Digital Dispatches

The Amharic language is being used on TikTok to evade moderation by mixing it with European languages in order to spread hate speech and bypass filters.

ISD analysis suggests the Magdeburg attacker consistently promoted far-right, anti-Muslim views online before the December 2024 attack, countering reports on his ideology.

Mirror sites continue to bypass the EU's sanctions against RT Deutsch ahead of the 2025 German elections, highlighting the need for stronger enforcement.

A network on X is spreading disinformation about Germany's election, amplified by 6,000+ bots. The absence of German-language videos suggests it targets media and international observers.

An in-depth investigation into the Islamic State’s online ecosystems across the open web, social media platforms, and messaging applications.

Axel Rudakubana's conviction for the Southport killings highlights gaps in the UK’s approach to preventing targeted mass violence and terrorism.

This dispatch examines the extremist responses to the IS-inpsired New Year's Day terrorist attack in New Orleans that claimed 15 lives.

This Dispatch covers Israeli far-right extremism, including Kahanism, settler violence, far-right parties, and groups, with a focus on post-October 2023 developments.

The assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has sparked widespread support for vigilante violence, with extremists and mainstream communities praising the act.

Modern neo-Nazi accelerationism, influenced by James Mason's Siege, blends violence with activism. This analysis explores the risks and motivations behind this crossover.

A joint ISD and H&CC probe documented 55 incidents of violence, harassment, and smears in the 5 weeks before Ireland's 29 Nov. General Election.

A laptop in the centre of a table with an image of an Islamist extremist organisation, surrounded by other laptops. Each has lines connecting it to the other laptops, with symbols on the lines depicting the logos of various social media platforms alongside multiple German flags.

Examining the risks presented to Germany by the contemporary online landscape of Islamist extremism, including the increased prevalence of illegal terrorist content online.

Image depicting a magnifying glass over a map of Germany, with markers in geographic locations where Islamist terrorist attacks have taken place since October 7 2023

Analysing the rise in Islamist extremist attacks targeting Germany since Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel.

Jordan's 2024 elections exposed hate speech targeting women and Palestinian-Jordanians, highlighting the need for stronger laws, education and moderation reforms.

To help understand the immediate impact of the 2024 US election on the landscape of US domestic extremism, ISD analyzed online extremist activity on and around Election Day.

An ISD analysis ahead of the US elections found users misidentified AI content in over 50% of cases in a research sample, often labeling real content as AI-generated, using flawed OSINT or unreliable tools.

Following the US presidential election, online hate speech and harassment toward women surged, with some users calling to limit women’s rights.

Conspiracy theories about post-election violence and misleading interpretations of US government laws are gaining traction online ahead of election day.

This Dispatch examines rhetoric espoused by two notable examples whose promises of retributive violence have garnered them a large audience.

This ISD Dispatch reviews social media ad policies and enforcement, examining recent political ad activity on major platforms, totaling $650M by from Jan to August 2024.

A network of X accounts are posting claims that they voted illegally as foreign nationals in the US election, along with pictures of marked ballots and foreign passports.

Women seeking information about health and wellness topics on Instagram are recommended content that promotes election denialism and other far-right narratives.

Russian state-affiliated media and social media accounts have used hurricanes Milton and Helene to undermine trust in disaster relief efforts and reduce support for Ukraine.

ISD reviewed election-related livestreams on major platforms, finding insufficient enforcement of guidelines on election integrity and political misinformation, hate and extremism.

This Investigation examines how a pro-Kremlin ad campaign used the Hamas-Israel conflict to spread disinformation narratives about Ukraine in France and Germany.

This Dispatch examines how Hurricane Helene mis- and disinformation spread online, with antisemitic hate and election conspiracies promoted by politicians and extremists.

One year after the October 7 attack, this study analyses mis- and disinformation, examining key actors and narratives distorting the Israel-Gaza conflict’s origins.

ISD looks at an attempted migration of accelerationist neo-Nazis from Telegram to a new platform following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.

ISD uncovered the Lincoln Media Network, which aims to influence voters before the 2024 US election using opaque news outlets and Facebook to spread political content.

ISD found a rise in Hitler-glorifying content online after 7 October, part of a larger pattern of revisionist narratives increasingly targeting younger audiences.

The Texas Revolutionary Army – Patriot Front (TRA-PF) may be a front for neo-Nazi accelerationists aiming to recruit under the banner of a less extreme organization.

Dublin riots in Nov 2023 exposed Ireland's anti-immigration violence, which has since surged, with 61 incidents recorded from May to August 2024.

White nationalist Nicholas Fuentes and his fanbase pressured Trump’s 2024 campaign with online propaganda, likely violating platform policies without facing any action against them.

With the 2024 US election rapidly approaching, ISD has found evidence that platforms are failing to remove or label even the most widely debunked deceptive AI-generated content.

ISD looks at how far-right AfD strengthened its support in Saxony and Thuringia's state elections via a strong digital campaign mostly present on mainstream platforms.

For over two decades al-Qaeda has had a thriving online presence, ISD's Moustada Ayad explains why this long-term problem doesn't need to be one.

ISD identified platform safety improvements for hate speech on TikTok, including better enforcement, clearer policies and filling content knowledge gaps.

ISD's TikTok series analyzes white supremacy and anti-migrant content on TikTok, detailing how it's shared and the methodology behind the investigations.

This Dispatch demonstrates how far-right extremists leveraged a range of mainstream and smaller ‘alt-tech’ social media platforms in the wake of the Southport attack to grow their following, promote hate and organise.

This Dispatch examines how extremist parties in Saxony and Thuringia, Germany, gain success through mainstreaming tactics, while offering policy solutions.

Following the Southport attack and subsequent widespread far-right riots, this article quantifies patterns of growth of anti-Muslim and anti-migrant hate on Telegram and X.

An ISD analysis shows a dangerous network of neo-Nazis are using mainstream Telegram groups to spread their propaganda in and recruit from.

After the tragic murder of three girls in Southport, the UK has seen the largest far-right extremist mobilisations in recent years. This Dispatch considers some of the longer-term policy implications emerging from the riots.

