Violent Jihadism
Gore and Violent Extremism: An explorative analysis of the use of gore websites for hosting and sharing extremist and terrorist content
July 9, 2025Gore-related websites enable the hosting and sharing of illegal videos, including those produced by proscribed terrorist entities. The websites are numerous, free to access, provide no user or child safety features, and have seen a growth in visitor numbers in recent years due to ongoing conflicts. Most gore-related websites offer download and social media share ...
The “Webification” of Jihadism: Trends in the Use of Online Platforms, Before and After Attacks by Violent Extremists in Nigeria
April 28, 2025The key findings of this report are as follows: Boko Haram, ISWAP and Ansaru previously leveraged popular social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Telegram and Instagram. These platforms were used to promote propaganda and create awareness regarding upcoming attacks. However, all three groups have now had their use of these platforms restricted or banned. ISWAP ...
Uncovering Salafi jihadist terror activity through advanced technological tools
March 25, 2025This study investigates the evolving challenges intelligence and law enforcement agencies face in countering Salafi jihadist terrorist activities across digital platforms, focusing on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and data fusion technologies in open-source intelligence (OSINT) methodologies. Through an analysis of case studies involving ISIS and other non-state actors, the study examines how terrorist organisations adapt ...
JeSuisCharlie a été l’un des hashtags les plus populaires de l’histoire – voici pourquoi cela n’arriverait pas aujourd’hui
July 23, 2024VOX-Pol Blog post. ...
JeSuisCharlie was one of the most viral hashtags in history – here’s why it wouldn’t happen today
July 23, 2024VOX-Pol Blog post. ...
The Semiotics of Violent Jihadist Propaganda: The Message and the Channel
May 14, 2024VOX-Pol Blog post. ...
Online Jihadist Propaganda Dissemination Strategies
March 5, 2024It is well established that jihadist groups and their supporters post URLs on online platforms to outlink to items of propaganda stored on other platforms. Industry initiatives – such as Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism’s inclusion of URLs in its hash-sharing database, and Tech Against Terrorism’s Terrorist Content Analytics Platform – have sought to ...
Two Sides of the Same Coin? A Largescale Comparative Analysis of Extreme Right and Jihadi Online Text(s)
September 18, 2023This article describes and discusses a comparative semiotic analysis of online text collected from eight extreme right websites and four violent jihadi groups’ online magazines. The two datasets, which comprise just over 1 million words each, were analyzed using LIWC software. The core issues explored were the shared and different linguistic patterns used among extreme ...
Jihadismo na rede: o papel da comunicação em rede na lógica de desenvolvimento do processo de radicalização jihadista (Jihadism on the Network: the role of Network Communication on jihadi radicalization processes)
September 18, 2023The jihadi movement paradigm, along with jihadi terrorism, has been transformed over the last decade into a new reality, since it entered our daily lives with the 9/11 attacks. This process of change was due largely to the strengthening of the caliphate movement, carried out by the Islamic State. It is no longer possible to ...
The Impact of the Internet and Cyberspace on the Rise in Terrorist Attacks Across the US and Europe
September 18, 2023This chapter critically analyses the impact of the Internet and associated technology on the rise in terrorist attacks across the US and Europe over the last two decades. To this end, the chapter will be focusing on jihadists’ use of the Internet, yet comparisons will also be made with the radical right. Although there exist ...