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

Tactical Exploitation of Online Services

Online terrorism and violent extremism comes in many forms and platforms are equally exploited in a variety of ways. Terrorist and violent extremist groups and individuals, like average users, use a mixture of platforms to further their aims. This cross-platform approach facilitates in storing content, holding private or confidential conversations, e-commerce for buying and selling goods as well as fundraising, recruitment, and the amplification of propaganda and messaging to the public. These signals, trends and adversarial shifts around this exploitation are highlighted by global experts.

Platform Migration

Platform migration is a commonly used tactic by violent extremist groups. Chan sites and a collection of imageboard forums with minimal moderation efforts, are representative of alt-tech space used by the far-right. Chans have been increasingly recognized for playing a role in extremist group radicalization. The wide availability of messaging apps has resulted in extremists simultaneously gravitating towards multiple platforms with varying objectives intended for specific apps.

  • 23rd June 2023
    Terrorist Platform Migration: The Move to Smaller, Less Regulated Online Spaces
    Scott N Romaniuk, Amparo Pamela H Fabe and Debasish Nandy
  • 18th January 2022
    Tracing Extremist Platform Migration on the Darkweb: Lessons for Deplatforming
    Bluth Crawford
  • 12th November 2021
    Remaining and Expanding or Surviving and Adapting? Extremist Platform Migration and Adaptation Strategies
    Meili Criezis
  • 10th November 2021
    The Rise of the Far-Right Web
    Simon Copland
  • 09th November 2021
    Extremist Experimentation with Text-Based Instant Messaging Applications
    Bennett Clifford
  • 24th June 2021
    Terrorism and New Technology
    Rachid El Houdaigui
  • 10th June 2021
    Gab’s Gift to the Far-Right
    Jordan McSwiney, Greta Jasser and Dr. Ed Pertwee
  • 19th May 2021
    The Digital Transformations of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State in the Battle Against Online Propaganda
    Héni Nsaibia and Rida Lyammouri
  • 01st April 2021
    The Role of the Chans in the Far-Right Online Ecosystem
    Dr. Lewys Brace

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