Emboldened by recent successes in the June local elections, Irish far-right groups are now framing abortion through a white nationalist lens, with rhetoric linking reproductive rights to an Irish variant of the 'Great Replacement' theory.

With rising online radicalization among minors, social media must improve moderation and stronger regulations like the EU's Digital Services Act are vital. In the case of the US, there is a lag in safeguards.

The Southport stabbings have led to anti-Muslim hate and violence in UK cities. This Dispatch analyses how 16 Telegram channels incited violence and spread hate.

This Dispatch examines three key dynamics underpinning the far-right riots taking place across the UK: the transformation of far-right extremism, increased targeting of migrants, and rising anti-Muslim hate.

ISD analysis finds how right-wing extremist groups like Patriot Front and Active Clubs have strengthened defenses against law enforcement and policymakers.

In the aftermath of a mass stabbing attack in Southport UK on Monday, misinformation about the identity of the attacker spread quickly across social media. ISD outlines how these false claims led to offline violence and the role social media platforms played in it.

Self-identified Nazis are openly promoting hate speech and real-world recruitment on TikTok. Not only is the platform failing to remove these videos and accounts, but its algorithm is amplifying their reach.

This Dispatch analyzes six notable radical anarchist movement blogs to understand what members of these radical fringes claim about their own actions online.

ISD found that speeches by IS and al-Qaeda leaders are easily found on TikTok through simple searches, even after removal, due to TikTok’s ‘original sound’ feature.

Unverified claims about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump proliferated across social media in the 24 hours following the incident and continue to spread in the absence of more detailed factual information about the shooter. ISD identified the main false claims being promoted and how they mutated and spread across platforms.

This Dispatch explores how falsified documents in ‘hack & leak campaigns’ influence public opinion, analysing a likely false IRGC document about pro-Palestine protests.

Issues related to extremism, hate and disinformation were a major focus of the 2024 UK General Election, both on the campaign trail and at the ballot box. This article considers the key threats to rights, public safety and democracy facing the new Labour government, and suggests pathways for policies that address the scale of the challenge.

In May, a man livestreamed what appeared to be an attempted mass shooting at a grocery store in Indiana. ISD identified dozens of versions of the full video on X and Facebook, generating nearly 9 million views in the 48 hours after the incident took place.

This briefing in French explores how Quebec’s French-speaking extremists engage with the Israel-Hamas conflict.

This briefing details the engagement of pro-CCP actors, Chinese state media, and Canadian alternative media with the Israel-Hamas conflict.

This briefing outlines how French-speaking right-wing extremists in Quebec have engaged with ongoing events related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In this Dispatch, ISD looks at three recent incidents that highlight the ability of conspiracy theories to motivate extremists to action, a trend likely to continue through 2024, particularly online.

Hamas’ 7 October attack on Israel and the subsequent IDF attacks in Gaza have energized Jewish Defense League (JDL) members, raising concerns about their narratives and tactics.

This briefing outlines ISD’s analysis of conversations related to the Israel-Hamas conflict shared by accounts associated with right-wing extremism in Canada.

IS support groups have long created content using media outlet assets, but the creation of fake social media accounts to spread the faux-branded content is a new tactic, leveraging previous moderation workarounds and state influence strategies to proliferate terrorist content online.

This article summarises the findings of a topic modelling analysis of antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate speech on Canadian YouTube comments in the aftermath of the 7 October attack.

An infamous Russian influence operation has been operating like a scam campaign on social media. ISD’s new investigation may help explain why.

This Dispatch analysis the findings of two ISD surveys which explored Germans views on the war against Ukraine, (European) defence, and threat perceptions of Russia.

A joint analysis by ISD and the Hope and Courage Collective (H&CC) has uncovered 36 incidents of politically motivated violence, intimidation, harassment or threats since campaigning for local and European elections officially kicked off in Ireland on 6 May.

ISD found that both Russian state media and pro-Kremlin ads on Meta have been targeting the German public on Facebook ahead of the EU elections.

In August, Meta began blocking news links & restricted media accounts in Canada to avoid paying for content. Weeks later, the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out. ISD analysis reveals low-quality, polarising sources have filled the info gap, leaving users vulnerable to misinformation & polarising content.

While much of the mainstream reporting has been focused on the violent and incendiary posts shared on alt-tech platforms in response to the guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump, a potentially more concerning trend has been pushed aside.

This Dispatch analyses how the Houthi movement leverages social media amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict and Red Sea crisis, exploiting inconsistencies in government designations & platform policies to reach wider online audiences.

Ten years ago, rancher Cliven Bundy and supporters forced federal law enforcement to retreat during an armed standoff over unpaid grazing fees, a victory that energizes the anti-government movement to this day.

The Senate's AI Roadmap represents a positive step forward, but it is important to recognize that there remains substantial work to be done.

This guide highlights the challenge of predicting the lasting influence of conspiracies, emphasizing the importance of discerning actual risks to audiences & evaluating theories' potential impacts.

The Home Office has announced that the UK will proscribe the Terrorgram Collective. However, the decentralized nature of the network presents enforcement challenges.

Online discourse about migrants and asylum seekers has become overwhelmingly negative in Germany, defined by inflammatory and misleading language, and the mainstreaming of harmful conspiracy theories such as the 'Great Replacement'.

India’s upcoming general elections are likely to hand the Hindu nationalist Bharata Janata Party (BJP) a third term in office. This Dispatch examines Hindutva's use of divisive rhetoric and conspiracy theories ahead of the election.

Within seven hours of Iranian drones being launched towards Israel, misleading content received over 37 million views on X.

The pro-CCP network known as Spamouflage is a long-running and widespread but largely ineffective operation. However, there is evidence that the network is now experimenting with new ways to increase their influence.

Pro-Kremlin actors have exploited the attack on Crocus City Hall to blame Ukraine and the West, even though the Islamic State’s ‘Khorasan Province’ (ISKP) claimed responsibility for it. This Dispatch analyses online messages from pro-Kremlin actors in Russian, German and Italian.

