Definitions of terms of ‘Drill rap music’ banned/removed online
Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.023585
I note you seek access to the following information:
I want to know how the police decide what Drill rap music songs and videos should be banned/removed from online streaming services.
Please provide definitions of the following terms as they are used by the Metropolitan Police when discussing the threat posed by Drill music:
1. incite violence
2. serious threats
3. risk
4. harm
5. explicit language
Failing that, please provide information about where I can access definitions of these terms.
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.
Please find below information pursuant to your request above.
The MPS has been monitoring violent content online, including videos on YouTube since September 2015. Calling out rival gangs online takes place regularly and social media provides the ability for gangs to maintain disputes and tensions, which can result in homicides, serious assaults involving knives and firearms. Material posted online by gangs will then reference these incidents of violence, belittle victims and seek to humiliate opposing gangs, all with the intention of inciting a response. As a consequence, content appearing on social media will often act as a trigger for further violence within existing gang tensions and disputes.
Where officers believe online content will incite gang violence based on a range of information available to the police we will refer that material to a social media company or streaming site seeking its removal for breaching the company’s community guidelines. The MPS continues to work to understand the reality of the links between online activity and ‘real world’ offline offending, which includes working with social media companies and streaming sites.
The terms you have listed can be viewed in the context of preventing serious youth violence and understood through their everyday meaning or definition. You can also view the community/company guidelines of a social media company or streaming service on their respective websites to gain a better understanding of the rationale under which these companies remove material to protect their users and the wider public.