Col. (Res.) Eyal Dykan
Fellow, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Reichman University; President and Co-Founder, ActiveFence; Former Deputy Commander, IDF Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Unit
Colonel (Res.) Eyal Dykan is a Fellow at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University and the Co-Founder and President of ActiveFence, a venture-backed software company dedicated to eliminating malicious activity, disinformation, and hate from the internet. Since its founding in 2018, ActiveFence has remained focused on harnessing the power of AI to expose harmful communities, bad actors, and malicious content at scale.
Prior to founding ActiveFence, Colonel (Res.) Dykan led EDS Consulting Ltd. (2015–2018), where he provided expert consulting services in the fields of human intelligence, anti-cyber influence, cybercrime, terrorism, and negotiation strategy. He advised both government institutions and private companies on how to counter psychological warfare and cyber influence operations in the social media era.
Colonel (Res.) Dykan served in the Israel Defense Forces for over 25 years, holding numerous senior roles in intelligence and special operations. Between 2012 and 2015, he served as a Lieutenant Colonel and Commander of an operational unit within the IDF Intelligence Corps, focusing on psychological operations (PSYOPS) and influence warfare. His unit worked in close coordination with other intelligence and combat units and grew to over 200 personnel during peak operational periods.
From 2009 to 2012, he served as Deputy Commander of the IDF’s Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Unit, overseeing covert operations, training programs, strategic methodology development, and international collaboration with allied intelligence agencies. Earlier in his military career (1991–2012), Colonel (Res.) Dykan held a variety of command roles within the Intelligence Corps in both the West Bank and Southern Command. As a field intelligence officer, he led intelligence-gathering missions, source recruitment, counter-terrorism operations, and interrogations across Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank.
Colonel (Res.) Dykan is an expert in intelligence operations, human intelligence, psychological warfare, and counter-influence campaigns. He has over two decades of operational experience across multiple Middle Eastern arenas, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, the Palestinian Authority, and the Gaza Strip, as well as in addressing global jihad threats.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science, with a concentration in Iranian policy, from Bar-Ilan University (2001), and a Master’s degree in Law from the same institution (2009). He is also a graduate of several prominent international negotiation programs, including the Harvard University Negotiation Program (2009) and the Metropolitan Police Academy in London (2005).
Colonel (Res.) Dykan is fluent in Hebrew and Arabic, has strong command of English, and possesses working knowledge of Farsi.
