Violent Extremism: The Ghost or the Machine?
The Australian parliament’s Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security is currently holding an inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia. Keep Reading
Facebook, Google, Twitter Caution Australia Against a Blanket Terrorism Content Ban
The trio told the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security as part of its inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia that the effort is a joint one and that the best way forward was to not actually legislate a ban of all mentions of content deemed inappropriate. Keep Reading
U.S. Joins Christchurch Call to Action to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online
State Department spokesman Ned Price said "the United States will not take steps that would violate the freedoms of speech and association protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, nor violate people’s reasonable expectations of privacy." Keep Reading
Do Researchers Have an Obligation to Report Dangerous Actors?
Given that many in the terrorism and violent extremism research community have voiced concerns about how extremist and dangerous actors have exploited social media and messaging platforms, it’s interesting to note that a clear majority of the respondents have not reported dangerous actors. Keep Reading
Oklahoma Man Indicted for Posts Threatening to Attack Big Cities, Lawmakers’ Families
According to an FBI affidavit, on Jan. 8, the FBI received several posts from both the Oklahoma City Police Department and Moore Police Department that were made on the social media site Parler by Michael Brandon Houck from Moore, who goes by Brad. Keep Reading
Are We at a Turning Point for Tackling Online Extremism?
According to a pair of reports published recently by a media watchdog, TikTok can swiftly channel young users from relatively benign interests to more troubling topics – and even into the arms of some of the extremist movements involved the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol in January. Keep Reading
The Ethics of Regulating Extremism Online: Five Elements for Content Moderation Frameworks
In the wake of the storming of the US capitol on 6 January, we saw unprecedented responses by tech companies to regulate and control the extremist content on their platforms. Keep Reading
Two Years Later, Christchurch Attack Propaganda Flourishes Online
Gunman Brenton Tarrant used in white supremacist propaganda and recruitment with memes, manifesto and tribute videos. Keep Reading
Feds Arrest White Supremacist Livestreamer in Dawn Raid, Rattling Supporters
FBI agents, working with Fort Lauderdale police and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, arrested Paul N. Miller, 32, on one charge of being a “convicted felon in possession of a firearm.” Keep Reading
Polarizing Narratives and Deepening Fault Lines: Social Media, Intolerance and Extremism in Four Asian Nations
Whether based on religious bigotry, sectarian contempt or ethnic hatred, social media accounts are deployed to recruit followers, exacerbate social fault lines and organize violence. Keep Reading
Online Extremism and Terrorism Researcher Security and Privacy: Some Practical Advice
Aside from posing physical dangers to researchers, both jihadist and right-wing extremists have been known to engage in networked forms of abuse, some of which also have the potential to spill over into ‘real world’ settings. Keep Reading
Despite Remediation Efforts, ADL Finds YouTube Still Amplifies Extremist Content
38 percent of recommendations shown on videos from alternative channels and 29 percent of recommendations shown on videos from extremist channels were to additional videos of the same type. Keep Reading
Queens Man Arrested for Threatening to Murder Members of Congress
Hunt posted a video to an Internet-based video sharing site in which he exhorted his viewers to violence, urging them that “[w]e need to go back to the U.S. Capitol when all of the Senators and a lot of the Representatives are back there, and this time we have to show up with our guns. And we need to slaughter these m-----f------.” Keep Reading
Head of U.K. Counterterror Policing Says Online Extremism Cannot Be Policed
The British government is assessing official recommendations to create a legal definition of extremism, which could be used to criminalize material that currently falls short of the law. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
‘Crisis and a Loss of Control’: Digital Extremism in German-Speaking Countries During the COVID-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to drastic changes to our lives and great uncertainty with regard to healthcare, social cohesion and the economy. In parallel, major protests against the policies implemented by governments to prevent the spread of the virus have erupted. Keep Reading
Migration Moments: Extremist Adoption of Text-Based Instant Messaging Applications
Currently, many supporters of various extremist groups are concentrated on the online instant messaging service Telegram, although some are attempting to make inroads to other platforms. Keep Reading
Online Subcultures and the Challenges of Moderation
Features including user anonymity and a lax approach to content moderation have contributed to a culture of trolling and bigotry on a number of prominent chan boards. Keep Reading
BitChute: A Hotbed of Hate
Under the guise of anti-censorship and free speech, video-hosting service BitChute has become a hotbed for violent, conspiratorial and hate-filled video propaganda, and a recruiting ground for extremists. Keep Reading
Online Extremist Funding Campaigns: COVID-19 and Beyond
Although racketeering and extortion are not new to IS, what is noteworthy about this case is its linkage with the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Keep Reading
Extremists are Using a Range of Techniques to Exploit TikTok
A cursory review of the platform by ADL’s Center on Extremism found that white supremacists and antisemites are using a range of methods on the platform to recruit new adherents and share hateful content. Keep Reading