Thomas James Vaughan WilliamsDiscrepancies Between Social Media Policy and User Experience: A Preliminary Study of Extremist Content
Introduction Latest reports have highlighted that as of April 2023, 60% of the world’s population utilises social media for an…
Dr. Gabriel WeimannMeta Terror?: The Threats and Challenges of the Metaverse
Introduction Since their inception, terrorists have used the Internet and social media platforms to spread propaganda, communicate, incite, recruit, train,…
Deina VenckunaiteA Move from Nazism to Nationalism: Changes in Far-Right Online Discourse Post-Ukraine Conflict
Introduction Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, online discourse by far-right groups in Eastern European regions has altered.…
Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements)Cults and Online Violent Extremism: Individual Risk Assessments
This series of Insights draws on the GNET report by Inform: ‘Cults and Online Violent Extremism’. Inform are an independent…
Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements)Cultic Fandoms: Columbine and Ted Kaczynski
This series of Insights draws on the GNET report by Inform: ‘Cults and Online Violent Extremism’. Inform are an independent…
Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements)Online Cultic Milieus: QAnon and Anti-Vax Conspiracy Movements
This series of Insights draws on the GNET report by Inform: ‘Cults and Online Violent Extremism’. Inform are an independent…
Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements)‘Cultic’ Religious Groups: Order of Nine Angles
This series of Insights draws on the GNET report by Inform: ‘Cults and Online Violent Extremism’. Inform are an independent…
Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements)An Introduction to Cults and Online Violent Extremism
This series of Insights draws on the GNET report, ‘Cults and Online Violent Extremism’ by Inform (Information Network Focus on…
Erin StonerSchrödinger’s Joke: The Weaponisation of Irony and Humour in the Alt-Right
Introduction The use of online memes is a cultural stamp of the alt-right community; the packaging of political ideology into…
Georgia GilroyFanboys or the Frontline?: How al-Shabaab’s Social Media Influencers are Controlling the Narrative
For over a decade, the Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabaab has prioritised media engagement as a critical component of its propaganda…
Ricardo ParreiraEurope’s Thin Blue Line: How The Far-Right Imposes Its Ideology On The Police
Introduction Since 2013, amidst a wave of high-profile cases of police brutality and the rise of the Black Lives Matter…
Dr. Gerard GillExtremist Violence Against the Trans and LGBTQI+ Community in Australia: A Review of Recent Events
Introduction Members of the LGBTQI+ community have long been targeted by far-right actors. However, across the last 12 months, violence…
Audrey GagnonThe ‘Critical’ and the ‘Sheep’: How Users of Far-Right Pages on Social Media See Themselves and the Mainstream
This Insight summarises some of the findings presented in the article “Far-right virtual communities: Exploring users and uses of far-right…
Ryan NakadeBeyond Fake News: Meta-Ideological Awareness (MIA) as an Antidote to Conspiracy and Radicalisation
Introduction Online misinformation and disinformation are widely recognised as detrimental to society, most of all due to their links with…
Seán LooneyContent Moderation Through Removal of Service: Content Delivery Networks and Extremist Websites
Introduction Kiwifarms was an internet forum known for its active targeting and harassment of trans people. In August 2022, the…
Raphael GluckAre Jihadists Profiting from NFTs?
