VOX-Pol published a new report titled ‘Gore and Violent Extremism: An explorative analysis of the use of gore websites for hosting and sharing extremist and terrorist content‘ on 9 July 2025, and launched at an online event with its authors on the same day. The report is written by Human Digital, with Dr Ali Fisher and Arthur Bradley.
Like all VOX-Pol reports, it is available to read in full and for free on the VOX-Pol Publications page. The recording of the launch event is a private video on the VOX-Pol YouTube channel. If you wish to view it, please email info@voxpol.eu.
About the report
Gore-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 functionality allowing for graphic content, including 1000s showing terrorist violence, to be shared across social media.
Gore-related websites and the content they host have been largely avoided within academic study and practitioner responses, particularly in relation to counterterrorism and online harms such as violence fixation. This report provides a starting point for understanding the utility the websites provide to terrorist and violent extremist actors and the harms the content hosted on the websites present to children. The report is particularly pertinent in the UK context due to the recently passed Online Safety Act and growing public concern about the availability of graphic violent content in light of the Southport attacker’s reported online behaviours.
About the authors
This report was produced by researchers at Human Digital, a division within M+C Saatchi who develop data-led understanding and recommendations to combat online harms, including violent extremism, violence fixation, misinformation, and the exploitation of emergent technologies, for example generative AI, cryptocurrency and Web3. The team consists of analysts, data scientists and engineers working collaboratively with subject specialists from across academic disciplines. All Human Digital’s data collection, processing and analysis is facilitated by its secure and licensable technology platform, DeltaVision.
Ali Fisher is Explorer of Extreme Realms at Human Cognition Ltd., and Lecturer at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. He is the creator of Mujahid Mind AI and the BlackLight data feed, tools that provide near real-time insights into Salafi-Jihadi exploitation of the internet. For more than 20 years, Ali has served as an advisor, strategist, and author, producing deep strategic insights into complex information ecosystems—including those involving extreme or illegal content. He brings a unique dual expertise in Strategic Communication and Data Science. In addition to his academic research, Ali has worked on strategic communication initiatives for both European and U.S. government departments, with a focus on achieving and measuring influence.
Arthur Bradley is an independent consultant who specialises in OSINT, online investigations, and terrorist propaganda ecosystems. His affiliations include Human Digital, the VOX-Pol Institute, and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, and he is an external contributor on right-wing extremism for Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC).