ISD Insights

One year after the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October, misinformation and disinformation continue to distort the picture of what is happening in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Credible reporting from a range of news outlets has been regularly misrepresented to stir up hatred and demonise different groups. Now, the stakes are even higher with conflict spilling over the borders into Lebanon and Iran.

It is critical that social media platforms do more to help combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation. An important first step would be for them to set up dedicated teams and develop policies so that trusted flaggers – those with relevant expertise to judge harmful content – including journalists, can report content which misrepresents their work. This would allow content to be properly labelled and contextualised, limiting the effectiveness of attempts to divide and enrage communities and stoke the conflict.

ISD research continues to provide data-driven insights into this wide-reaching mis- and disinformation and conspiracy theory content swirling around the conflict. Read ISD’s latest analysis and recommendations here. This work was supported by the European Media and Information Fund.

Also in this newsletter:

• The Irish Channel: Investigating an Irish Misinformation Hub, Political Connections and AI Hallucinations
• Hurricane Helene brews up storm of online falsehoods and threats
• Lincoln Media’s effort to shape public opinion ahead of the US Elections
• Alleged Patriot Front offshoot may be front for neo-Nazi accelerationists
• Failed ‘Groyper War’ paves the way for other bad actors
• Neo-Nazi accelerationists seek refuge amid looming Telegram crackdown
• Content glorifying Hitler surges online amid growing historical revisionism
• Analysing the surge in anti-migrant harassment and violence in Ireland
• Event: CEO Sasha Havlicek and ISD experts return next week to the Eradicate Hate Summit
• Isabelle Frances-Wright and Ellen Jacobs join podcast to discuss platform preparedness for the upcoming US election
• ISD staff featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Huffington Post and more

TikTok, the short form video giant, has soared in popularity since 2018. Originally known for lip syncing and dancing teens, more than one in ten Americans now treat it as a news platform. However, TikTok also hosts egregious and harmful content. ISD’s groundbreaking 2021 study found hate going viral, including 2 million views for a video featuring anti-Asian hate fuelled by COVID-19.

Now, in an updated study analysing trends in hate speech and extremist content, ISD analysts have reviewed how TikTok moderates this material. Two newly published reports cover white supremacist content and anti-migrant & anti-refugee content on TikTok, and we found that extremist content is still not being removed effectively. Worse, our analysis found that some of this harmful content is receiving more views than it did in 2021.You can read more about the methodology of this work here.

Taking into account these findings, ISD analysts have developed a series of policy recommendations to help improve platform safety. These include improving moderator training and resources, more effectively stopping repeat offenders who create new accounts, and providing greater transparency through data access and data on moderation decisions.

Also in this newsletter:

• US Election Platform Preparedness: Comparative Analysis
• Platforms fail to label and remove AI-generated and manipulated election content
• A data-driven analysis of UK riot-related far-right Telegram networks
• From message boards to TikTok: al-Qaeda’s two decades of internet exploitation
• Analysing the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) campaign in Saxony and Thuringia
• Event: CEO Sasha Havlicek at the World Economic Forum
• ISD staff featured in the Irish Independent, Deutsche Welle, the New Republic and more

On 1 September 2024, elections in the eastern German states of Thuringia and Saxony reshaped the country’s political landscape. The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) won Thuringia, capturing nearly a third of the vote, and came in a close second in Saxony.

ISD’s Dispatch explores the factors behind the AfD’s rise in these states, including their social media strategies, and analyses the performance of the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), which has also adopted anti-immigration and Ukraine-sceptic views alongside traditional left-wing positions on socual security and the welfare state. The report also offers recommendations for safeguarding Germany’s democratic institutions against growing extremism.

In other news, the US Justice Department disrupted Doppelganger, a Russian influence campaign targeting the upcoming US election. ISD has extensively researched this campaign since 2022. We were among the first to report on Doppelganger and have continued investigating it, including linking a niche advertising company to these operations following US sanctions in early 2023. This highlights the increasing outsourcing of state-sponsored activities to third-party contractors. In a separate 2022 investigation, we found that despite an EU-wide ban, Russian state media outlet RT’s propaganda remained widely available, often reproduced verbatim on other sites. ISD’s Director of Research for Information Operations, Melanie Smith, provided commentary to NBC on the likely consequences of the US’ action.

Also in this newsletter:

• AfD Social Media Activity and the dilemma of coalition politics
• Understanding Terrorgram’s efforts to infiltrate the mainstream on Telegram
• Evidencing a rise in anti-Muslim and anti-migrant online hate following the Southport attack
• After Southport: Policy responses to far-right extremism
• Explainer: Gangstalking and targeted individuals
• Dr Cornelius Adebahr appointed Interim Executive Director, ISD Germany
• ISD staff featured in the Guardian, the New Republic, BNN Bloomberg, NBC News, Lawfare and more

In August, Austrian authorities arrested three teenagers suspected of planning a mass casualty attack on Taylor Swift’s Vienna concerts, inspired by Islamic State (IS). At least two of the suspects – aged 17 and 19 – were allegedly ‘self-radicalised’ online.