In September 2022, the Wall Street Journal published a report on our discovery of NFTs created by the Islamic State…
Sophia SykesTradwives: The Housewives Commodifying Right-Wing Ideology
Introduction Gaining prominence since 2020, Tradwives are an influential online community of right-wing women who espouse a highly traditional heteronormative…
Ana AguileraDrone Use by Violent Extremist Organisations in Africa: The Case of Al-Shabaab
Introduction The widespread adoption of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, commonly referred to as drones, has had a significant impact…
Bàrbara MolasFalling Through the Cracks: Gender Bias in Online Counter-Terrorism and Prevention
Introduction In Orientalism (1978), the book that shaped post-colonial studies, Edward Said tried to understand how and why colonised countries…
Zelly MartinHow Gen Z is Changing Anti-Abortion Extremism Through ‘Queering’
I follow lots of feminist pages. I’m in lots of feminist and leftist groups. I’m in different agnostic and atheist…
Logan MacnairUnderstanding Fashwave: The Alt-Right’s Ever-Evolving Media Strategy
Introduction While far-right extremists have a history of attempting to co-opt musical genres and spaces (including punk rock and heavy…
Diana WallensMoms for Liberty: The Use of Facebook to Spread Far-Right Propaganda and Change Public School Curriculum
Who Are Moms for Liberty? Over the past two years, numerous American headlines have referenced a new, so-called ‘parental rights’…
Scott N RomaniukTerrorist Platform Migration: The Move to Smaller, Less Regulated Online Spaces
Introduction and Background The internet provides terrorists and violent extremist organisations (VEOs) with novel and useful means of achieving their…
Devika Shanker-GrandpierreUnderstanding Love Jihad: Historical Context, Impact, and Strategies of Dissemination
Introduction The Love Jihad conspiracy theory, primarily propagated in India, alleges that Muslim men aim to convert Hindu women through…
Manfredi PozzoliBreak the Chain: Manifestos, Lone Wolf Terrorism, and the Nashville Shooting
Introduction In March 2023, six people were killed in a shooting at a Nashville elementary school. Three of the victims…
Kye Allen‘Arktos 2.0’: Deplatforming and Digital Innovation in Far-Right Publishing
Introduction Founded in 2009, Artkos has since emerged as one of the leading English-language publishers of Eurasian, identitarian, and New…
Katarina RistićRemove Kebab: The Transnational Circulation of Far-Right Memes and The Memory of the Yugoslav Wars
Introduction The 2019 terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand revealed the importance of the transnational circulation of memes for online…
Danny MorrisDoes Artificial Intelligence Dream of Antisemitism?
Content warning: this Insight contains antisemitic language and imagery Introduction It’s probably been the topic of conversation at a dinner…
Abbie RichardsHow ‘Gnome Hunting’ Became TikTok’s Latest Antisemitic Dog Whistle
Introduction In April 2023, a concerning trend emerged on TikTok called ‘gnome hunting’. While at face value, the trend depicted…
Daniel Siegel‘RedPilled AI’: A New Weapon for Online Radicalisation on 4chan
Introduction Recently, the world of artificial intelligence large language models (LLMs) has witnessed a surge in competition between major tech…
Lucas WebberFursan al-Tarjuma Carries the Torch of Islamic State’s Media Jihad
Introduction In 2014, Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the establishment of the caliphate and himself as caliph.…
Sam AndrewsFirst-Person Propaganda, First-Person Shooters, and Gamification: A Different View
Introduction In the 1990s, debates raged about whether first-person shooter (FPS) games could cause violence. Following the 1999 Columbine shooting,…
Petra RegeniAccelerationism Meets Gamification: A Look at the Convergence in the Framing of Online Narratives
Petra Regeni is a member of the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN). EGRN brings together world-leading counter-extremism organisations to develop insights…
Dr. Gerard GillOnline Incitement and Small-Scale Terrorism: Violent Rhetoric from the Freedom Movement on Facebook
Introduction Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess recently warned that the next terrorist attack in Australia is likely…
Mona ThakkarThe State of Play: Islamic State Khorasan Province’s Anti-India Propaganda Efforts
Introduction The Islamic State in Khorasan province (ISKP), operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has emerged as Islamic State’s (IS) most…
Robin O'LuanaighCo-opting Cottagecore: Pastoral Aesthetics in Reactionary and Extremist Movements
A young woman wearing a modest gingham dress sits in an apple orchard reading a book. A woven basket is…
Click here to read our latest report “30 Years of Trends in Terrorist and Extremist Games”