Blog
Violent Misogyny, Mass Murder and Suicide: It’s Time to Save Incels from Themselves
October 9, 2019
Incels are a danger to society and to themselves. Technology has made the problem worse, but it can also help fix it. Involuntary celibates, or incels, believe that a socio-genetic conspiracy theory is preventing them from having sexual relationships with women. Denied their right to sex because society has deemed them unworthy, some of their ...
News
Live-streaming the 2019 Lunch Briefing Series
October 4, 2019
The 2019 Lunch Briefing Series is a joint venture between VOX-Pol and the European Commission Representation in Belgium, with sessions taking place on Tuesdays in October and November at the Press Club, Rue Froissart 95, 1040 Brussels. If you are unable to attend in person, we are pleased to live-stream each session on our YouTube page. The next ...
Blog
Chambers of Secrets? Cognitive Echo Chambers and the Role of Social Media in Facilitating Them
October 2, 2019
By Linda Schlegel The rise of social media usage as an everyday activity for millions of citizens has been accompanied by a discussion about the dangers of this development. Echo chambers or “filter bubbles” are often mentioned in this regard.[1] Both concepts refer to the possibility that social media users only engage with content that ...
Blog
Resilienz-Aufbau für Terrorismusforscher
September 26, 2019
Read in English Read in French Read in Spanish Von Peter King Als der sogenannte islamische Staat im Sommer 2014 den Medienbetrieb verstärkte, um für seinen territorialen Fortschritt im Irak und Syrien zu werben, mussten Terrorismusforscher, die ein Jahrzehnt oder länger in dieser Branche waren, einen Schritt zurücktreten und überdenken, welche Auswirkungen die Propaganda auf ...
Blog
Le Renforcement de la Résilience Chez les Chercheurs dans le Domaine du Terrorisme
September 26, 2019
Read in English Read in German Read in Spanish Peter King Lorsque le soi-disant État islamique a intensifié ses activités médiatiques à l’été 2014 pour promouvoir ses avancées territoriales en Irak et en Syrie, les chercheurs sur le terrorisme qui travaillaient dans ce domaine depuis une décennie ou plus ont dû prendre du recul et ...
Blog
Construir Resiliencia para Investigadores del Terrorismo
September 26, 2019
Read in English Read in French Read in German Por Peter King Cuando el denominado Estado Islámico intensificó su campaña mediática en verano de 2014 para promocionar sus avances territoriales en Irak y Siria, investigadores del terrorismo dedicados a esta actividad durante una década o más se vieron obligados a dar un paso atrás y ...
Blog
The Ethics of Engaging Former Extremists to Counter Violent Extremism Online
September 25, 2019
“It is my belief that there is and should be an end to the label, as in my own case […] I am more than what I once was; I am more than a former. Ethically sound CVE practitioners should see me as a person with a future, not just a past.” ~ Brad Galloway By ...
Events
Lunch Briefing Series 2019 hosted by VOX-Pol & EC-REP
September 19, 2019
This Autumn, the VOX-Pol Network of Excellence invites you to a series of Lunchtime Briefing Seminars, each exploring a different aspect of Violent Online Political Extremism. This is the third lunch briefing series following on from events in 2015 and 2016. The 2019 Lunch Briefing Series takes place in October and November, and is a joint ...
Blog
Analysis: The Use of Open-Source Software by Terrorists and Violent Extremists
September 18, 2019
Why global coding collaboration benefits everyone – including terrorists and violent extremists. Summary Much of the software that powers the internet and decentralised platforms currently depends on software that was developed under the “open-source model” – not to be confused with Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) – in which the source code is available to the general public for use or ...
Blog
From Telegram to Twitter: The Lifecycle of Daesh Propaganda Material
September 11, 2019
By Mohammed Al Darwish A typical Daesh propaganda release goes through multiple phases on its journey from Telegram to reach more popular social web platforms like Twitter.1 This transition from Telegram to a wider audience on a more accessible platform requires the intervention of “fanboys” who dedicate their time and effort to spreading the propaganda ...