The following are suppliers currently contracted by the Home Office’s Research Information and Communications Unit:

Press Data Ltd

The Global Strategy Network

Human Digital Ltd

RICU provides analysis on terrorist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter-terrorism system. All activity complies with relevant legislation. RICU works with range of partners across HMG to support the wider counter-terrorism mission, including Counter Terrorism Policing and relevant police teams.

No formal arrangements, protocols or guidance exists between RICU, Counter Terrorism Policing, police communications teams and Victim Liaison Officers.

RICU is part of the Home Office and is funded from within the Department’s overall budgets.

Decisions on funding are taken as part of the Home Office’s normal business planning process.

The Home Office publishes information on departmental spending through its transparency publications. We do not routinely provide detailed budgets for individual teams

The Home Office has previously contracted with a range of suppliers to support communications and research activity, in line with government commercial processes.

Information on individual contracts is published in line with transparency requirements, including on Contracts Finder and through departmental transparency releases.

The Home Office no longer holds a contract with Breakthrough Media.

We do not provide a consolidated, unit-level breakdown of payments to individual suppliers.

RICU operates within the framework of Home Office governance, including ministerial accountability and established departmental oversight processes.

Its work supports the wider counter-terrorism system by providing analysis on terrorist and extremist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter terrorism system. All activity complies with relevant legislation.

Ministers have authorised RICU’s work since its establishment and receive its outputs as part of the Department’s wider counter-terrorism activity.

The team’s work is subject to appropriate internal assurance and external scrutiny, including by Parliament.

The Home Office does not routinely publish detailed staffing information for individual counter-terrorism teams where doing so could risk revealing sensitive information about the structure and resourcing of counter-terrorism capabilities.

RICU is part of the Home Office and is funded from within the Department’s overall budgets.

Decisions on funding are taken as part of the Home Office’s normal business planning process.

The Home Office publishes information on departmental spending through its transparency publications. We do not routinely provide detailed budgets for individual teams

The Home Office has previously contracted with a range of suppliers to support communications and research activity, in line with government commercial processes.

Information on individual contracts is published in line with transparency requirements, including on Contracts Finder and through departmental transparency releases.

The Home Office no longer holds a contract with Breakthrough Media.

We do not provide a consolidated, unit-level breakdown of payments to individual suppliers.

RICU operates within the framework of Home Office governance, including ministerial accountability and established departmental oversight processes.

Its work supports the wider counter-terrorism system by providing analysis on terrorist and extremist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter terrorism system. All activity complies with relevant legislation.

Ministers have authorised RICU’s work since its establishment and receive its outputs as part of the Department’s wider counter-terrorism activity.

The team’s work is subject to appropriate internal assurance and external scrutiny, including by Parliament.

The Home Office does not routinely publish detailed staffing information for individual counter-terrorism teams where doing so could risk revealing sensitive information about the structure and resourcing of counter-terrorism capabilities.

RICU is part of the Home Office and is funded from within the Department’s overall budgets.

Decisions on funding are taken as part of the Home Office’s normal business planning process.

The Home Office publishes information on departmental spending through its transparency publications. We do not routinely provide detailed budgets for individual teams

The Home Office has previously contracted with a range of suppliers to support communications and research activity, in line with government commercial processes.

Information on individual contracts is published in line with transparency requirements, including on Contracts Finder and through departmental transparency releases.

The Home Office no longer holds a contract with Breakthrough Media.

We do not provide a consolidated, unit-level breakdown of payments to individual suppliers.

RICU operates within the framework of Home Office governance, including ministerial accountability and established departmental oversight processes.

Its work supports the wider counter-terrorism system by providing analysis on terrorist and extremist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter terrorism system. All activity complies with relevant legislation.

Ministers have authorised RICU’s work since its establishment and receive its outputs as part of the Department’s wider counter-terrorism activity.

The team’s work is subject to appropriate internal assurance and external scrutiny, including by Parliament.

The Home Office does not routinely publish detailed staffing information for individual counter-terrorism teams where doing so could risk revealing sensitive information about the structure and resourcing of counter-terrorism capabilities.

RICU is part of the Home Office and is funded from within the Department’s overall budgets.

Decisions on funding are taken as part of the Home Office’s normal business planning process.

The Home Office publishes information on departmental spending through its transparency publications. We do not routinely provide detailed budgets for individual teams

The Home Office has previously contracted with a range of suppliers to support communications and research activity, in line with government commercial processes.

Information on individual contracts is published in line with transparency requirements, including on Contracts Finder and through departmental transparency releases.

The Home Office no longer holds a contract with Breakthrough Media.

We do not provide a consolidated, unit-level breakdown of payments to individual suppliers.

RICU operates within the framework of Home Office governance, including ministerial accountability and established departmental oversight processes.

