Welcome to the June edition of the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET) research digest.
Your digest contains a selection of relevant news, research, academic journal articles, and GNET Insights relating to terrorist use of technology.
We are delighted to note that a report by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (UNCTED) into the impact of Covid-19 on terrorism, counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism, cites several pieces of GNET research.
Academic Papers
Weinmann, Gabriel and Masri, Natalie (19 June 2020). “Research Note: Spreading Hate on TikTok.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.
Marone, Francesco and Olimpio, Marco (19 June 2020). “”We Will Conquer Your Rome”: Italy and the Vatican in the Islamic State’s Propaganda.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.
Rossiter, Ash (5 June 2020). “The Impact of Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Across the Conflict Spectrum.” Small Wars & Insurgencies.
Koehler, Daniel (19 June 2020). “Fake It Till You Make It? Representation of Special Operations Forces Capabilities in Jihadist Propaganda Videos.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.
News Articles
Petrizzo, Zachary (19 June 2020). “Far-Right Proud Boys Launch Dating Site to Help Members ‘Repopulate the West’.” Daily Dot.
Collins, Ben et al. (2 June 2020). “White Nationalist Group Posing as Antifa Called for Violence on Twitter.” NBC News.
Schaeffer, Carol (19 June 2020). “How COVID-19 Spread QAnon in Germany.” Coda.
Lyons, Kim (7 June 2020). “Facebook Deactivates Almost 200 Accounts Linked to Hate Groups.” The Verge.
Mezzofiore, Gianluca and Polglase, Katie (26 June 2020). “White supremacists openly organize racist violence on Telegram, report finds.” CNN.
Petrizzo, Zachary (22 June 2020). “YouTube Suspends Proud Boys Founder Gavin McInnes.” Daily Dot.
Menn, Joseph (3 June 2020). “Facebook Takes Down White Nationalist and Fake Antifa Accounts.” Reuters.
Russell, Andrew (19 June 2020). “Over 6,600 Right-Wing Extremist Social Media Channels, Accounts Linked to Canada, Study Finds.” Global News.
Ellis, Emma (18 June 2020). “The Meme-Fueled Rise of a Dangerous, Far-Right Militia.” Wired.
O’Sullivan, Donie (19 June 2020). “Facebook Says it Took Down Trump Ads Because They Used Nazi Symbol.” CNN.
Ling, Justin (2 June 2020). “Incels Are Radicalized And Dangerous. But Are They Terrorists?” Foreign Policy.
Brokes, Filip (22 June 2020). “German Far-Right Group Uses YouTube, Podcasts and Rap to Convert Gen Z.” Coda.
Insights
Koehler, Daniel (25 June 2020). “Jihadist “Special Forces”: Training Camp Videos as an Intelligence Source.”
Ahmed, Reem and Fielitz, Maik (23 June 2020). “A New Wave of Right-Wing Terrorism.”
Basra, Rajan (22 June 2020). “The YouTube Browsing Habits of a Lone-Actor Terrorist.”
Al-Tamimi, Aymenn (19 June 2020). “Jihadist Reactions to the U.S. Protests.”
Kfir, Isaac (17 June 2020). “Between Creativity, Innovation and Terrorism Studies Part I.”
Bellaiche, Julien (15 June 2020). “Assessing the Threat of QAnon Violence.”
Alexander, Audrey (11 June 2020). “”Help For Sisters”: A Look at Crowdfunding Campaigns with Potential Links to Terrorist and Criminal Networks.”
Moeller, Mika Josephine (10 June 2020). “Social Media as a Mirror of External Circumstances: Insights Into a Radical Group.”
Argentino, Marc-Andre (8 June 2020). “Digital Platforms and Extremism 2: Electric Boogaloo.”
Loadenthal, Michael (4 June 2020). “Evolving Digital OPSEC Practices Amongst Far-Right Networks.”
Al-Lami, Mina (1 June 2020). “Jihadists See COVID-19 as an Opportunity.”
