Category: Assorted

Soaring Search Results on Bing and Yahoo!

Soaring Search Results on Bing and Yahoo! Search

Dear Network,

As of the most recent results, my name yields 93k+ entries via Microsoft Bing and — also strikingly — 73k+ entries through Yahoo! Search, both on the first results page. These figures underscore the discoverability and resonance of my work within the domains of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE), counter-hate speech initiatives, and the broader landscape of disinformation and misinformation mitigation. My visibility affirms that targeted search queries reliably surface my contributions across these critical fields via the two search engines.

Complementing this digital footprint is a steadily growing professional network: on this day, I am followed by more than 8.7k+ professionals on LinkedIn, each with direct and convenient access to my published insights: analyses, articles, documents, audio, and video.

What is more, it is worth recalling that by the end of December 2025, my portfolio of eleven websites has collectively amassed 168m+ views spanning the period from 2017 to 2025. I see this as proof of engagement and of the relevance that the content curated for about seven years keeps attracting – although oddly enough, many of the visits may have been carried out by search crawlers.

Lastly, I have filed 5,578 LinkedIn posts in 2025, which makes one of the top 5% contributors and prompted the professional network to name me a ‘Catalyst.’ LinkedIn impressions got to the mark of 692k during the past 365 days.

Please continue supporting my work.

Sincerely,
Thorsten Koch, MA, PgDip
23 December 2025

Websites:
counter-terrorism.org
preventhate.org
strategism.org
sahara-sahel.org
Policyinstitute.net
GermanPolicy.com
GermanCorrespondent.com
journal-allemand.com
de-news.net
hightechPRIME.com
thorstenkoch.com

Nearing 99 Million Impressions of Our Three Initiatives’ Websites in 2025

Dear Network,

We are very joyful to announce that our three initiatives’ websites – as well as eight project sites – have almost hit the magic number of one million HTTP impressions. In fact, our project pages show exactly 99,147,586 impressions from January to December 2025, as data from our hosting provider indicate. Great news, however most impressions may result from search engine crawlers.

Adding to the mentioned figures, January saw additional FTP impressions of 126,377, while 34,921 were to be noted for March, and 17,788 for April, although these have not seen any subsequent continuation.

Let us recall that in 2024, the numbers reached a little over 20 percent of the current figures, with visits from 2017 until the end of 2024 at 67,921,258 impressions. Overall impressions from our first launch eight years ago until 17 December 2025 are 167,068,844, personal views and web crawling combined.

The trend is clearly showing upwards, even though from the beginning of our initiatives, besides web indexing pushing the figures up to some degree, some changes were made to the labeling and structure of the ensemble of websites, and we have begun to allocate content to an additional project, hightechPRIME.com. The former numbers have not been mathematically adjusted.

Currently, we entertain the following initiatives:

• Policyinstitute.net (plus four project pages)
• de-news.net (with an additional three project pages)
• thorstenkoch.com (with the above project pages as well as hightechPRIME.com)

As you enjoy exploring our content, we thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Thorsten Koch, MA, PgDip
17 December 2025

Among the Top 5 Percent of LinkedIn Contributors in 2025

Dear Network,

According to a 2025 review compiled by LinkedIn that I just had the chance to have a glimpse at, I have been named a ‘Catalyst’ thanks to the content that I provision my LinkedIn followers and connections with.

To cite from the LinkedIn ‘year in moments: milestones, connections, and everything in-between,’ 5,578 posts that I have filed in 2025 lit the feed, which put me among the top 5 percent of LinkedIn contributors. I also made 5,117 reactions. Overall, my engagement led to almost 2,000 new followers, as the year en cours is coming to a close.

I now count more than 8,700 followers and almost as many connections, according to LinkedIn analytics. I might add that my posts attracted more than 692,000 impressions these past 365 days. These are to be attributed to, mostly, Senior Leaders such as Professors and Faculty, Researchers, and NGO Staff.

I am happy to continue informing you on the subjects of dis-/misinformation, countering hate and extremism in the years to come. Many thanks to LinkedIn – but first and foremost to my readers.

I wish you happy holidays this end of the year 2025, all the best and continued success!

Sincerely,
Thorsten Koch, MA, PgDip
Policyinstitute.net
17 December 2025

Policyinstitute.net: A Digitally-Driven Think Tank

Policyinstitute.net operates in a markedly distinct manner from many conventional policy institutions. Whereas traditional think tanks often align themselves with specific ideological frameworks — be they liberal, conservative, libertarian, or otherwise — Policyinstitute.net prioritizes pragmatic engagement over partisan advocacy. Its core mission centers on countering violent extremism (CVE), promoting regional development, and advancing humanitarian objectives.

