Blog
Cyberterrorism – the greatest threat to US vital interests?
May 17, 2023
Lee Jarvis, Professor of International Politics, University of East Anglia, UK A recent survey of public opinion conducted by the independent polling company, Gallup asked people in the United States to evaluate the threat posed by a range of different actors, issues, and events to US vital interests. 74% of those surveyed saw Iran’s nuclear ...
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Using Online Data in Terrorism Research
May 10, 2023
by Stuart Macdonald, Elizabeth Pearson, Ryan Scrivens, and Joe Whittaker This article summarises a recent paper published in Lara Frumkin, John Morrison, and Andrew Silke’s A Research Agenda for Terrorism Studies (Elgar). Historically one of the greatest challenges for the study of extreme or terrorist groups was access. Today, online spaces offer researchers a level ...
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Part 4: Recruiting and Vetting Candidates for Membership in The Base
May 2, 2023
Anthony F. Lemieux, Georgia State University Background:  Our research team at Georgia State University (Anthony Lemieux, P.I., Dror Walter, Rebecca Wilson, Katherine Kountz, John Hendry, Allison Betus, and Mor Yachin) and the University of Cincinnati (Michael Loadenthal) have been working on analyses of a corpus of leaked interviewing and vetting calls provided to our research ...
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Part 3: Recruiting and Vetting Candidates for Membership in The Base
April 26, 2023
Anthony F. Lemieux, Georgia State University Background:  Our research team at Georgia State University (Anthony Lemieux, P.I., Dror Walter, Rebecca Wilson, Katherine Kountz, John Hendry, Allison Betus, and Mor Yachin) and the University of Cincinnati (Michael Loadenthal) have been working on analyses of a corpus of leaked interviewing and vetting calls provided to our research ...
Blog
From Blaming China to Attacking Domestic Elites: The Evolution of Hate Speech in a Telegram Channel during the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 19, 2023
By Matteo Vergani, Alfonso Arranz, Ryan Scrivens, and Liliana Orellana Prior research has found that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a wave of online hate speech against targets such as Asian and Jewish minorities, as well as an increase in conspiracy theories circulating online. We contribute to this growing body of research with new evidence from ...
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Jake Davison: An Incel Case?
April 12, 2023
by Lewys Brace & Stephane Baele At around 18:00 local time on 12th August 2021, Jake Davison carried out a killing spree in Plymouth (UK) that resulted in the deaths of five people, before ultimately taking his own life. Information about Davison’s mindset and online behaviour remains scarce, but indicates that he had some engagement ...
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Part 2: Recruiting and Vetting Candidates for Membership in The Base
April 5, 2023
Anthony F. Lemieux, Georgia State University Background:  Our research team at Georgia State University (Anthony Lemieux, P.I., Dror Walter, Rebecca Wilson, Katherine Kountz, John Hendry, Allison Betus, and Mor Yachin) and the University of Cincinnati (Michael Loadenthal) have been working on analyses of a corpus of leaked interviewing and vetting calls provided to our research ...
Blog
Part 1: Recruiting and Vetting Candidates for Membership in The Base
March 29, 2023
Anthony F. Lemieux, Georgia State University Background:  Our research team at Georgia State University (Anthony Lemieux, P.I., Dror Walter, Rebecca Wilson, Katherine Kountz, John Hendry, Allison Betus, and Mor Yachin) and the University of Cincinnati (Michael Loadenthal) have been working on analyses of a corpus of leaked interviewing and vetting calls provided to our research ...
Blog
Supreme Court unlikely to ‘break the internet’ over Google, Twitter cases – rather, it is approaching with caution
March 22, 2023
By Michael W. Carroll, American University “These are not, like, the nine greatest experts on the internet,” noted Justice Elena Kagan – a reference to herself and fellow colleagues on the Supreme Court. Depsite this, the justices are being asked to negotiate complex arguments that could have wide implications for online providers and ultimately everyone ...
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The Use of Heuristics in the Buffalo Shooter’s Manifesto
March 15, 2023
By Michael Waltman The purpose of this entry is to describe how the nature of hate speech contributes to violence and extremism in a way that would be helpful to those who would study and oppose violent extremism. I have studied the social and political uses of hate speech since 2003. Hate speech is discourse ...