Director of Technology and Society for ISD US Isabelle Frances-Wright, Executive Director for Africa, the Middle East and Asia (AMEA) Moustafa Ayad and Digital Policy Manager for ISD US Ellen Jacobs found that terrorist content is easily accessible to minors using search terms referencing prominent terrorist ideologues.

Platform policies were highly inconsistent, and the inadequacies of their enforcement highlights the continued importance of regulation. Whereas the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) mandates greater transparency and data access – many others including the US are yet to enact strong enough safeguards for minors.

Also in this newsletter:

• Explainer: EU Digital Services Act (DSA)
• Online gendered abuse/disinformation during South Africa’s 2024 elections
• Ireland’s far-right using abortion activism to further ethnonationalism
• Research compilation on online antisemitism
• ISD analysts featured in Prospect, LBC, Christian Science Monitor, Politico and more.

Over the past 12 days, the UK has been rocked by a shocking wave of far-right riots which have highlighted the dangerously symbiotic relationship between online extremism and real world violence. As those up and down the UK and around the world sought to make sense of the violence, ISD analysts have provided commentary to a broad range of media including the BBC’s Today programme on the growth of the UK far-right and BBC Newsnight on the radicalisation of young men; the New York Times on social media platforms’ failure to enforce their terms of service; and CNN on the role algorithms played in amplifying dangerous false claims.

Our rapid response research has focused on how online misinformation quickly translated into offline violence in the wake of the Southport stabbing; how far-right extremists targeted hate against Muslim and migrant communities; and how the decentralised online networks at the heart of this violence mobilised quickly and effectively. Our teams have used our analysis to engage with impacted communities, law enforcement, policymakers and regulators dealing with the fallout of the largest far-right extremist mobilisation in many years.

Because the violence seems to have largely subsided for now, we find ourselves at an inflection point where people are asking how we got here and what comes next. Over the coming weeks, ISD will focus on the longer-term policy implications including the prevention of future far-right violence, the need for a renewed cross-governmental counter extremism strategy, and the importance of strengthening regulatory responses for social media platforms. We look forward to engaging with partners around these important issues in the weeks ahead.

For now, this Insights summarises what we have learned about the riots and ISD’s analysis on the path forwards.

• From rumours to riots: How online misinformation fuelled violence
• ‘Total system collapse’: inciting violence on Telegram
• The foundations of violence: The growth of far-right hate in the UK
• A roadmap for counter-extremism in the UK
• Far-right seize on misinformation to incite violence
• Weekend riots spark fears of further far-right activity fuelled by misinformation
• What powers do the authorities have to hold platforms to account?
• Shining a light on the role of social media platforms in promoting hate

On Saturday, 13 July, Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally. The attack ended with an attendee and the shooter dead and Trump lightly wounded; it also catalysed the spread of myriad viral narratives promoting false claims across mainstream and fringe platforms. Within 24 hours, they had racked up more than 100 milion views on X alone.

Director of Technology and Society, ISD US, Isabelle Frances-Wright, Director of Threat Analysis and Prevention, ISD US, Katherine Keneally and Executive Director for Africa, the Middle East and Asia (AMEA) Moustafa Ayad investigated the murky world of unverified and often misleading information disseminated across social media. The shooter’s alleged identity morphed from an Italian sports commentator to a Chinese national to a troll whose images continue to be shared. In some cases, the accounts promoting the claims were self-described open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts, who exploited uncertainty to drive false narratives.

ISD’s research also found that narratives mutated as they spread from fringe platforms such as Telegram and 4chan to more public spaces such as X (formerly known as Twitter), and vice versa.

Read the Dispatch here. Our findings were featured in The New York Times‘ reporting and also covered by France 24 and Raw Story.

Also in this newsletter:

• Terrorist audio content flourishes in TikTok sounds
• Protecting rights and democracy: the road ahead for the new UK government
• Our staff featured in ABC Australia, NBC News, Yahoo News and more.

On 24 May, a 20-year-old man livestreamed an attempted mass shooting at a grocery store in Indiana while espousing racial slurs. ISD’s Executive Director for Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Moustafa Ayad and Director of Threat Analysis and Prevention at ISD US Katherine Keneally, identified dozens of versions of the video across X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Together, they received almost 9 million views within 48 hours.

The spread of the video poses obvious questions about platforms’ ability to stop the spread of violent content, and points to potential gaps in the criteria set by cross-platform protocols designed to halt extreme material going viral. Though the attack itself thankfully did not lead to any physical injuries or fatalities, the potential psychological impact for viewers and those in the grocery store at the time remains significant.

In an interview with the Washington Post about the attack, Moustafa Ayad warned that one of the novel factors was the apparent “gamification” of the violence. For example, at one point the shooter asked viewers for input on who to target. “While there is no ideological link here, that was an aspect of it that was relatively novel and shocking,” said Moustafa.

Also in this newsletter:

• Online pro-Chinese Communist Party networks target Canada
• Right-wing extremists in Quebec push narratives about Israel-Hamas conflict
• Conspiracy theories continue to mobilise extremists to violence
• Israel-Hamas conflict galvanises the reanimated Canadian Jewish Defence League
• Our staff featured in Rolling Stone, the Tampa Bay Times, Sky News and more.