Hybrid organizational status

Policyinstitute.net maintains a hybrid formal status under German law, which reflects its innovative and unconventional structure:

• It operates as a non-profit business entity rather than a registered association (e.V.)
• The organization was founded by journalist Thorsten Koch and is legally registered under his name as an independent entrepreneur
• Despite its business registration, Policyinstitute.net functions as a non-governmental organization (NGO) with a clear mission

Distinctive operational model

Policyinstitute.net sets itself apart through a combination of specialized content and regional focus:

• It produces high-quality, policy-relevant content tailored to both academic audiences and field practitioners
• The think tank maintains an active digital presence, regularly publishing policy briefs, promoting analytical posts and articles on current affairs
• Its primary geographic focus includes the United Kingdom, Germany, and the northern regions of Africa, with particular emphasis on the Sahel
• With over 21,000 posts on LinkedIn and almost 68 million views across its websites, Policyinstitute.net has become a digital outreach powerhouse

Volunteer-driven engagement

The organization operates through a collaborative, volunteer-based model that mirrors the participatory ethos of traditional NGOs:

• It engages selected volunteers in content creation and research, thereby fostering a dynamic and inclusive operational culture
• This bottom-up approach complements top-down policy mechanisms, enabling multi-layered impact, especially on civil society

Mission and strategic focus

At its core, Policyinstitute.net is a lean, digitally sophisticated think tank with a humanitarian orientation. Its thematic priorities include:

• Soft security and countering violent extremism (CVE)
• Prevention of digital hate speech
• Mitigation of disinformation and misinformation
• Capacity building and institutional strengthening in the African Sahel

In a nutshell

Unlike legacy think tanks that rely on hierarchical structures, Policyinstitute.net embraces a digital-first, agile model. While it may not yet possess the entrenched clout of long-established institutions, it occupies a unique and increasingly relevant niche within the global policy ecosystem. Its operational flexibility and responsiveness to emerging challenges allow it to exert meaningful influence across multiple regions.

Through targeted digital advocacy and strategic content dissemination, notably, Policyinstitute.net has exerted considerable influence on regional political discourse, particularly in parts of Europe and in Northern Africa. With its contributions reaching millions of views – and through sustained engagement across social media platforms -, the think tank shapes narratives, supports civil society actors, and contributes to the development of resilient societies.

07 August 2025
(Compiled, before edition, with the help of Microsoft Copilot)

Review on Soft Security: Countering Extremism, Hate Speech, and Dis-/Misinformation

The most popular LinkedIn posts on the topics of counter-extremism, of countering hate speech and dis-/misinformation posted by Thorsten Koch, MA, PgDip:

preventhate.org
strategism.org
counter-terrorism.org

Policyinstitute.net and its Status as an NGO

Recently, I was pointed to an essential matter: what is the legal status of Policyinstitute.net? I had never called into question that I have founded, and have been running, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). To make this evident, it will take for me to explain, in a few words, how an organization, which is not a German registered association or foundation, can absolutely be an NGO and a think tank involved in preventing and countering extremism and hate speech, matters of society and politics, as well as capacity building in the Sahel, as is the case with Policyinstitute.net.

Registered with the German Financial Authorities

A journalist, I am registered as an independent entrepreneur and holder of a so-called ‘small enterprise,’ by the competent financial administration. The operations of Policyinstitute.net, which I have founded in this capacity, fall under the relevant German legal rules and regulations. Obviously, the website Policyinstitute.net, which has given the name to the think tank (founded in 2017), is registered in the framework of the media laws in vigor. This includes our official domain names. These are organized in a hierarchical structure. For you, this means that when you visit the Policyinstitute.net landing page, you will find links to all projects of the think tank which form our portfolio. To date, these projects are the following:

• counter-terrorism.org
• preventhate.org
• think-tank-talk.org
• sahara-sahel.org

An Independent Legal Entity Working with Volunteers

Quite importantly, with regard to its status as an NGO, the legal entity Policyinstitute.net is not affiliated with any government. Nor is it linked to any institution which might in any way fall under the category of government administration.

Finally, during the past years, Policyinstitute.net has been working with a number of select volunteers. I am, thus, not the only person involved in the ongoing operations of the NGO, which brings it closer to the practice of organizations registered as associations under the German law. While the legal form is that of a business – all things considered, the character of Policyinstitute.net, in practice, is almost identical to that of a non-profit association.

Conclusion

Policyinstitute.net is, hence, a business rather than an association or a foundation, but a non-profit business, just as it is an NGO and a think tank. At this time, it entertains four topical websites, apart from its landing page. All of these four can be regarded as specific ventures or projects of the overarching think tank.

Hitherto, more than a few persons have tried to classify Policyinstitute.net. I hope this post has clarified things for these, as for all others interested. I am available, via LinkedIn Messaging, for any further questions.

Thorsten Koch, MA, PgDip
18 December 2022
(last updated 20 May 2024)