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This study addresses the crime of promoting terrorist acts through digital platforms, its dangers, and the legislative gaps in this context within the Jordanian Cybercrime Law No. 17 of 2023, comparing it with the corresponding legislative provisions in UAE. The problem at the core of this study lies in the insufficiency of the Jordanian Cybercrime Law to effectively address the crime of promoting terrorist acts through digital platforms, social media, new media, and smart applications, with a clear oversight despite its importance and necessity. The study concludes with several results and recommendations, which will be summarised here. Firstly, technical infrastructure issues: The technical infrastructure continues to face significant issues that allow terrorists to infiltrate, along with insufficient international cooperation between Jordan and other countries to address advanced electronic threats and ensure effective digital security. The study concludes with several recommendations, the most prominent being the need to add a specific provision to the Jordanian Cybercrime Law No. 17 of 2023 to penalise this crime.

The rise of the far right has captured the attention of scholars across media studies, political science, and sociology. Digital technology played an important role in the rise of the far right and has deeply shaped this global movement. Focusing on research in Western societies (primarily Europe and North America), this review takes stock of how scholars in these three disciplines have studied the intersection of the far right and digital technology. The review introduces the problem of fuzzy collectivity to understand how scholars have made sense of the far right as an assemblage of increasingly complex networks of actors distributed across websites, alternative media, and platforms. Exploring solutions to the problem of fuzzy collectivity in the literature, the review proposes that far‐right engagement with digital technology should be conceptualized as a racial project engaging in metapolitics, a term used by far‐right ideologues that understands cultural movements to be prefigurative of political change. The review then explores the intersection of the far right and digital technology today, examining how it uses technology and the context of this use. The review then identifies pathways to reintegrate critical perspectives on racism in future research on the far right and digital technology.

Graph analytics has become instrumental in uncovering insights across various domains, specifically in social networks. It serves as a crucial tool for analyzing the relationship between users in different online platforms. In this research, we apply methods of social network analysis to examine the communication patterns among participants in an online forum recognized for far-right extremism. Our study demonstrates the actors’ relationships and activities through different aspects of applications over networks. In extensive analysis, we identify the influential actors and map their relationships throughout the course of 76 monthly networks. Moreover, we illustrate the evolution of networks over that period, and their connections with significant events. The findings of this analysis aim to understand the nature of interactions and networks, and to allow practitioners to take necessary precautions to mitigate far-right activities on various online platforms.

Internet Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become increasingly popular for social movements of all kinds. Social movement organizations (SMOs) use them to interact and mobilize also across borders. Previous research has highlighted the opportunities for transnational networking and the resulting reduction in the importance of local dependency for SMOs. One movement that combines local direct action with the goal of an international network of activists is Antifa. Single case studies have highlighted that local demonstrations and networks are still vital for antifascist groups. However, studies that examine the influence of spatial dynamics on building an international (digital) network beyond focusing on a single country are still lacking. This study, therefore, examines the impact of proximity on forming digital connections among 355 unique European antifascist groups. Using Exponential Random Graph Modeling (ERGM), we examine the hyperlink network across Europe via the groups’ online presence. The findings reveal that the languages of the groups and the geographical distance between them are significant predictors for the probability of displayed hyperlink connections. These results demonstrate the relevance of proximity theories in the field of digital activism. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of spatial dynamics in shaping online networks, reinforcing the importance of space in contemporary network analysis in social movements studies.

Incident Response Working Group: GIFCT conducted a robust multistakeholder review of its Incident Response Framework (IRF) to better reflect the needs and feedback of key stakeholders and draw on lessons learned from prior activations. Widespread concerns about the potential rise in AI generated content around terrorist attacks, and the increasing prevalence of violence associated with accelerationist movements or self-mobilized radicalization informed discussions aimed at updating the IRF. Working with the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC) GIFCT undertook a comprehensive review and expert dialogue series which resulted in the report Future-Proofing GIFCT’s Incident Response: Addressing Societal Harms, and will inform GIFCT work in updating the IRF in 2025.

Gaming Community of Practice: The Gaming Community of Practice (GCoP) was formed to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation among practitioners in the gaming industry alongside global experts. The group aimed to inform the development of best practices and guidance to prevent terrorists and violent extremists (TVE) from exploiting games, gaming-adjacent services, and the gaming community. Leading members of the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN) produced a series of outputs based on Working Group meetings to guide online gaming companies in better awareness of TVE threats and how to counter them. Galen Lamphere-Englund worked with GIFCT to produce a report on Prevent, Detect, and React: A Framework for Countering Violent Extremism on Gaming Surfaces as well as an annotated 2024 Resource List: Violent Extremism, Radicalization, and Gaming. Rachel Kowert and Sarah Chittick produced a brief guide for companies on Threat Surfaces in Games: Challenges and Best Practices. The group’s gaming platforms also explored how best expanded threat signal sharing could evolve, which will take form further as GIFCT’s Investigator’s Community of Practice in 2025.