In the wake of the Crocus City Hall attack outside of Moscow, ISD analysed how the bodycam-style video of the attack spread across X, reaching 59.9 million views in 48 hours.

Drag Queen Story Hour events across Australia continue to face targeted harassment and intimidation by fringe groups, partially driven by transphobic and homophobic conspiracy theories imported from overseas. Councils, performers, venues and organisers need more support to respond.

Protests in Germany against far-right extremism and anti-democratic ambitions received widespread support earlier this year, but far-right alt media and Telegram channels are using disinformation and conspiracies to say otherwise.

The EU AI Act (AIA) is the world’s first comprehensive AI regulation that upholds democratic norms and human rights, ensures tech accountability, and prevents the spread of mis- and disinformation and its misuse by bad actors. However, some uncertainties around its implementation and enforcement remain.

ISD analyses the Facebook activity of 10 Islamic State alternative news outlets, their promotion of hijrah (immigration) to Africa and the welcomed efforts to sell the continent to a base accustomed to supporting the group's actions in Syria and Iraq.

In the five years since the Christchurch attack, the act of white supremacist terror has become the basis for a wave of copycats inspired by both its method and ideology. This Dispatch considers the significance of the attack and assesses the international policy response.

The flood of mis- and disinformation online following the death of Aaron Bushnell further underscores social platforms' challenges in dealing with false narratives in real-time.

Since October 7, there has been growing speculation about the evolving terrorism threat landscape. In this Dispatch, ISD reviews what we know and do not yet know about the changing UK terrorist threat.

In a recent ruling from Meta's Oversight Board looking into a violation of hate speech community standards, it was deemed that the “the fundamental issue in this case is not with the policies, but their enforcement.”

In view of the nationwide farmers’ protests in Germany, ISD found that some farmers who played a key role in organising the protests are linked to a larger conspiracy theorist and far-right network that goes beyond Germany.

The long-running influence campaign suspected to be run by the CCP and often referred to as ‘Spamouflage’ is already pivoting to focus on the expected competition between President Joe Biden and Republican forerunner Donald Trump.

Justin Mohn reportedly posted a video on YouTube where he attempts to justify the murder of his father, a retired engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers, explaining his ideological beliefs and listing perceived enemies including federal officials, "illegal immigrants", LGBTQ+ communities and more.

After surveying German views toward the war in Ukraine, ISD identified a strong correlation between the type of media respondents consume and trust (traditional vs social media) and their attitudes towards the conflict.

This dispatch analyses how the Israel-Hamas war is being weaponised by pro-Kremlin actors targeting German audience.

ISD urges for the adoption of robust US regulations, akin to those in the EU, UK and Australia, to establish minimum safety standards for online platforms, safeguarding young users effectively.

Using social media accounts set up as minors’ accounts, ISD examined the availability of content glorifying mass casualty shooters for minor users across TikTok, Discord, Roblox, Telegram and X.

Following recent "swatting" attacks against political figures in the US, ISD's Jared Holt and DFRLab's Meghan Conroy urge due consideration before jumping to conclusions about the motivations behind these attacks.

Islamic State's al-Bayan FM radio station, although bombed off the airwaves half a decade ago, remains alive on social media. ISD found 167 pages on Facebook and 156 videos on TikTok featuring branded al-Bayan radio content.

Following the recent antisemitic riots in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, Russian authorities blamed Ukraine and the West for fomenting tension. However, an ISD analysis of messages spread online in the weeks prior to the riots makes Kremlin’s claims look rather implausible.

This Dispatch introduces an anti-Muslim hate speech classifier developed in collaboration with CASM Technology and presents the findings of the classifier of the over 115,000 anti-Muslim comments identified in the aftermath of October 7.

This briefing analyses how various ideological groups have found common group in promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and expressions post-Hamas' October 7 attacks in Israel.

This Dispatch explores how a pro-CCP influence campaign commonly known as 'Spamouflage' is capitalising on the Israel-Hamas conflict to spread anti-US sentiment.

Dieser Digital Dispatch untersucht die Verbreitung antifeministischer Weltbilder in deutschsprachigen Telegram-Kanälen von Rechtsextremen, Rechtsradikalen und Verschwörungsideolog:innen während der Fußball-WM 2022

This Dispatch explores German far-right anti-feminist discourses on Telegram based off their activity during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

ISD unveils a coordinated campaign by at least 64 accounts likely using content generated by ChatGPT to undermine support for Navalny, his associate and their organisation, the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF).

Changing Attitudes Towards Ukraine: A Cross-Language Examination on Facebook and X

This analysis measures attitudes towards Ukraine among the top shared posts on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, to understand potential changes over time as well as differences across geographies. The findings evidence an increasing penetration of anti-Ukraine rhetoric among highly engaged posts on Facebook and X.

ISD analysis the types of online antisemitism seen in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict, in YouTube comments.

Der Terrorangriff der Hamas auf Israel am 7. Oktober hat auch in Deutschland extremistische Gruppierungen von verschiedenster Couleur auf den Plan gerufen.
Das ISD hat in diesem Digital Dispatch Online-Reaktionen von Links- und Rechtsextremist:innen, Islamist:innen sowie Verschwörungsideolog:innen auf den Konflikt gesammelt.

In this Dispatch, we explore the differences with comparing Hamas to ISIS when it comes to the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Similar to extremist landscapes around the world, in Germany, the far right, far left, Islamist extremists & conspiracy theorists, are all using the Israel-Hamas conflict to further polarize political debate. ISD analyses those responses & their potential real-world impact in our latest Dispatch.

Since the Israel-Hamas war started, far-right extremist networks in the UK have capitalised on the ongoing conflict and reduced the war into three simplistic narratives: anti-Muslim, antisemitic and anti-migration hostility.

Almost 13 years after his death, Osama bin Laden is trending on social media in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict because of his “Letter to America,” a 2002 screed that justified al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks on the US.

At the height of COVID-19, Wellness and New Age influencers shared anti-vaccine content, with many straying explicitly into conspiracies such as QAnon and becoming key conduits for "conspirituality." With the pandemic subsiding, conspirituality has not waned. ISD analyses how Wellness and New Age influencers are talking about climate.

