Blog

By Matteo Vergani We (myself and Ana-Maria Bliuc) just published a brief research-paper in the Italian magazine “Security, Terrorism and Society“. We used the computerized text analysis program LIWC (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count) to investigate the evolution of the language across the first 11 Issues of Dabiq. Our paper shows ISIS’ increasing concern with ...

Title Human Reasoning Meets Machine Learning: Hands-on Workshop Using Mixed-Media Analytics Tools on Violent Online Extremism Data. Date and time Wednesday, 22 June from 2:00pm to 6:00pm Convener Heather Griffioen-Young – A social psychologist and manager of TNO’s Dark Web programme, Dr. Griffioen-Young has been involved in multiple projects involving radicalisation and violent extremism. Recent focus is ...

By Prof. Keith Martin Since so much of life has moved online, a clash has emerged between the opposing values of internet freedom, and internet control. Should the internet be a public arena free of all interference and influence from the authorities? Or does too much freedom result in anarchy, turning the internet into a ...

By Javier Lesaca The so-called Islamic State (ISIS) has emerged in less than two years as one of the major security challenges for the global community. At the same time, this terrorist group has become one of the most important phenomena in digital public communication since the beginning of the century. In fact, the analysis of ...

Dr. Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, Head of Research and Information at VOX-Pol partner ICSR, had said more needs to be done on a region/country specific basis as part of the West’s de-radicalisation strategy. Dr. Hitchens made the comments while addressing the fourth annual Sulaimani Forum at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS), Iraq, which took place 16 – ...

Researchers from VOX-Pol Coordinator institution Dublin City University made a series of contributions at the International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, which took place from 16 – 19 March 2016. ISA (established in 1959) is the world’s largest academic organisation dedicated to the study of international affairs. Its annual convention attracts 5,000+ participants ...

By Matthew Francis and Emma Barrett Terrorists and criminals, like the rest of us, need to communicate and, like the rest of us, they look out for ways of communicating that meet their particular needs. Some features of messaging applications may make them more attractive than others to terrorists when co-ordinating and planning their activities or ...

By Javier Delgado Rivera News coverage of investigations into terrorist attacks raise concerns about whether the media goes too far in reporting police findings that may be of some help to bloodthirsty fundamentalists. Before committing their heinous acts, terrorist-minded individuals will be sure to wipe out all the information on their cell phones after learning ...

The Oxford Internet Institute’s Ian Brown and MIT’s Josh Cowls co-authored the VOX-Pol report entitled Check the Web: Assessing the Ethics and Politics of Policing the Internet for Extremist Material, which explores the complexities of policing the web for extremist material, and looks into its implications for security, privacy, and human rights. Below, Josh Cowls discusses the report with Bertie ...

By Aabid Shafi ISIS’ social media capabilities are well known. The effectiveness with which the group makes use of social media to recruit new fighters and spread its propaganda has set off an alarm among security agencies around the globe. It has even led to former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton terming ISIS the “most ...