Last week, ISD released its Pulling Back the Curtain series, a four-part investigation digging into YouTube’s recommendation algorithm. Analysts found that YouTube is failing to properly safeguard young users: accounts set up to represent teens were served sexualised, misogynistic and suicide-related content.

The research, by Senior Analyst Aoife Gallagher, Digital Research Analysts Lucy Cooper and Rhea Bhatnagar, and Senior Digital Research Manager Cooper Gatewood, also discovered anti-vaccine content and clips of Andrew Tate, the misogynist ‘lifestyle guru’ banned by YouTube, in the platform’s search results and recommended videos.

The executive summary of Pulling Back the Curtain is available here. You can also read the in-depth investigations on the recommendations fed to accounts who showed interest in gaming, male lifestyle gurus, ‘mommy vloggers’ and Spanish language news.

Also in this newsletter:

• Russian influence operation Doppelganger linked to fringe advertising company
• Canada’s right-wing extremists and the Israel-Hamas conflict
• Antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate on Canadian YouTube after 7 October

• Network of Facebook pages and groups, ‘Patriots Run Project’, exposes Meta’s transparency failures
• Our staff features in WIRED, the Beg to Differ podcast, and more.

Following the guilty verdict against former US President Donald Trump in his New York hush money trial, many news reports focussed on the violent rhetoric emanating from spaces frequented by extremists.

ISD experts argue that singling out this rhetoric obscures the greater threat posed by the mainstreaming of anti-government and related conspiracy theories surrounding the verdict. ISD’s Jared Holt also highlighted to the Atlantic that some of the most extreme narratives are coming from those in positions of real power. These conspiracy theories – which have proven dangerous over and over again – have the potential to radicalise and influence individuals who are not fully invested in conspiracy theories but are open to being persuaded.

The manipulation of the guilty verdict, whether by powerful actors or extremist communities, will reverberate through the election campaign. It holds the potential to catalyse individual acts of violence while amplifying broader distrust in out democratic institutions.

Additional coverage in CNN.

Also in this newsletter:

• Pro-Kremlin campaigns intensify in Germany ahead of European elections
• How Meta’s news ban is disrupting discourse about the Israel–Hamas war
• Political violence, intimidation and threats mars Irish and EU election campaigns
• The Houthi (Ansar Allah) Digital Ecosystem
• The Russian propaganda nesting doll: How Russian state media is circumventing restrictions
• ISD’s CEO, Sasha Havlicek, joined the Viva Technology Conference in Paris.
• Our staff featured in WIRED, USA Today, Zeit Online and more.

Earlier in May, ISD and the Center for American Progress sent a letter to Meta executives on behalf of 51 organisations and researchers about the company’s decision to shut down the research tool CrowdTangle and replace it with the Meta Content Library after 14 August 2024, possibly disrupting US election oversight before and after November.

The letter outlines numerous concerns over the limitations of the tool’s replacement and makes two requests: 1) ensure the continued operation of CrowdTangle beyond Inauguration Day, through at least 31 January 2025; and 2) guarantee ongoing access to the Meta Content Library for organisations currently using CrowdTangle. 

“The gaps in functionality and access between CrowdTangle and the announced Meta Content Library, coupled with a lack of access for key partners, will lead to substantial vulnerabilities during a key election year,” the letter reads. “This decision jeopardises essential pre- and post-election oversight mechanisms and undermines Meta’s transparency efforts during this critical period, and at a time when social trust and digital democracy are alarmingly fragile.”

The letter was featured by Axios in its Tech Policy newsletter.

The full sign-on letter is available here.

Also in this newsletter:

• The US Senate’s AI policy roadmap is not a road to a safe future
• Ten years later, reverberations from the Bundy standoff continue to shape the anti-government landscape
• Pro-Kremlin propaganda about neo-Nazis in Ukraine targets South Africans online
• ISD staff featured in AP News, RTÉ, Carbon Brief, the Sydney Morning Herald and more.

ISD, along with other expert groups, contributed to the recently distributed guide to conspiracy theories in the UK for MPs and election candidates commissioned by Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons.

“These (conspiracy) campaigns are also a threat to the health of our democracy. It is essential that we give the public and their representatives the tools they need to combat this phenomenon,” said Mordaunt. Her Labour counterpart Lucy Powell was quoted by the Evening Standard saying the guide was a “must-read for MPs and candidates.”

The guide highlights eight common conspiracies circulating in the UK, including QAnon, anti-vaccine narratives, pro-Russia narratives regarding the war in Ukraine, the Great Replacement, 5G, and misinformation about 15-minute cities.

Other contributing organisations included the Antisemitism Policy Trust, Full Fact, Tell Mama, the Community Security Trust, the Global Network on Extremism and Technology and the political analyst Arieh Kovler.

Coverage of the guide is also featured in The Guardian, Jewish News and Metro.

