Blog

By Farzaneh Badii, Anjum Rahman, and Katy Vaughan On 20th September 2022, Leaders of the Christchurch Call Community including Heads of State and Government, the Technology Industry, Civil Society, and Partners of the Call participated in the third Leaders’ Summit in New York. The Summit provided an innovative approach to multilateral dialogue. The round table, ...

This article summarizes a recent paper published in Barbara Perry, Jeff Gruenwald, and Ryan Scrivens’ ‘Right-Wing Extremism in Canada and the United States’ (Palgrave). By Ryan Scrivens, Tiana Gaudette, Maura Conway, and Thomas J. Holt Close attention by journalists and policymakers to the widespread use of the Internet by violent Western (i.e., American, Canadian, Australian, ...

This article summarises one of the recent outputs of a sub-group of GIFCT’s Legal Frameworks Working Group 2022. By Katy Vaughan Most tech companies now have polices aimed at countering terrorist and violent extremist content (TVEC) on their platforms and services. It is also a condition of GIFCT membership that companies must have policies that ...

By the ARC Steering Committee, The Accelerationism Research Consortium (ARC) attended the Terrorism and Social Media (TASM) Conference at Swansea University on June 28 and 29, 2022. We were thrilled to meet face-to-face with colleagues, partner institutions, and stakeholders, and engage with colleagues on timely issues of violent extremism. The conference provided unparalleled opportunities to ...

From September 2021 to July 2022, VOX-Pol published 44 Blog posts covering online extremism and terrorism. The Blog publishes weekly on Wednesdays and takes a break in August, when we share the most-read of the previous year. Click to see the most-read posts of the year from 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018. The top five most-read are: 5. Taliban Victory ...

By Annelies Pauwels and Maarten van Alstein Polarisation comes in different forms. An important distinction can be made between ideological and affective polarisation. Ideological (or issue-based) polarisation refers to the sharpening of opinions, positions or believes on a specific issue within a group of like-minded people. The group moves from moderate towards more extreme views on the ...

By Conor Rees Online extremist activity is not a new phenomenon. Terrorist and Violent Extremist (TVE) use of the Internet has been increasingly well researched since the turn of the millennium. This development of knowledge has led to improved understandings of why TVE’s use the Internet for reasons including recruitment, spreading propaganda, and fundraising (Weiman, ...

This article summarizes a recent study published in the Journal of Crime and Justice. By Brenna Helm, Ryan Scrivens, Thomas J. Holt, Steven M. Chermak, and Richard Frank The online presence of incels, or involuntary celibates, has been an increasing security concern for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in recent years, given that self-identified incels – ...

By Scott DeJong When it comes to understanding the Freedom Convoy and right-wing extremism, play offers a unique entry point. A week into the Freedom Convoy, a new symbol for the occupation graced social media: a bouncy castle. The children’s play feature, at first, seems off-kilter for a movement whose arrival in Ottawa began with ...

At the Terrorism and Social Media 2022 conference, Dublin City University’s Professor Maura Conway announced in her keynote address that Professor Stuart Macdonald of Swansea University’s Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law will take on the coordinating role in the VOX-Pol network. Stuart Macdonald, Professor of Law and Director of the University’s Cyber Threats Research Centre, will take over leadership from ...