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Insights

Insights

  • Sep182020

    Striking Similarities Between Islamist Terrorism and Violent Right-Wing Extremism

    In his book Identity: Contemporary Identity Politics and the Struggle for Recognition (2018), Francis Fukuyama describes nationalism and Islamism as…

  • Sep172020

    No Child’s Play: The Identitarian Movement’s ‘Patriotic’ Video Game

    On 15 September, the German-speaking branch of the Identitarian Movement (Identitäre Bewegung; IB) released its first video game: A classic…

  • Sep152020

    Part 1: Algorithmic Deconstruction in the Context of Online Extremism

    Threats to cyberspace typically arise from intentional agents as well as systemic threats that emanate from the innate unpredictability of…

  • Sep142020

    An Insider Perspective: What the Internet Means to UK Jihadists

    September 2016, just hours before I was due to interview the radical Islamist leader Anjem Choudary, I received a text.…

  • Sep112020

    Hate Speech in the Context of Mass Atrocity Crimes

    The May 2020 arrest of Félicien Kabuga brought an end to a manhunt spanning 26 years and two continents. Among…

  • Sep102020

    Digital Resiliency and OPSEC Strategies Amongst Clandestine Networks

    In June 2020, I detailed some of the operational and digital security (OPSEC) practices of English-language far-right networks as they…

  • Sep082020

    Indian States, Deradicalisation and Online Platforms

    Like many other countries, India has embarked on systemic deradicalisation programs over the past few years as part of its…

  • Sep072020

    ‘Normal’ Authority? – Who’s Got the Power in a Democratic Information Environment

    “Online, we do not yet have a tradition of the rule of law. We are not certain how to apply…

  • Sep042020

    Balancing Online Content Moderation and the Rule of Law

    Heated debates have continued to spring up around the world focusing on the growing role of technology companies in moderating…

  • Sep032020

    Understanding the Full Spectrum of Hate

    Extreme violence garners most attention. But the problems start much earlier, both in the real world and online. What is…

  • Sep022020

    Islamic State’s Use of Gamification and Low-Tech Terror Tactics

    Islamic State (IS) and other violent extremist organisations continue to proliferate on online platforms despite efforts from major online platforms…

  • Sep012020

    Technology and Extremism in the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda

    This fall marks the 20th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the first of ten resolutions comprising the backbone…

  • Aug272020

    An Interview on Islamic State’s Media Work in 2014 – Five Questions with Medyan Dairieh Part 2

    Sitting down with Medyan Dairieh, a journalist who has personally travelled to  Islamic State in 2014, has so far been…

  • Aug252020

    “I Will Tell You a Story About Jihad”: IS’s Propaganda and Narrative Advertising

    The question of IS’s remarkable propaganda success became a topic of major interest for many researchers in the last five…

  • Aug242020

    Online Extremist Funding Campaigns: COVID-19 and Beyond

    On 5 August 2020 the United States District Court for the District of Columbia filed a criminal complaint for forfeiture…

  • Aug212020

    Counterterrorism and Terrorist Innovation

    Historically, counterterrorism has largely been reactive, adopting policies and measures to respond to what violent extremists do. The purpose of…

  • Aug202020

    Editing for the Caliphate: Assessing Islamic State’s Editing Process and Equipment

    For the past six years, Islamic State’s media has awed potential recruits and shocked their enemies. The media has been…

  • Aug192020

    Militant Group Attacks Types and Shifts in Media Campaigns

    Interviews with imprisoned and former members of Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda document that such group’s online media campaigns provide…

  • Aug172020

    Terrorist e-Autobiographies: An Underexamined Form of Online Propaganda?

    Whilst terrorists have long been noted as proficient writers, their autobiographical accounts have traditionally been viewed sceptically as after-the-fact justifications…

  • Aug142020

    Catfishing to Counter Extremism: Lessons from an Indonesian Experiment

    From anxious captive audiences to fresh subversive narratives, COVID-19 has been a boon for those who peddle their extremism in…

  • Aug132020

    Moving Away from Islamist Extremism: Assessing Counter Narrative Responses to the Far-Right Online

    Over the past decade and a half, counter-narratives – defined as ‘messages that…, deconstruct or delegitimise extremist narratives’ (Tuck and…

  • Aug122020

    An Interview on Islamic State’s Media Work in 2014 – Five Questions with Medyan Dairieh Part 1

    It seemed unlikely to get in touch with Medyan Dairieh, a man who has stopped giving interviews. To add to…

  • Aug112020

    Italy and the Vatican in Islamic State Propaganda

    In recent weeks, Islamic State (IS) targeted Italy in its official online propaganda. The jihadist organisation explicitly mentioned the country…

  • Aug102020

    State-Sponsored Right-Wing Extremism: A Hybridity of Threat to Liberal Democracy

    The weaponisation of ideas is hardly new. But the almost limitless potential of cyberspace to spread ideas of hate remakes…

  • Aug072020

    The Role of the Internet in Facilitating Violent Extremism: Insights from Former Right-Wing Extremists

    In the past five years, it has become increasingly common for practitioners and policymakers in the Western world to draw…

  • Aug052020

    Facebook’s Disruption of the Boogaloo Network

    On 30 June 2020, Facebook announced it was designating “a violent US-based anti-government network as a dangerous organization” and subsequently…

  • Aug032020

    The Digital Fight Against Islamic State and Al-Qaeda

    The Digital Caliphate Despite the substantial military defeats suffered by Islamic State (IS), as well as its loss of the…

  • Aug032020

    Terrorism Legislation in the Social Media Age

    Replacing the 2007 Human Security Act Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11479 (RA 11479) or the 2020 Anti-Terrorism…

  • Jul312020

    From Fears to Conviction: Why Internet Shutdowns Don’t Work

    The radicalisation of vulnerable youth through online content has been a major threat for Indian law enforcement in recent years.…

  • Jul302020

    Telegram’s anti-IS Campaign: Effectiveness, Perspectives, and Policy Suggestions

    In November, Telegram and Europol launched a two-day coordinated campaign focused on removing Islamic State (IS) channels, groups, and pro-Islamic…

  • Jul292020

    Twitter, Wiley and the Interpretation of Violent Threats

    Throughout the course of Friday 24 July, Richard Cowie – a pioneer of the “grime” genre who is more generally…

  • Jul272020

    Counter-Narratives – Curse or Blessing?

    Taking stock of the increased spread of extremist narratives – especially on social media – the search for appropriate counter-measures…

  • Jul232020

    Plug-and-Play Propaganda: Understanding Production Quality in Atomwaffen Division Videos

    After discovering a cache of eighteen Atomwaffen Division (AWD) propaganda videos on archive.org last year, our research team – comprised…

  • Jul222020

    Cross-Promotion

    QAnon conspiracies are a common thread between far-right extremists and online lifestyle and wellness influencers. Shared QAnon memes and hashtags…

  • Jul202020

    From Patriots to Proud Boys: Who Is – and Isn’t – Using Parler

    In recent weeks, Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has been subject to critique across various social media platforms. A Trump campaign…

  • Jul172020

    The Cultivated Extremist? How the Identitarian Movement Frames its Ideology

    The Identitäre Bewegung (IB; Identitarian Movement) is the German branch of the transnational network of right-wing organisations affiliated to and…

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