Contextual
Resources

Once a government or tech company develops a definition of terrorism or violent extremism, it can be difficult to know how to apply these definitions to the variety of ways that terrorism and violent extremism manifests internationally and across online spaces.

This section of the site aims to highlight contextual resources on themes related to applying definitions to the online space.  GIFCT funds the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET) to bring forward actionable insights from experts and practitioners around the world to better inform and give context to tech companies, governments, practitioners and other stakeholders in this field. Insights are curated here under context-based themes.

Filters

Platform & Product Type/Focus

The internet is not a homogenous space. There is significant variation in what platforms or tools online do, and subsequently an equally significant variation in how a platform might be exploited and the signal available to a platform to detect such exploitation. Experts continue to track the different types of platforms and tools being exploited by terrorists and violent extremist, looking at how and why a group or individual might use a product. While some platforms are more global in usage, others are specific to trends in regions or particular types of violent extremist groups.

Cryptocurrency

Terrorists are increasingly exploiting technology to finance their on and offline activities. Terrorists have followed suit in using new financial technologies and cryptocurrency, as well as social media and crowdfunding platforms. In Latin America, cryptocurrency is used as a source of independent funding by mafia, drug cartels, human traffickers and so on. In one case, there was a lawsuit against telegram for its potential use of crypto-wallet by terrorists and violent extemists.

  • 14th April 2023
    Extremist NFTs: How Does Blockchain Immortalise Extremism?
    Dr. Chamila Liyanage
  • 08th September 2022
    Right-Wing Extremists’ Use of the Internet: Emerging Trends in the Empirical Literature
    Dr. Ryan Scrivens, Tiana Gaudette, Dr. Maura Conway and Dr. Thomas J. Holt
  • 11th July 2022
    Terrorist Financing and Technology: Understanding Approaches and Anticipating Risks
    Jessica Davis
  • 14th September 2021
    Far-Right Fundraising on Telegram
    Ariel Bogle
  • 19th July 2021
    Technology and Terrorist Financing
    Jessica Davis
  • 11th June 2021
    Crime, Cryptocurrency, and El Salvador’s Big Bet on Bitcoin
    Dr. Alexis Henshaw
  • 11th November 2020
    Preempting the Storm: DOJ Moves to Tackle Terrorist and Criminal Use of Cryptocurrencies with Bolder International Approach
    Andrew Mines
  • 24th August 2020
    Online Extremist Funding Campaigns: COVID-19 and Beyond
    Chelsea Daymon
  • 04th May 2020
    The Risks of a Telegram Crypto-Wallet
    Andrew Mines

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