Also in this newsletter:

• Conspiracy theories matter, but not all are impactful: A guide for analysing risks to audiences
• UK Terrorgram proscription: Useful, but limited tool to combat online network
• Event: Jennie King, guest lecturer for the Stockholm Series speaking on the fight for information integrity, climate action & democracy
• ISD staff featured in El Mundo, the Boston Globe, Wired, the New York Times and more

The UK faces a fundamentally different threat from extremism and weaponised hate today than it did a decade ago. Both the far right and Islamists have been galvanised to action by recent events, particularly Hamas’ 7 October attack on Israel. In March, the government also unveiled a new definition of extremism, in a bid to help counter threats to the UK.

A new policy brief by ISD’s Director of Counter Extremism Policy and Research, Milo Comerford, and Hate and Extremism Analyst Hannah Rose explores the increasingly diverse range of threats to the UK’s security. It also provides a number of recommendations on how the government can work to combat these challenges.

Also in this newsletter:

• Hindu nationalists push conspiracy theories and misinformation ahead of elections
• Changing tides: Discourse towards migrants and asylum seekers on Facebook and X in Germany in 2023
• Workshop: Uniting against antisemitism; empowering transatlantic civil society responses across Latin America
• ISD contributes to shaping the European Commission’s DG-CLIMA policy regarding climate mis- and disinformation
• Our staff featured in Climate 1.5 Podcast, Politico Tech podcast, Irish Examiner and more.

Misinformation surged following Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel on Saturday — a response to an unclaimed Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria on 1 April. X (formerly known as Twitter) in particular was awash with unverified and falsified images. This content, shared by ‘checkmark’ paid premium subscribers, self-proclaimed ‘OSINT’ (open-source intelligence) accounts, citizen journalists and even the Iranian government, received millions of views.

ISD’s rapid response analysis, led by our Executive Director for Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Moustafa Ayad, and Director of Technology and Society, Isabelle Frances-Wright, was covered in WIRED, Sky News, NPR and AFP. They found that within just seven hours of drones being launched, 34 images and videos claiming to show the ongoing conflict but which were false, misleading or generated using artificial intelligence (AI) had received over 37 million views on X.

Read more about it here.

Also in this newsletter:

• Pro-CCP Spamouflage campaign experiments with new tactics targeting the US
• Shared Endeavour Fund projects engage over 31,000 Londoners, particularly young people, in activities designed to address intolerance, hate and extremism
• Explainer on US ‘Antifa’ groups
• Event: Jiore Craig on disinformation & AI: Takeaways from Taiwan’s elections and moving forward in 2024
• Event: Stockholm Series: Jennie King on the fight for information integrity, climate action & democracy
• Our staff featured in the Hill, AFP, iNews, Tagesschau Faktenfinder, and more.

Following the attack at Crocus City Hall outside of Moscow, Islamic State’s Amaq ‘news agency’ released a video of the attack. ISD tracked how this bodycam-like footage made its way from Telegram and Islamic State forums onto X where it reached 59.9 million views in 48 hours.

ISD’s Moustafa Ayad and Tim Squirrell analyse how X became an epicenter for the spread of terrorist content in the wake of the attack, hosting content that is not only illegal in most jurisdictions but also violates X’s own Rules on Perpetrators of Violent Attacks. Read the analysis here.

Also in this newsletter:

• Pro-Kremlin responses to the Moscow terrorist attack in Russia, Germany and Italy
• Fringe groups continue to target Drag Queen Story Hour events across Australia
• Delegitimisation of the ‘Demos gegen Rechts’ by pro-Russian and far-right actors in Germany
• A fragmented online information environment in the wake of Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation
• “Don’t you want to go on vacation?” Hawking ‘hijrah’ to the African affiliates of the Islamic State
• A year of hate: Anti-drag mobilisation efforts targeting LGBTQ+ people in Australia
• The EU AI Act: Insights from the world’s first comprehensive AI law
• Five years on from Christchurch: Assessing the evolution of the threat landscape and policy responses
• Vilify, ridicule, disinform: Political communication and media trust in the age of generative AI
• Appraising the Islamist extremist landscape after 7/10
• Explainer: ‘Saints’ Culture
• ISD analysts featured in Euronews, the NYT, RTÉ and more.

February marked two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the onset of an accompanying information war. In our report “Two Years On“, ISD analyses the evolution of Russian state and pro-Kremlin propaganda aimed at eroding international support for Ukraine. Drawing on two years of ISD research, we expose tactics used by pro-Kremlin actors and outlets to maintain influence despite EU sanctions: from disguised spin-off outlets, to coordinated networks, to single-purpose accounts with fake personas.

We also highlight critical vulnerabilities within the West that these actors are poised to exploit, namely: grievances around the cost of support for Ukraine; a potential rise in isolationism in US foreign policy in the event of a Trump win in the Presidential elections; the expected gains of pro-Kremlin far-right parties in the upcoming European parliamentary elections; and accusations of hypocrisy levelled at Western governments regarding international conflicts, especially the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

As we reflect on this pivotal moment, we recognise the urgent need for united action by Western governments to decisively tip the military balance and support Ukraine’s fight against Russian forces.