Neo-Nazi accelerationists have been expressing support for the terrorist group Hamas ever since their October 7 attacks on Israel, converging on shared antisemitic ideologies in an attempt to recruit and radicalize for their own cause.

In light of the Israel-Hamas war, swathes of US news-seekers have turned to social media influencers for the latest updates on the conflict. However, they will find a cruel battlefield of another kind.

A broad range of Islamist extremists (including proscribed terrorist groups) have responded to Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent Israeli assault on Gaza. Although there was uniform support for the Palestinians and condemnation of Israel, there were also key divergences across this broad spectrum of actors.

Following Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war that has erupted in the region, ISD has observed a disturbing 422% increase in language associated with anti-Muslim hate online.

While 'Stolz Monat' may be the German translation of Pride Month, it didn't become viral in support of the international celebration. Instead, far-right bloggers repurposed it for a campaign, which was later amplified by Germany's largest far-right party.

The 7 Oct Hamas attack in Israel has echoed a known pattern online, with ISD analysis finding a 50-fold increase in antisemitic comments on YouTube, as well as spikes on alt-tech platforms.

Iranian, Chinese and Russian officials, diplomatic representatives and state media are spinning the Israel-Hamas conflict to their benefit, often advancing anti-US, anti-Ukraine framing.

New research by ISD reveals violent and graphic content of the Gaza conflict is being served to minors' accounts on Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, despite all platforms having clear policies and features designed to protect younger users from such content.

X [formerly Twitter] is an epicentre for content praising the attacks perpetrated by the Hamas-linked al-Qassem Brigades, generating millions of views in single 24-hour period, while escaping any moderation of any kind.

Russian state media's latest attempt, "Resistor Newswire," hasn't gained much traction despite 18+ months of operation. It’s just the latest attempt to be uncovered by ISD.

Twenty-two years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, ISD examines how online communities have turned the largest terror attack on United States soil into a perennial ‘shitposting’ rite of passage for Salafi-jihadist meme networks on mainstream social media platforms.

New research by ISD reveals TikTok has been profiting from ads that feature pro-Kremlin disinformation and conspiratorial narratives. Ads found via TikTok’s ‘Commercial Content Library’ also included content discrediting Ukraine and Ukrainians while glorifying the Russian invasion, and content that depicted the brutal mercenary Wagner group in a positive light.

ISD has released the third and final round of our video campaign in German, Arabic and Russian, aimed to counter pro-Kremlin mis- and disinformation targeting Ukrainian refugees in Germany.

New research by ISD reveals Meta has failed to remove recruitment content for the Wagner group, as well as posts celebrating its brutal activities in Ukraine and beyond, contradicting the company’s policies.

En un país con niveles de desconfianza inusualmente altos, los propios políticos y los medios de comunicación en España han entrado al juego rumbo a las elecciones generales del 23J.

In an unexpected turn of events, Spain is heading to the polls this Sunday. The campaign has been messy in a country with unusually high levels of public distrust— and the media and politicians have played right into it.

ISD’s CEO Sasha Havlicek, writes an op-ed underscoring the urgency of including provisions for data access in the UK’s Online Safety Bill, and emphasising the risks of failing to do so for the British public.

In the investigation, Elise Thomas found the latest example of Russian media successfully evading restrictions in order to reach Western audiences. This time targeting German-speaking audiences with short-form videos and even a podcast.

A new guest Digital Dispatch, authored by analysts from Human Digital, reveals that gore sites are being exploited by extremist groups as part of a broader strategy of decentralisation on the internet.

New research by ISD reveals how the Islamic State has been using TikTok to amplify propaganda undetected and without restriction constraints.

When analyzing potential protests associated with increasingly polarized subjects, it seems there is a recurring miscalculation in suspected hysteria. ISD outlines 6 factors for consideration when assessing turbulent online information environments and possible offline mobilization.

In this Dispatch, ISD looks into Islamist and Catholic extremists' use of Discord as a case study on smaller social media platforms and their greater role in online subcultures and extremism.

ISD identified online communities supportive of terrorism in Northern Ireland growing unnoticed across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Following Musk's interview with the BBC, and the ensuing debate around censorship and free speech, ISD's CEO, Sasha Havlicek, writes an op-ed addressing mischaracterization of the problems we face online and calling for improved transparency in relation to the social media platforms' algorithmic systems that distort the playing field for speech.

ISD's Jared Holt identifies three recurring narratives dissuading pro-Trump communities from acting on behalf of the former president in 2023.

New research from CASM Technology and ISD has found a major and sustained spike in antisemitic posts on Twitter since the company’s takeover by Elon Musk on October 27, 2022.

Footage from the Christchurch attack is available on TikTok, two years after research originally showed how easy it was to find.

ISD and CASM researchers found clear parallels between events surrounding Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase and the creation of thousands of new accounts which proceeded to immediately follow known abusive and misogynistic channels.

اثر الحرب في أوكرانيا علينا في كل العالم. وصل الينا الكثير من الأخبار بخصوص هذا الموضوع. وهذا يشمل التقارير المزيفة التي تحاول شحن الأجواء وتحريضنا ضد بعضنا البعض، وإثارة الحسد.

С помощью кампании #WirStattDesinformation мы хотим противодействовать ложной и искаженной информации, направленной против беженцев из Украины, которые сейчас живут в Германии.

Mit der Kampagne #WirStattDesinformation möchten wir falschen und manipulierten Inhalten entgegenwirken, die sich gegen in Deutschland lebende ukrainische Geflüchtete richten.

As part of our Jan 6 series, ISD breaks down the spectrum of movements & ideologies related to the attack, how they reinforce each other and how this landscape has since evolved.

This Dispatch explores headlines used in both mainstream and so-called alternative media outlets, comparing how editorial teams engage with or promote ‘anti-climate activism’ narratives.

This Dispatch outlines the multiple sources of publicly available evidence that make up the digital footprint of January 6, and how it was used to understand what led to the attack and identify the rioters.

