Online Library

90 minute panel discussion on the myths and realities of online radicalisation chaired by the New America Foundation in collaboration with the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Originally published by the New America Foundation on 29 May 2013

VOX-Pol Blog Post.

A letter to Mr. Zuckerberg from the UN Rapporteur on the definition of terrorism.

In this report, we have sought to understand how violent extremists behave across an increasingly complex online ecosystem and consider the implications for how online violent extremism (VE) activity can be countered. We interrogated the variety of measures, behaviours and technology platforms that are being used by violent extremists internationally. In so doing, we identified gaps in understanding of the complex and expansive contours of the VE online landscape, and the extent to which VE online does, or does not, constitute a distinctive phenomenon that might require a different policy setting. The outcomes of the research will contribute to the undertakings of the Office of the Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism in establishing a first-rate network between Australia and its international partners that enables a ready and trusted exchange of knowledge and communication on VE and terrorism activities to maximise the effectiveness of counters.

Adolescents are considered especially vulnerable to extremists’ online activities because they are ‘always online’ and because they are still in the process of identity formation. However, so far, we know little about (a) how often adolescents encounter extremist content in different online media and (b) how well they are able to recognize extremist messages. In addition, we do not know (c) how individual-level factors derived from radicalization research and (d) media and civic literacy affect extremist encounters and recognition abilities. We address these questions based on a representative face-to-face survey among German adolescents (n = 1,061) and qualitative interviews using a think-aloud method (n = 68). Results show that a large proportion of adolescents encounter extremist messages frequently, but that many others have trouble even identifying extremist content. In addition, factors known from radicalization research (e.g., deprivation, discrimination, specific attitudes) as well as extremism-related media and civic literacy influence the frequency of extremist encounters and recognition abilities.