Also in this newsletter:

• Chance or cultivation? Farmers’ protests in Germany and connections to the far right
• Recent Oversight Board rulings reveal that Meta continuously fails its users
• Unraveling tragedy: The power of US anti-government extremism in the case of Justin Mohn
• Pro-CCP ‘Spamouflage’ network pivots focus on US Presidential Election
• Explainers: Neo-confederate ideology
• Our analysts and research featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Euronews, USA Today, and more.

Former Fox News anchor – and Russian state media favourite – Tucker Carlson travelled to Russia in early February where he announced he would be interviewing President Vladimir Putin, just two weeks ahead of the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. Elon Musk, whose platform X has become a home for actors who have been deplatformed elsewhere, agreed to air the interview.

ISD OSINT analyst Elise Thomas has long studied Russian influence campaigns and has observed how Carlson’s divisive rhetoric and conspiratorial tendencies have found a receptive audience in pro-Kremlin media circles. Read her analysis on Russian state media’s fascination with Carlson here.

Also in this newsletter: 

• A rematch for the fate of US democracy?
• Why the US urgently needs child online safety legislation
• Children exposed to mass shooter glorification across mainstream social media platforms
• How the Israel-Hamas War is influencing pro-Kremlin propaganda about Ukraine
• Germans who go to social media for their news are more susceptible to pro-Kremlin disinformation
• Coalition to Counter Online Antisemitism compendium on Holocaust denial and distortion
• Networks of dissuasion: Mapping online attacks on reproductive rights in France
• Explainers: ‘Saints’ culture
• Our staff featured in USA Today, NPR’s All Things Considered, the Daily Beast’s the New Abnormal, the Hill and more

In January, the British government announced that it would be proscribing the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation. The latest ISD Explainer lays out the context for this proscription, as well as the origins and beliefs of Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Also in this newsletter:

• Is ‘swatting’ the latest trend in political violence? Not so fast
• The terrorist radio revival: How the Islamic State’s radio station survives on social media
• Mapping online attacks on reproductive rights in France
• A web of hate: Looking at online gendered abuse in 2022 in the US
• 2022 World Cup in Qatar: Anti-feminist discourses by the German-speaking far-right on Telegram
• In the blind spot: Right-wing extremists on alternative and established platforms
• Israel-Hamas conflict research analysis
  • What a ChatGPT campaign targeting pro-Ukraine Americans tells us about the future of generative AI
  • Pro-CCP network known as ‘Spamouflage’ weaponises Gaza conflict to spread anti-US sentiment
  • Antisemitic riots in Russia: How misinformation spread online fueled violence
  • Unpacking antisemitic narratives about the Hamas attack and the Israel-Hamas Conflict within YouTube comments
  • Changing attitudes towards Ukraine: A cross-language examination on Facebook and X
  • Cross-ideological antisemitism and the October 7th attacks
  • 43-fold increase in anti-Muslim YouTube comments following Hamas’ October 7 attack
• Explainers: Hizb ut-Tahrir, Northern Ireland Related Terrorism
• In this issue, our staff features in ZDF, the BBC, NBC News, the New York Times and more.

ISD CEO Sasha Havlicek was honoured to speak at the annual Christchurch Call Leaders’ Summit in November, chaired by President Emmanuel Macron and Rt Hon Dame Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand.

The Leaders’ Summit, held on the margins of the 2023 Paris Peace Forum in Paris, brought together leaders from government, the tech sector, partner organisations, and civil society held at the Élysée Palace in Paris. Experts convened to cover a range of topics related to terrorism and violent extremist content online, including emerging technologies and AI, algorithmic transparency and the Israel-Gaza conflict, among others.

The summit built on ISD’s participation across a range of working groups which saw ISD produce a policy paper with partners on misogyny, extremism and online gender-based violence. This paper was referenced in the summit’s joint leaders’ statement.

ISD is a proud member of the Christchurch Call’s Advisory Network. Read more about what the Christchurch Call has accomplished over the years here.

Also in this newsletter:

• Resurrecting the legacy of Osama bin Laden: Algorithms and ambivalence
• An investigation into the online mis- and disinformation ecosystem in Ireland
• How wellness and new age influencers are serving anti-climate narratives to their audiences
• #HamasisISIS?: Assessing the campaign comparing proscribed groups
• Information disorder in the Israel-Hamas war highlights shifts in the fight against online misinformation
• Analysing reactions to the Israel-Hamas conflict
• The #Stolzmonat, a German-language, far-right countercampaign against Pride month
• Explainer: Islamophobia/anti-Muslim hatred
• In November, ISD announced our future cooperation with the Alfred Landecker Foundation as the main supporter of ISD’s international Digital Policy Lab
• Our staff features in the New York Times, CBS’ Face the Nation, AP News, USA Today and more.