This Dispatch explores the role of TikTok in spreading anti-migrant videos in Ireland amidst the ongoing anti-immigration protests

While hateful and violent rhetoric online continues to manifest into real-world harm, extremists in the US have broadened their focus from COVID and elections to single-issues topics.

ISD analysed how the English town of Harrogate leveraged on- and offline actors who sought to frame the building of a mosque as an anti-patriotic, provocative act.

Extremist networks, groups and movements can easily draw on each other's narratives through social media platforms and messaging apps and apply them to their own local contexts.

While historically, bringing extremist movements to justice has taken different forms, the most effective solutions to curbing domestic extremism in the United States enforce unmistakable legal and social accountability.

Sylvain's conspiratorial thinking made him wary of government and society, and led him to sell his home and move to higher lands in fear the end of the world would come because of a prophecised date. Today, he hopes that sharing his story with ISD's Extreme Dialogue might help others "wake up."

While details are still emerging, ISD provides preliminary analysis of the online activity of the shooter in the Wieambilla, Queensland case.

This dispatch analyses a Telegram channel linked to a pro-Kremlin influence operation targeting Ukrainian refugees in Germany.

A new ISD investigation found that platforms failed to enforce their own policies in safeguarding female candidates, sometimes even promoting abusive hashtags related to name searches on their platform.

This dispatch addresses how Russian-language propaganda on Telegram spread hate and disinformation against Ukrainian refugees in Europe.

After the attack on an LGBTQ+ bar that killed 5, celebration from accelerationists accompanies a massive rise in discourse about 'groomers' and sympathetic responses from social me

The tragedy at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs is the latest real-world episode of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric affecting the lives of those targeted.

The social media history of the suspect behind an attack on a migrant processing centre in the south of England reveals multiple issues with the current approach to counter-terrorism policy in the UK.

ISD analyses the efforts of election denialists and others to monitor voting drop boxes in the run-up to the 2022 US mid-terms.

ISD explores election-related disinformation on TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels in advance of the 2022 US midterms.

Complex inter-community factors, along with deliberate agitation, are to blame for recent flare ups between Hindus and Muslims in Leicester.

An ISD investigation reveals the pro-Kremlin influence operation behind a fake video claiming Western weapons meant for Ukraine are ending up on the black market.

Graphic of map of Europe with newspapers with Russian flag

ISD has uncovered a large-scale Russian influence operation which has been targeting European audiences with disinformation and pro-Kremlin messages.

This Dispatch summarises our investigation on the Zemmour campaign’s social media strategy that may have violated platforms’ community guidelines.

Ahead of the Italian elections, this dispatch examines how the pandemic has pushed users toward alt news sources that are now spreading pro-Kremlin disinformation. 

Australia is on the cusp of voting for a constitutional referendum that would create a representative body for the Aboriginal Australians, but a lack of official information is creating space for hate speech and conspiracy theories.

Today's Dispatch looks at pro-Kremlin rhetoric attempting to discredit Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as ‘neo-Nazi’ states.

The IEP'S 2022 Global Terrorism Index found that Sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as a global epicentre of terrorism, while deaths from terrorism have dropped globally.

Graphic of map of Finland with Finnish flag and Twitter bird with speech bubble with Russian flag

Amidst Finland's bid to join NATO, supporters of Moscow’s claim that Russia is “denazifying” Ukraine have begun to associate Finland, a longstanding neutral country, with fascism.

This Dispatch explore “Underside”, an extensive doxxing operation targeting alleged British-influenced traitors and infiltrators within Russia.

Graphic of person suing computer with news icons

New ISD research shows Facebook and Twitter are presenting users searching for news about Ukraine with pro-Kremlin material and information from unverified sources.

Graphic of Twitter bird with Monkey Pox and anti-LGBTQ images

This dispatch explores how Twitter policies designed to tackle anti-LGBTQ+ hatred are failing to address the onslaught of hate campaigns directed at the queer community on the platform.

This second Dispatch in our four-part series explores the Azov Regiment in Ukraine, debunking pro-Kremlin claims that Ukraine is ‘neo-Nazi’ and anti-NATO conspiracy narratives.

Ein Dispatch mit Handlungsoptionen zum Themenfeld „Öffentliche Gesundheit“, die zunehmend von demokratiefeindlichen Akteur:innen unterwandert wird. Folgend und Lösungen für Initiativen der Globalen Gesundheit.

This is the first of four Dispatches unpacking the narratives and tropes of pro-Kremlin actors claiming Ukraine to be a fascist state.

ISD investigation highlights just how easy it is to sell guns on Facebook.

L’élection présidentielle française de 2022 s’est déroulée dans un climat d’inquiétude par rapport au potentiel impact que la désinformation, la mésinformation et les discours polarisants pourraient avoir sur le déroulement d’un scrutin à forts enjeux.

Despite EU bans on Russia Today content, ISD has uncovered various ways in which RT content is still accessible and available online, reaching European audiences.

Preying on primordial urges, pro-Kremlin Arabic narratives find a sweet spot in women influencers.

Photograph of destroyed buildings from war in Syria

This Dispatch outlines the methodology ISD employed for The Syria Campaign’s report on disinformation, along with key research findings from this research.

A coordinated network of volunteers are working to translate existing Russian-language propaganda and disinformation about the war in Ukraine into many languages.

Today's Dispatch explores Dig Deep Documentary, a YouTube channel that appears to be a copycat of the now banned Russia Today channel.

Widersprüche, falsche Zahlen und Täuschungsmanöver. ISD hat die Nutzung von der Plattform Gettr in der deutschen rechtsextremen Szene beobachtet.

Binary code pattern in colors of flag of Ukraine

This Dispatch examines Project Nemesis, a mass doxxing campaign targeting members of the Ukrainian military, secret services, volunteers and international trainers.

This Dispatch explores how a propaganda campaign orchestrated by an antisemitic hate group has successfully manipulated media coverage to spread its hateful conspiracies.

This Dispatch explores how leading politicians’ decision to invoke the spectre of foreign interference during the Australian elections represents a dangerous new election tactic.

