Operation250: An Evaluation of a Primary Prevention Campaign Focused on Online Safety and Risk Assessment

• In Event: NIJ Day: Online Interactions Leading to Radicalization: Mobilization to Violent Extremism and Internet Safety

Abstract

This project conducted a formal and summative evaluation of Operation250, a new countering-violent extremism program emergent from the Department of Homeland Security's Peer2Peer competition. This study used a mixed-methods approach to demonstrate effectiveness of Op250 as a method to countering the pathway to domestic terrorism through safe behavior online and the ability of individuals (specifically high-school students) to recognize potentially risky situations online.

Author

• Neil Shortland, University of Massachusetts Lowell