The Repository of Extremist Aligned Documents (READ) has launched a new online platform designed to improve access to research materials related to radicalization, violent extremism, and terrorism.
The updated platform uses the professional repository software DSpace to make it easier for researchers and practitioners to search and navigate the database. The system is designed to support academic, policy, and security professionals who study extremist movements and related materials.
READ is hosted within the Centre for Statecraft & National Security at King’s College London and is supported by Public Safety Canada’s Community Resilience Fund and the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) through its backing of the Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET).
The new platform provides access to more than 2,300 items and includes several tools intended to streamline research. Users can conduct keyword searches using optical character recognition (OCR) technology, which allows text within scanned documents to be searchable. The system also allows users to filter materials using 25 subject category tags and create custom research lists to organize selected documents.
READ was created to provide secure and structured access to extremist materials for legitimate research purposes. The repository is intended to support academic analysis, policy research, and prevention efforts focused on understanding extremist narratives, recruitment strategies, and online radicalization.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)