Phone with applications with Chinese flag in background

This Dispatch discusses challenges and opportunities for algorithmic and platform design that seek to guarantee pluralistic debate and freedom of speech online.

In the 2022 Australian election, most candidates with ties to the conspiracy and anti-lockdown movements did not get elected. This Dispatch analyses the response.

Photo of Russian soldiers marching at Victory Day

In this Dispatch, ISD analysts explore Kremlin propaganda narratives about Victory Day on Facebook in 11 different languages and countries.

In this Dispatch, we analyse how candidates in the 2022 Australian elections have made reference to the World Economic Forum and the 'Great Reset' on Facebook and Twitter.

Graphic of Australia with voting ballot box in middle

This Dispatch is the first of two about World Economic Forum and 'Great Reset' conspiracy theories being spread by various actors during the 2022 Australian federal elections.

What is 'Dark MAGA', and how can the media avoid falling into the trap of amplifying far-right aesthetics?

This Dispatch examines the key narratives and mechanisms used by pro-Kremlin influencers and actors attempting to link the Buffalo shooter to the Azov Battalion.

Graphic of Kremlin Disinformation Playbook

The Kremlin disinformation playbook of denials, diversion and deflections has been used as atrocities emerge after Russia's month-long occupation of Bucha.

This Dispatch explores how the antisemitic “Khazarian Mafia” conspiracy theory is being directed at the war in Ukraine.

This analysis looks at the most shared links in online messages referring to the French presidential election, identifying the topics and trends that marked the electoral campaign.

Cette analyse s'intéresse aux liens les plus partagés dans des messages en ligne faisant référence à l'élection présidentielle afin d'identifier des sujets et tendances qui ont marqué la campagne électorale.

This Dispatch provides an overview of the online antisemitism threat landscape, which has increased in recent years, particularly since the pandemic.

Dans le cadre des élections présidentielles françaises, l'ISD a observé que le sentiment anti-Macron était partagé en ligne de part et d'autre du spectre idéologique et politique.

Marquée par la crise sanitaire, la candidature Zemmour, et la guerre en Ukraine, la campagne électorale a vu la mobilisation accrue des identitaires et de la complosphère.

ISD has identified a small network of 33 Twitter accounts that appear to have been hijacked and used to spread pro-CCP (Chinese Communist Party) narratives. The network includes two accounts of European politicians.

In the period surrounding the first-round of the French presidential vote, ISD observed the deployment of anti-establishment and right-wing extremist narratives against Macron’s government.

New ISD analysis of Facebook posts across 20 countries reveals that three weeks after the Bucha massacre, the most shared Facebook posts on the events are the ones questioning the legitimacy of it.

This Dispatch looks at the impact of the RT and Sputnik bans on French social media, including the response of online fringe communities and proxies.

La nouvelle étude de l'ISD s'intéresse au lancement de Gettr en France et Allemagne, le réseau social américain voulant attirer l'extrême droite européenne.

This Dispatch looks at the recent developments in digital policy, offering recommendations for platforms and governments responding to propaganda and disinformation.

ISD looks at how far-right channels, groups and pages on Telegram and Facebook have addressed the Russia-Ukraine War by looking at the narratives shared and domains amplified.

ISD has discovered Twitter accounts aligned with the Chinese Communist Party that appear to be inauthentic, spreading and amplifying disinformation about the war in Ukraine.

This Dispatch looks at how Hungarian state-linked media is echoing and amplifying pro-Kremlin narratives, despite the country siding with Western allies’ efforts against Russia.

Xi Jinping in front of Russian and Chinese flags with the letter Q and question marks placed on the top left

This Dispatch looks at the shift that appears to be underway in QAnon conspiracy communities as China's president Xi Jinping is recast from villain to hero.

This Dispatch looks at how both RT DE and its followers have circumvented restrictions, while RT DE’s following has grown on alternative platforms like Odysee and VK.com.

This Digital Dispatch analyses French and German activity on Gettr, the microblogging site aimed at far-right and conservative audiences.

This Dispatch analyses how hashtags are being used to facilitate the Soviet propaganda tactic 'whataboutism' to support and amplify pro-Kremlin content.

In this Dispatch, Elise Thomas explains why Western conspiracy communities on Telegram are promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda about the Russia-Ukraine war.

Pro-Kremlin hashtags on Twitter have the hallmarks of an influence operation masquerading as a grassroots social movement, but how can they help us detect future operations?

Ukraine-related disinformation from Russian state-backed sources is spreading without restriction in German-Language Telegram channels and groups.

This Dispatch explores how Russian state-controlled or state-affiliated news organisations are using TikTok to spread misinformation and push Kremlin disinformation narratives.

This Digital Dispatch shares several trends that ISD analysts observed in German-language Facebook groups during the days prior to Russia’s invasion, and in the days immediately after it.

This Dispatch explores fake Facebook groups being run for profit from foreign countries that claim to be part of the 'Freedom Convoy' protest movement.

This Dispatch looks at German-language YouTube videos which are attracting hate speech against Jewish people in their comment sections.

In diesem Dispatch werden deutschsprachige YouTube-Videos analysiert, die besonders häufig antisemitische Kommentare anziehen.

Feature image French Identitarian dispatch

Support for presidential candidate Eric Zemmour has amplified identitarian rhetoric in France, where identitarians are coordinating campaign support across online platforms.

range of emotions depicted with smiley faces

ISD researchers outline their approach to applying toxicity analysis to Salafi online content and the development of automated toxicity detection tools.

An investigation by ISD analyses the distribution and sale of fake health passes on social networks (Facebook, Instagram and Telegram) in France.

In this Dispatch, Elise Thomas looks at how the ‘Canberra Convoy’ raises interesting questions around analysing protest movements in the age of social media.

This Dispatch highlights North Macedonian's deeply divided digital space, where politics and ethnic based hate underscore polarising online narratives.

Une investigation de l’ISD analysant la diffusion et la vente de faux pass sanitaires sur les réseaux sociaux (Facebook, Instagram et Telegram) en France.