In response to the terrorist attacks carried out in Israel on the 7th October and the ensuing war between Israel and Hamas, ISD’s threat monitoring and research teams have worked at pace to evidence and analyse the global repercussions of the exponential spread of targeted hate, state actor information operations as well as terrorist and violent extremist mobilisation online. From hate and extremist groups to authoritarian states, our work has shown how these actors are seeking to exploit the devastating developments in the Middle East to further their agendas, divide communities and contribute to a cycle of recruitment and violence. Even with age restrictions in place, ISD has found that children are being served graphic and violent content across various platforms.

Our threat prevention teams are working around the clock to mitigate credible threats of targeted, hate-based violence against communities. Our platform accountability policy teams are working to ensure  platform and legislative commitments are enforced around the information crisis that has emerged, and Strong Cities Network members are working to share and scale practical approaches to preventing a further uptick in polarisation and violence.

We will be continuing to devote substantial resources to these efforts over the forthcoming weeks. Support our work here.

Also in this newsletter:

• Violent and graphic content of the Israel-Hamas conflict served to minors’ accounts
• Illegal, violent terrorist content relating to Hamas-Israel conflict reaches millions on X
• Rise in antisemitism on mainstream and fringe social media platforms following Hamas’ terrorist attack
• Use of words, phrases and hashtags associated with anti-Muslim mobilisation surges amid Israel-Gaza conflict
• Capitalising on crisis: Russia, China and Iran use X to exploit Israel-Hamas information chaos
• Active Clubs: The growing threat of ‘white nationalism 3.0’ across the United States
• What a failing propaganda campaign tells us about pro-Kremlin influence operations in 2023
• CEO Sasha Havlicek and US Executive Director Dixon Osburn led ISD’s team at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit in Pittsburgh
• Our staff features in the New York Times, Le Figaro, POLITICO, Newtral, NPR and more.

In September, ISD hosted our flagship Digital Policy Summit 2023, where high-level representatives from North America, Europe and the Pacific gathered in Berlin to discuss topics including implementation and enforcement of existing and new digital regulatory frameworks (e.g. the European Digital Services Act, the UK’s Online Safety Bill and Australia’s Online Safety Act). There were also important discussions chaired by CEO Sasha Havlicek and Executive Director Germany, Huberta von Voss, that built on DPL Working Group papers and recommendations, including the two papers launched at the event on online gender-based violence (OGBV) and the threats and policy implications posed by emerging platforms and technologies.

On the margins of the UN General Assembly, Executive Director Eric Rosand and team helped deliver the Strong Cities Network’s Fourth Global Summit held in New York. Attended by over 100 mayors and many other city leaders, this summit provides a unique forum for ideas exchange and thought leadership between those who are uniquely positioned to engage on preventing and tackling rising levels of hate, extremism and democratic backsliding. Just ahead of the summit Strong Cities launched two new practical tools for cities – A Guide for Mayors and A Guide for Cities to help them prevent and respond to hate, extremism and polarisation.

This week, the team led by Sasha and US Executive Director Dixon Osburn, are presenting at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit in Pittsburgh. Sasha joined the panel of the opening session ‘The State of Hate’ on Wednesday where she spoke on the impact of hate and extremism. “We’ve talked about the problems of violence, but the problem is a much bigger one. It is impacting civil discourse, it is impacting our opportunity to live in cohesive societies. Liberal democracy is on the line,” she said. We also had the opportunity to co-chair the working group on gaming, where we sought to establish a framework with industry, civil society and academia to use gaming as a vector for positive change to counter hate and extremism. The full agenda is available here and recordings from the Summit will be made available.

Also in this newsletter:

• Meming 9/11: A new generation of Salafi-jihadists terrorposting the September 11 attacks
• Misogynistic pathways to radicalisation
• Emerging platforms and technologies: An overview of the current threat landscape and its policy implications
• Policy approaches to addressing data access challenges
• Explainer: Gen Z Salafism
• Explainer: Rumble
• ISD is now on Instagram!
• ISD’s mini series for the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET)
• ISD features in the BBC, Sky News, Bloomberg, the NYT and more.

ISD’s new report ‘Young guns’ explores and explains the latest trends in radicalisation and extremism among young people. Traditional extremist ideologies like white supremacy and Salafi-jihadism continue to attract young recruits in the US. Alongside this, though, a much broader set of ideologically fluid extremist and extremist-adjacent movements are competing for young followers online.

Also in this newsletter:

• Content glorifying the Wagner Group circulating on Meta platforms
• Cashing in on conflict: TikTok profits from pro-Kremlin disinformation ads
• Summary of the Oct 2022 expert conference for the “Countering radicalisation in right-wing extremist online subcultures” project.
• Explainer: The ‘public health approach’ to prevention
• Explainer: Rumble
• Fourth and final video for ISD’s video campaign #wirstattDesinformation, a campaign that aimed to foster empathy with lived experiences of Ukrainian refugees by pre-bunking false and manipulated content targeting refugees living in Germany.
• ISD features in Wired, CNN, Euronews, NPR and more.

ISD’s Senior Resident Research Fellow Julia Ebner gives an exclusive interview with The Times about her pioneering undercover research career, the threats and challenges she’s faced in her line of work, and her latest book on the mainstreaming of extremist ideologies.

