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.

Recruitment

Various online services are exploited by terrorists and violent extremists for recruitment. In particular, research points to the use of platforms as a recruitment tool by terrorist groups such as ISIS. In parallel, young extremists were also found to use various new and popular social media platforms to influence other youngsters. Terrorists and violent extremists have also uses various dating platforms to make close connections with people and establish relationships.

  • 22nd February 2021
    Turning Back to Biologised Racism: A Content Analysis of Patriotic Alternative UK’s Online Discourse
    Dr. William Allchorn
  • 21st January 2021
    Countering the Veil of Deep Encryption
    Rachael Falk
  • 02nd November 2020
    From ShamiWitness to QMap: The Movement of ‘One’ in Online Radicalisation
    Kabir Taneja
  • 10th July 2020
    IS “Advisers”: How Online Jihadists Guided European Volunteers to Syria
    Dr. Hugo Micheron
  • 07th May 2020
    The Gift of the Gab: The Utilisation of COVID-19 for Neo-Nazi Recruitment
    Ashton Kingdon
  • 23rd April 2020
    The Amalgamation of Virtuality and Reality in Radicalisation Processes
    Manjana Sold
  • 19th March 2020
    How Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia’s Message Framing Primed Its Members To Become Recruits For The Islamic State
    Aaron Zelin

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