This Dispatch shares new ISD research that highlights how Twitter and Meta's hate speech policies aimed at protecting transgender people are poorly enforced and still suffer from gaps in implementation.

This Dispatch series explores notable themes following the Capitol riot, including accountability for big tech, extremists’ digital footprints, and the landscape of election denialism going forward.

This report series explores how networks linked to individuals in Vietnam are using QAnon conspiracy theories and US political disinformation to generate revenue.

In this Dispatch, Elise Thomas looks at how Australia's anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown movements responded to the recent Djokovic saga.

The Hungarian flag over a graphic of wooden figures connected by a network of lines.

This Dispatch examines the specifics of Hungarian organisations most in connection with an international ultra-conservative network working to undermine women's and LGBTQ's sexual and reproductive health rights.

This Dispatch examines the global network of ultra-conservative organisations working to undermine the rights of sexual minorities and women, and the key actors in this network.

Image with X-ray effect of person wearing gas mask

This Dispatch explains the concept of 'post-organisational' violent extremism and terrorism, and why tech companies, counter-terrorism practitioners and policymakers face challenges in how to respond to it.

Map of Europe with small Slovakian flag pinned in Slovakia

This Dispatch examines the online threat landscape in Slovakia; one which appears increasingly hybridised as polarising and extreme content emanates from a broad spectrum of actors.

Graphic of a black and white US flag, where the stripes are made up of silhouettes of rifles.

The left-wing 'Gunstagram’ is an emerging, US-based firearms community on Instagram. This dispatch looks at what has driven its growth.

Graphic of computer with YouTube icon and German flag

Our recent project classifying YouTube comments in German seeks to contribute to research and public debate on natural language processing.

Unser aktuelles Projekt zur Klassifizierung deutschsprachiger YouTube-Kommentare soll einen Beitrag zur Forschung und öffentlichen Debatte zu Natural Language Processing (NLP) leisten. Insbesondere soll es auf die mit dieser Methode verbundenen Lücken und die Notwendigkeit von manueller Überprüfung und Kontrolle aufmerksam machen.

Speech podium with anonymous suited man, with Kenyan flag in background

In this ‘Online Extremism Index’ Dispatches, ISD analyses polarising content and hate speech online in Kenya ahead of the country’s 2022 general elections.

Despite being banned from Facebook, the pro-Russian disinformation outlet News Front has resumed many of its operations.

Graphic of hand reaching out of social media post holding magnet to attract engagement

ISD researchers tracked posts about climate change produced by reliable sources on Facebook alongside posts produced by climate sceptic actors.

An overview of ISD’s pioneering new research which provides a digital snapshot of the rapidly shifting online Salafi ecosystem across social media and its intersection with Gen-Z identities.

Despite Facebook’s claims of continuous enforcement, it appears that some well-known actors are returning to the platform again and again using largely the same tactics.

New joint research from ISD and VU analyses the reciprocal nature of far-left and far-right activity on Twitter between 2016-2021.

Following the withdrawal of NATO and Western troops from Afghanistan in mid-August, there has been a visible spike in German-language anti-migration discourse on social media.

New ISD research draws on analysis of white supremacist chats on the encrypted messaging application Telegram to explore the complex relationship white supremacists have with the military.

ISD analysts monitored discussion on various online platforms in the lead up to the German federal election. This Dispatch outlines their findings.

Elise Thomas explains how websites play a central role in the digital presence of many extreme-right organisations and communities.

ISD is pioneering a series of efforts to further explore the intersection between gaming and extremism.

The Strong Cities Network's Beirut Office, Lama Awad, Ghida El-Assaad, and Nicolas Gholam, examine the country’s approach to P/CVE and the many challenges it now faces in light of recent events.

With the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks upon us, Eric Rosand writes for the RESOLVE Network about the growing relevance of cities in preventing and countering violent extremism.

An overview of ISD's upcoming The Future of Extremism series: an ambitious programme of data-driven publications, thought-leading analysis and public events focused on the next generation of extremism challenges and responses.

ISD is one of over 50 co-signatories on an open letter calling upon EU policy-makers to amend the draft EU Digital Services Act to tackle disinformation head-on.

The explosive growth of digital technologies around the world is opening new potential domains for conflict.

This dispatch features an excerpt from 'Hatescape An In-Depth Analysis of Extremism and Hate Speech on TikTok', a new ISD report that aims to provide an in-depth analysis on the state of extremism and hate on TikTok.

As the German Federal Election draws closer, far-right actors in Germany are using the same tactics to undermine the vote as their counterparts across the Atlantic did in 2020.

The 2019 Christchurch attacks stand as an instructive example of an increasingly international far-right. This Dispatch examines online extremism in New Zealand, drawing on ISD research conducted throughout 2020 which provides a data-driven snapshot of New Zealand’s online extremist ecosystem.

As part of the Strong Cities Network’s programme of ongoing research, ISD analysts mapped and analysed the online extremist landscape in Bangladesh. This Dispatch looks at their findings.

It has been a decade since the 2011 terror attacks in Oslo, considered by many to be a “turning point” in far right extremist mobilisation. This Dispatch outlines the ways in which the ideas, tactics and dynamics underpinning the attack have come to shape one of the most persistent and dangerous terror threats we are seeing today.

This Dispatch outlines seven of the key takeaways from a new ISD report that documents the findings of a study tracking the online ecosystems used by right-wing extremists in Canada in 2020.

ISD analysts identified a number of pro-CCP accounts spreading distorted research on Twitter, with the seeming intention being to lambast one of China’s oldest rivals: Japan. This dispatch outlines just how legitimate, pre-existing research can be manipulated and repackaged in furtherance of geopolitical goals.

This dispatch highlights how, in Czechia and Slovakia, character assassination seems to be the most successful strategy used by those seeking to disrupt and polarise online debate on climate change.

This dispatch examines the most widely shared internet domains amongst online anti-vaccination communities in Germany. It illustrates the high level of influence Austrian and Swiss disinformation outlets appear to hold in the German-speaking online sphere of conspiracy narratives.