The full interview is available at The Times.

Julia also wrote an op-ed for The Guardian on how conspiracy thinking has seeped into the mainstream and what Western democracies can do to push back.

Her latest book ‘Going Mainstream. How extremists are taking over’ is available for purchase online.

Also in this newsletter:

• Now available in Spanish: Distrust, fear and hate, the drivers of Spain’s 23J campaign
• Explainer: Moorish sovereign citizen
• US Senate committee uses ISD analysis for support on its review of Intelligence failures in the lead up to Jan 6
• ISD features in NBC News, 20 Minutes, the New York Times and the Forward

The UK’s efforts to keep the British public safe from online harms will be stymied if the Online Safety Bill fails to mandate platform data access for independent researchers, says ISD CEO Sasha Havlicek in a new op-ed. Read it here.

Also in this newsletter:

• New ISD job opportunities!
• Distrust, fear and hate: The drivers of Spain’s 23J campaign
• Twitter used to be where news breaks. Now Twitter’s newsroom is broken.
• Another bite of the Kremlin apple: A Russian new state media spin-off targets the German public
• Gore and violent extremism: How extremist groups exploit ‘gore’ sites to view and share terrorist material
• Explainers: Data Access, Transparency, Far-left antisemitism
• ISD’s Jennie King delivers a Covering Climate Now press briefing on the shifting climate mis- and disinformation landscape, leading a focus group discussion as a keynote speaker for Earth Journalism Network, and participating as a panellist for a EU Disinfo Lab webinar.
• ISD features in the Guardian, Deutsche Welle, El País and the Washington Post

Last month (June) the European Commission’s Coordinator on combating antisemitism, Katharina von Schnurbein, wrote an open letter to Twitter’s leadership calling for greater action against antisemitism on the platform, referencing ISD and CASM Technology’s research which showed such content had more than doubled since Elon Musk’s takeover. Co-signed by around twenty national antisemitism coordinators from across Europe and beyond, the letter makes an urgent call for greater transparency from the platform around content moderation, legal compliance and the algorithmic amplification of harmful content. Despite calls for more transparency, ISD remains concerned that movement on this front is moving in the wrong direction, with limited cooperation from tech companies, and shrinking data access for researchers across Twitter and other social media platforms.

Also in this newsletter:

• A Year of Hate: Understanding Threats and Harassment Targeting Drag Shows and the LGBTQ+ Community (Executive Summary, and country profiles on the US and UK)
• CaliphateTok: Islamic State propaganda on TikTok
• Explainer: Hindutva
• Explainer: Commercial disinformation
• A field guide for assessing chances of online-to-offline mobilisation
• ISD at a ‘side event’ of the United Nations 2023 Counter-Terrorism Week, co-hosted by the World Jewish Congress and Israel.
• Our researchers feature in the Guardian, ABC, VICE News, the Narwhal, the Washington Post, Charlie Hebdo and more.

Both the left and the right can agree on their distrust of social media. But how do we fix it? ISD’s CEO Sasha Havlicek lays out three solutions to address the current curated, for-profit social media environments we are all exposed to. Read her op-ed in The Hill.

Also in this newsletter:

• Case study: Alt-platform Discord, a haven for Islamist and Catholic extremist activity
• Explainer: Discord and Extremism
• ISD provides feedback to the EU Commission on data access for researchers under the Digital Services Act
• Resident Senior Fellow Julia Ebner book launch: Going Mainstream
• Our researchers feature in CNN, RTÉ, the Irish Examiner and Tagesschau Faktenfinder.

Antisemitism online continues to rise, as seen in our recent report analysing the amplification of antisemitic narratives on Twitter. With that upwards trend, civil society’s role in countering hate speech is more important than ever. ISD, UNESCO, the World Jewish Congres and B’nai B’rith International hosted a workshop in May, to talk about tackling this issue online, exploring routes for joint advocacy and response across society. Attendees ranged across civil society, human rights and Jewish communal organisations, as well as international experts on policy and education.

Also in this newsletter:

• On Odysee: The Role of Blockchain Technology for Monetisation in the Far-Right Online Milieu
• The Hydra on the Web: Challenges Associated with Extremist Use of the Fediverse – A Case Study of PeerTube
• Access to Social Media Data for Public Interest Research: Lessons Learnt & Recommendations for Strengthening Initiatives in the EU and Beyond
• Explainer on the ‘manosphere‘
• ISD’s Jakob Guhl contributes to the Global Network on Extremism and Technology’s (GNET) mini series on Christian Nationalism
• ISD researchers feature in Axios, TIME, Newsweek and USA Today.

We need transparency, not censorship, to address hate speech and other harms on social media
Following Elon Musk’s interview with the BBC, and the ensuing debate around censorship and free speech, ISD’s CEO, Sasha Havlicek, addresses the mischaracterisation of the problems we face online. In the article she calls for improved transparency in relation to the social media platforms’ algorithmic systems that ultimately distort the playing field for free speech.