Its work supports the wider counter-terrorism system by providing analysis on terrorist and extremist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter terrorism system. All activity complies with relevant legislation.

Ministers have authorised RICU’s work since its establishment and receive its outputs as part of the Department’s wider counter-terrorism activity.

The team’s work is subject to appropriate internal assurance and external scrutiny, including by Parliament.

The Home Office does not routinely publish detailed staffing information for individual counter-terrorism teams where doing so could risk revealing sensitive information about the structure and resourcing of counter-terrorism capabilities.

The Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) was established in 2007 under the Prevent strand of HMG’s CONTEST strategy, to understand and counter terrorist and extremist ideologies to reduce the risk to the UK, its citizens, and its interests overseas.

RICU provides analysis on terrorist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter-terrorism system. To support this crucial objective RICU undertakes open-source monitoring to better understand the media, online and communications environment as it relates to terrorism and extremism. This open-source monitoring identifies a range of material that is shared and discussed within these spaces, including topics or media that terrorist and extremist groups are seeking to exploit.

All RICU data collection and analysis complies with relevant legislation. Ministers have authorised RICU’s work since it was established in 2007, and through subsequent updates to the CONTEST strategy (in 2011 and 2018) and regularly receive RICU outputs.

RICU activity is underpinned and directed by sensitive information pertaining to terrorism threats and the identification of at-risk audiences. The books and television shows referenced in these products were not identified as ‘far-right’ and ‘white-supremacist’. The inclusion of these items of media was an illustration of the types of mainstream content shared in online spaces that are known to be frequented by terrorist and extremist influencers and susceptible audiences. Publishing RICU analysis risks revealing insights into HMG capabilities and undermining the effectiveness of RICU’s monitoring and analysis.

The work of RICU has been crucial to the delivery of Prevent and has helped to position the UK at the forefront of the battle against terrorist propaganda, particularly online terrorist content.

Prevent remains a vital tool to divert people from dangerous and poisonous ideologies. We are now implementing all recommendations from the recent Independent Review of Prevent, paving the way for a more transparent, efficient and sustainable programme. This will include resetting thresholds to ensure proportionality across ideologies and ensuring that analytical products more clearly state the purpose of the reporting and the nature of any links identified between mainstream media items and terrorism.

The Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) was established in 2007 under the Prevent strand of HMG’s CONTEST strategy. RICU aims to understand and counter terrorist and extremist ideologies to reduce the risk to the UK, its citizens, and its interests overseas.

RICU currently has 22 allocated staff. This is subject to annual review depending on operational requirements. RICU’s spend by financial year for the last five years is provided below. Spend increased significantly from financial year 2012/2013 to support RICU’s response to the threat posed by Daesh. 2022/23 figures are based on spend to date.

RICU provides internal analysis on terrorist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter-terrorism system. To support this crucial objective RICU undertakes open-source monitoring to better understand the terrorist and extremist media, online and communications environment. This open-source monitoring identifies a range of material that is shared and discussed within these spaces, including topics or media that terrorist and extremist groups are seeking to exploit. All RICU data collection and analysis complies with relevant legislation.

The work of RICU is crucial to the delivery of Prevent and has helped to position the UK at the forefront of the battle against terrorist propaganda, particularly online terrorist content. The unauthorised disclosure of classified information damages the ability of the Government to keep the public safe from threats to national security.

Prevent remains a vital tool to divert people from dangerous and poisonous ideologies. We are now implementing all recommendations from the recent Independent Review of Prevent led by William Shawcross, paving the way for a more transparent, efficient and sustainable programme.

The Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) was established in 2007 under the Prevent strand of HMG’s CONTEST strategy. RICU aims to understand and counter terrorist and extremist ideologies to reduce the risk to the UK, its citizens, and its interests overseas.

RICU currently has 22 allocated staff. This is subject to annual review depending on operational requirements. RICU’s spend by financial year for the last five years is provided below. Spend increased significantly from financial year 2012/2013 to support RICU’s response to the threat posed by Daesh. 2022/23 figures are based on spend to date.

RICU provides internal analysis on terrorist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter-terrorism system. To support this crucial objective RICU undertakes open-source monitoring to better understand the terrorist and extremist media, online and communications environment. This open-source monitoring identifies a range of material that is shared and discussed within these spaces, including topics or media that terrorist and extremist groups are seeking to exploit. All RICU data collection and analysis complies with relevant legislation.

The work of RICU is crucial to the delivery of Prevent and has helped to position the UK at the forefront of the battle against terrorist propaganda, particularly online terrorist content. The unauthorised disclosure of classified information damages the ability of the Government to keep the public safe from threats to national security.

Prevent remains a vital tool to divert people from dangerous and poisonous ideologies. We are now implementing all recommendations from the recent Independent Review of Prevent led by William Shawcross, paving the way for a more transparent, efficient and sustainable programme.

The Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) was established in 2007 under the Prevent strand of HMG’s CONTEST strategy. RICU aims to understand and counter terrorist and extremist ideologies to reduce the risk to the UK, its citizens, and its interests overseas.

RICU provides analysis on terrorist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter-terrorism system. To support this crucial objective RICU undertakes open-source monitoring to better understand the media, online and communications environment as it relates to terrorism and extremism. This open-source monitoring identifies a range of material that is shared and discussed within these spaces, including topics or media that terrorist and extremist groups are seeking to exploit.

All RICU data collection and analysis complies with relevant legislation. Ministers have authorised RICU’s work since it was established in 2007, and through subsequent updates to the CONTEST strategy (in 2011 and 2018) and regularly receive RICU outputs.

The work of RICU is crucial to the delivery of Prevent and has helped to position the UK at the forefront of the battle against terrorist propaganda, particularly online terrorist content.

Prevent remains a vital tool to divert people from dangerous and poisonous ideologies. We are now implementing all recommendations from the recent Independent Review of Prevent, paving the way for a more transparent, efficient and sustainable programme.

The Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) was established in 2007 under the Prevent strand of HMG’s CONTEST strategy. RICU aims to understand and counter terrorist and extremist ideologies to reduce the risk to the UK, its citizens, and its interests overseas.

RICU provides analysis on terrorist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter-terrorism system. To support this crucial objective RICU undertakes open-source monitoring to better understand the media, online and communications environment as it relates to terrorism and extremism. This open-source monitoring identifies a range of material that is shared and discussed within these spaces, including topics or media that terrorist and extremist groups are seeking to exploit.

All RICU data collection and analysis complies with relevant legislation. Ministers have authorised RICU’s work since it was established in 2007, and through subsequent updates to the CONTEST strategy (in 2011 and 2018) and regularly receive RICU outputs.

The work of RICU is crucial to the delivery of Prevent and has helped to position the UK at the forefront of the battle against terrorist propaganda, particularly online terrorist content.

Prevent remains a vital tool to divert people from dangerous and poisonous ideologies. We are now implementing all recommendations from the recent Independent Review of Prevent, paving the way for a more transparent, efficient and sustainable programme.

The Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) was established in 2007 under the Prevent strand of HMG’s CONTEST strategy. RICU aims to understand and counter terrorist and extremist ideologies to reduce the risk to the UK, its citizens, and its interests overseas.

RICU provides analysis on terrorist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter-terrorism system. To support this crucial objective RICU undertakes open-source monitoring to better understand the media, online and communications environment as it relates to terrorism and extremism. All RICU data collection and analysis complies with relevant legislation.

RICU’s spend by financial year from the 2011/12 (when our records begin) is provided below. Spend increased from financial year 2012/2013 to support RICU’s response to the threat posed by Daesh and from 2017 in response to terrorist attacks in 2017 at Westminster, Manchester Arena, London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green. 2022/23 figures are based on spend to date.

We do not recognise this characterisation of RICU's work in this Big Brother Watch report. RICU has supported organisations working to confront the warped ideology of groups like Daesh to protect communities in the UK. This work has helped to position the UK at the forefront of the battle against terrorist propaganda, including the online terrorist content produced by Daesh. Prevent remains a vital tool to divert people from dangerous and poisonous ideologies. We are now implementing all recommendations from the recent Independent Review of Prevent, paving the way for a more transparent, efficient and sustainable programme.

The Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) was established in 2007 under the Prevent strand of HMG’s CONTEST strategy. RICU aims to understand and counter terrorist and extremist ideologies to reduce the risk to the UK, its citizens, and its interests overseas.

RICU provides analysis on terrorist use of propaganda and exploitation of the internet to inform the UK’s counter-terrorism system. To support this crucial objective RICU undertakes open-source monitoring to better understand the media, online and communications environment as it relates to terrorism and extremism. All RICU data collection and analysis complies with relevant legislation.

RICU’s spend by financial year from the 2011/12 (when our records begin) is provided below. Spend increased from financial year 2012/2013 to support RICU’s response to the threat posed by Daesh and from 2017 in response to terrorist attacks in 2017 at Westminster, Manchester Arena, London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green. 2022/23 figures are based on spend to date.

We do not recognise this characterisation of RICU's work in this Big Brother Watch report. RICU has supported organisations working to confront the warped ideology of groups like Daesh to protect communities in the UK. This work has helped to position the UK at the forefront of the battle against terrorist propaganda, including the online terrorist content produced by Daesh. Prevent remains a vital tool to divert people from dangerous and poisonous ideologies. We are now implementing all recommendations from the recent Independent Review of Prevent, paving the way for a more transparent, efficient and sustainable programme.