This article highlights the key findings from a new ISD research report that provides a snapshot of the different online communities involved in the promotion of hate and disinformation targeting refugees and the migration sector in 2020.

In Hungary, government-affiliated media is critical in shaping public opinion. This dispatch looks at how national and local government-affiliated media outlets on Facebook have portrayed the issue of climate change over the past two years.

In Poland, climate change is largely absent from the online discussion around coal mining and the energy sector, which is instead dominated by economic and security arguments in favour of, and in opposition to, the coal industry. This dispatch highlights the key trends in such discussion, as well as the types of messaging different actors employ.

The social media uproar around the Turów mine dispute illustrates how Eurosceptic beliefs and suspicions about Germany were weaponised in attempt to drive polarisation and delay climate action in Poland.

The social media debate around a new climate communications project by German broadcaster WDR provides a useful case study that illustrates how climate communication efforts by public broadcasters are received - especially in the lead up to an election.

An investigation by ISD suggests a shift in seemingly coordinated pro-CCP network tactics - one involving real, genuine human Twitter influencers acting as advocates for pro-CCP narratives.

New ISD research presents a data-driven snapshot of the proliferation of COVID-19-related online antisemitic content in French and German on Twitter, Facebook and Telegram.

This Dispatch looks at the links between the largest online archive of Islamic State materials and a real-world IS case. It raises a set of policy considerations for managing online contingents of movements like the Islamic State and disrupting the creation and management of such archives.

New analysis by ISD and CTC focuses on Islamic State-affiliated content stored on digital archives, and the method of creating hubs of information to preserve such materials. Such research reveals one small part of the movement’s ongoing efforts to document its path to stay relevant in the future.

New analysis by researchers at ISD and the Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities at Victoria University analyses the interplay between far-right and far-left groups in the state of Victoria, Australia on the alt-tech social networking platform Gab.

The Institute for Economics and Peace take a look at some changes in Positive Peace over the last decade.

The role of algorithms in boosting conspiracy theories and radicalisation has been brought into sharp focus over the past year. Using Amazon’s book sales platform, Elise Thomas illustrates how such problems with algorithmic recommendation extend far beyond social media platforms.

ISD analysts conducted a network analysis of the clusters of Twitter accounts driving climate-related debate during the German state elections. This article reveals their findings.

As part of their ongoing monitoring of hateful speech in France, ISD researchers analysed anti-Muslim discussion in France on Twitter and Facebook. This Dispatch outlines their findings and points to the need for an intersectional analysis of anti-Muslim discourse.

New research by ISD examines how Telegram has evolved among far-right groups and supporters in Ireland, moving from a fringe platform to become one of the main online spaces used by the far-right.

Ahead of the German state elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rheinland-Pfalz, ISD analysts examined climate-related discussion on social media. The goal was to interrogate how social media drives climate-related debate during an election period,.

A brief look at some of the defining numbers of Syrian civil war by the The Institute for Economics and Peace.

Elise Thomas discusses how Facebook’s decision to block Australian users from sharing or viewing news content on the platform created a short-lived experiment as to what happens to disinformation and conspiracy theories in the absence of journalism on social media platforms.

This Dispatches post examines how the "Great Reset" conspiracy is growing among online communities in the Netherlands, and how the leader of a Dutch right-wing populist party has played a key role in mainstreaming it.

A new case study by ISD provides a glimpse into the inner workings of the broader disinformation ecosystem and sheds light on the long tail of state-linked online assets.

Cécile Guerin writes about how the lines between the two sides of her life - as a researcher at ISD and a yoga teacher in her spare time - have become increasingly blurred over the past year.

This is the second in a three-part Digital Dispatches series that looks back at how a year of online extremist mobilisation precipitated a violent assault on the heart of American democracy on January 6 2021.

This is the first in a three-part Digital Dispatches series that looks back at how a year of online extremist mobilisation precipitated a violent assault on the heart of American democracy on January 6 2021.

How do the far-right and far-left discuss each other on Facebook? How do narratives about the other side of the political spectrum shape the online activity of these groups? An analysis of the far-right and far-left Facebook ecosystem in Australia looks at how central discussion of the ‘other side’ is to each movement.

The Western Balkans faces twin challenges from online extremism where international extremist narratives target the region through online platforms while its histories and geopolitics are appropriated to justify extremist actions and narratives around the world.

When Donald Trump retweeted a post claiming that Dominion Voting Systems had partnered with the Clinton Global Initiative to deliberately switch ballots intended for Trump to Joe Biden, a narrative of election rigging began that would spread online, and which will likely resurface again.

A tweet baselessly claimed that Dominion Voting Systems had partnered with the Clinton Global Initiative to switch ballots intended for Trump to Joe Biden. It was the peak of a narrative combining technology and corruption concerns with the need to explain Trump’s increasingly apparent election defeat.

ISIS continues to deploy social media recruitment strategies when opportunities arise. In an effort to understand each social media platform’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of striking terrorist content off their platforms, ISD timed platforms' takedowns of content egregiously violating their policies.

On 31 May 2020, President Trump tweeted that the far-left network Antifa would be designated a “Terrorist Organization.” ISD researchers monitored the reactions to Trump’s tweet by far-right actors online.

ISD researchers conducted a long-term analysis of conversations around the loose network of far-left organisations known as Antifa between January 2019 and June 2020.

In Part I, we looked at how the Proud Boys online presence reacted to the sudden and widespread exposure that the group received following Trump’s mention of them in the first US Presidential debate. Now, we look at the narratives and methods used in their responses.

Mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are becoming increasingly active in removing extremist content from their platforms. But what happens when a major figure such as the US President mentions a hate group in a Presidential debate?

In early June, troll groups on 4chan staged a series of online raids against Black Lives Matter activists on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, ultimately stifling their ability to coordinate activities.

ISD found that conspiratorial narratives on Facebook and Twitter about billionaire philanthropist George Soros rose in tandem with the George Floyd protests that strafed the US in May.

Simple techniques such as alternative hashtag spellings can circumvent TikTok's measures to combat the spread of QAnon content. TikTok must do more to combat the problem – and urgently.