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.
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Regional Trends
North America
Jan 6th
Regional Trends
While experts can point to overarching global trends in terrorism and violent extremism, we also know that there are significant regional and country-based variables in how these groups recruit, mobilize, propagandize, and coordinate attacks. There are also varying international trends in the types of platforms terrorists and violent extremists use in different parts of the world, their overarching aims and the ways their aims manifest online. GNET includes expert insights from academics and practitioners all over the world, feeding in the nuances and adversarial shifts they report on.
North America
Across North America, insights aid in contextualizing violent extremism online in both regional and country specific ways. Relevant research has focused on the Canadian context regarding far-right radicalization on particular platforms such as Reddit, and the country’s recent ban of far-right extremist groups . Additionally in the North American context, research covers wide issues ranging from the particularity of the American interest in Global Jihad, in-depth examinations of the Denver shooter’s ideological views, to the analysis of post-Buffalo online trends.
Jan 6th
The January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021 presented a notable mix of off and online activity and coordination from extremist groups. Significantly, groups used a variety of platforms as part of the planning process prior to the attack. After the attacks, there was a significant increase in alternative platform use, along with a particular impact on the online ecosystems of far right extremist groups. Overall, the event underlined the role of social media evidence in the aftermath of these types of attacks, along with their potential impact on the operational security of extremists.
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06th January 2023Shifts in Domestic Extremist Movement Rhetoric, Two Years After the Capitol SiegeIlana Krill and Valeria de la Fuente
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03rd March 2021Selfie and Siege: Women’s Social Media Footprint and the US Capitol Hill SiegeDevorah Margolin, Chelsea Daymon
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27th January 2021From MAGA to the Fringe: What Was Happening Online Before the 6 January Insurrection and What Can We Do Now?Meili Criezis, Brad Galloway
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22nd January 2021Extremism in the Manosphere During the Presidential TransitionDr. Alexis Henshaw
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21st January 2021“Take Nothing But Pictures, Leave Nothing But (Digital) Footprints”: Social Media Evidence From the US Capitol Siege PerpetratorsJonathan Lewis, Bennett Clifford
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20th January 2021The Impact of the Capitol Attacks on Extremist Operational SecurityDr. Daniel Milton, Audrey Alexander