in the field of combating crime and the protection of public order and safety, as well as in the field of protection of the rights and freedoms and the legitimate interests of persons. State Police is financed by the state budget of the Republic of Latvia.
Appropriate structure of State Police for this project would be Central Criminal Police Department. Main tasks of the Central Criminal Police Department in relation to the topic of this Call is to analyse the crime situation in the country at the operational and strategic level, to forecast its further development, to develop new methods for reducing crime as well as to organize and coordinate the activities of regional structural units. In crisis situations to detain armed and especially dangerous criminals, to release objects taken by these persons and hostages.
Serviciul de Protecţie Şi Pazǎ România
Protection and Guard Service (SPP) is a state body with functions in the field of national security, specialized in providing protection for the Romanian dignitaries, the foreign dignitaries during their stay in Romania, and their families, within its legal competence. It also provides guard for the headquarters and residences of the abovementioned dignitaries in accordance with the decisions of the Supreme Council of National Defence. SPP has a military structure and is part of the national defence system and through its specialized structures, has among other the following functions:
- organizes and carries out activities in order to prevent and annihilate any action that might be a threat to the life, physical integrity, freedom of action and health of the persons whose protection is in its charge;
- carries out the guard and defence of these persons’ headquarters and residences;
- organizes and carries out, overtly or under cover, activities of gathering, checking and using the necessary intelligence, only with a view to completing its missions accordingly to the law;
- carries out exchange of intelligence and cooperates with intelligence services as well as with similar departments both within the country and abroad, in order to fulfil the specific missions stipulated by law;
- organizes and conducts, during the missions of protection and guard, the activity of all the participating forces;
- intervenes, independently or in cooperation with other institutions designated by the law in order to prevent or counteract the actions that may endanger the life, physical integrity, health or freedom of action of the protected as well as the security of the guarded objectives. It also intervenes to capture or annihilate the terrorist and aggressive elements;
- carries out independently or in cooperation with other specialized institutions, actions of search, identification and annihilation of the suspect objects which can be dangerous for the protected persons or guarded objectives.
National Police General Directorate at the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Bulgaria (BGP)
Bulgarian National Police General Directorate (BGP) is a national specialized operative, security and control structure for prevention, investigation and detection of crimes (with the exception of those related to organized criminal activity), and for the protection of public order.
The police officers of BGP collect, process, systematize, use and provide information organized in automated information funds, systems or registers created by law, for the implementation of their powers in the field of activity; carry out interaction and information exchange with other state bodies and organizations under conditions and order, provided by law; involve and interact with citizens and non-governmental organizations in order to establish partnership and cooperation in solving problems of security and public order; develop methodological guidelines and programs for prevention, interception, detection and investigation of serious crimes.
BGP organizes, coordinates and controls the activity of the regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior on prevention, interception, detection and investigation of crimes and anti-social acts.
Ministère de l’intérieur / Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure (DGSI)
The Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure or the Directorate of Homeland Security (DGSI) is responsible for the investigation, centralisation and exploitation of information of interest to national security and the national fundamental interests. DGSI reports directly to the French Ministry of the Interior and it is the sole service of homeland security in France, responsible for fighting all activities susceptible of raising a threat to the Nation’s fundamental interests, including preventing the activities inspired or supported by third countries or organisations in French soil, likely to endanger the country’s security. This mission unfolds across four pillars: counterespionage, economic information warfare, fighting against terrorism and radicalisation and fighting against cybercrime.