Also in this newsletter:

• Slipping through the net: Exploring online support for proscribed groups in Northern Ireland
• Anti-vaccine conspiracies Explainer
• Sasha also joined geopolitical experts as a panellist at the Economic Outlook in London late last month
• ISD researchers feature in Newsweek, USA Today, TIME, WIRED and more.

ISD is hiring! Interested in challenging extremism, hate and disinformation in all its forms?

We are currently recruiting for multiple vacancies across our London, Berlin and Washington DC offices. If you would like to know more about upcoming opportunities or submit a speculative application, please visit our careers portal below.

Also in this newsletter:

• Why aren’t Trump supporters showing up for protests?
• Mainstreaming climate scepticism: Analysing the reach of fringe websites on Twitter
• Understanding antisemitism on Twitter after Musk
• Sydney’s WorldPride celebrated progress, but anti-LGBTQ+ threats and conspiracy theories cast a shadow
• Explainer on Patriot Front
• Head of Elections and Digital Integrity, Jiore Craig, delivered the keynote address at the British Council’s #MediaForAll conference in Tirana, Albania, this month.
• ISD analysts feature in NPR, NBC News, BBC, the New York Times, Ireland’s TG4, and more.

Four years ago, a terrorist killed 51 people and devastated the lives of many others in an attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. We remember and mourn those lost to this and other attacks inspired by right-wing ideology and hate since then. The Christchurch attack represented the result of substantial growth in mainstreamed right-wing extremist ideology globally in the 2010s, from anti-refugee rhetoric in the form of the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, to an emboldened digital extreme right.

The attack prompted greater efforts to combat right-wing extremism globally, especially online. While governments had been focussed on Islamist terrorism since the 2000s, the brutality of this attack served as a wake-up call to take right-wing terrorism seriously. These efforts include the Christchurch Call, where ISD’s CEO, Sasha Havlicek, has sat on its Advisory Network since its inception. We co-lead work to address the algorithmic amplification of content that may lead to violent extremist & terrorist material.

In 2021, ISD’s landmark report on hate speech and extremism on TikTok, Hatescape, found that footage from the Christchurch terrorist’s video of the event was available on TikTok along with material praising the shooter. On the 4th anniversary of the attack, we repeated this research. Within only hours, Senior Analyst Ciaran O’Connor and Head of US Research Melanie Smith found 53 pieces of content featuring support for the terrorist. Their research is available on our website now.

Four years after Christchurch, there is still substantial work to be done to make the world safer from violent extremism, terrorism, and hateful ideologies that seek to divide people and undermine universal human rights.

Also in this newsletter:

• BBC Panorama research: Misogyny & abuse on Twitter before and after Elon Musk’s takeover
• Countering pro-Kremlin disinformation targeting Ukrainian refugees in Germany
• ‘Climate lockdown’ Explainer
• The ‘Great Reset’ Explainer
• ISD’s Jennie King on tackling climate disinformation at first-ever European Parliament hearing on topic
• ISD researchers feature in ABC News, Bloomberg, Euronews Green and the BBC.

24 February marked a full year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The conflict has been marked not only by human suffering, but also developments in the landscape of disinformation, hate and extremism. Pro-Kremlin propaganda efforts have relentlessly targeted global populations in an attempt to legitimise the war, using tools ranging from Russian state-backed media outlets, to so-called ‘independent’ journalists touting pro-Kremlin talking points, to bot-based information operations. We have dedicated resources to analysing, understanding and exposing pro-Kremlin information operations since the beginning of the war. Senior Analyst Julia Smirnova’s words here underscore the urgency of continuing to counter Putin’s efforts to undermine democracy and human rights.

Also in this newsletter:

• How mainstream & ‘alternative’ media news headlines frame climate activism
• What happens when platforms give up
• Final two releases from ISD’s 6-part January 6 series
• ISD researchers feature in Sky News, ARD, Popular Science and Japanese Public Broadcaster NHK.

January 6, two years on
Since the insurrection in January 2020, the landscape of extremism has shifted in both the US and abroad. To mark the second anniversary of the Capitol riot, ISD has launched a six-part series exploring notable themes following the attack:

• How January 6 inspired election disinformation around the world
• The key to fighting extremism is accountability
• The new face of transnational extremism
• Two years later: Changes in the domestic extremist threat landscape post-January 6th
• Jan 6 series: How OSINT powered the largest criminal investigation in US history
• Radical reinforcement: The January 6 attack and the methodology of hybridized extremism 

Also in this newsletter:

• What Biden’s State of the Union means for tech accountability and combatting extremism
• Migrants and asylum seekers in Ireland at risk as a result of trending TikTok videos
• Inside the digital labyrinth: Right-wing extremists move to decentralised spaces
• Friends in the ‘right’ places: An analysis of Elon Musk’s Twitter interactions before and after acquiring the platform
• Islamophobia versus places of worship: How one community fought back against disinformation

ISD and the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition launched a new flagship report on disinformation and the climate crisis, unpacking the narratives and tactics that emerged from our real-time intelligence unit monitoring around the COP27 summit in November.

Some of the most concerning findings include the re-emergence of climate change denial as a favoured tactic of actors who had until recently sought only to delay climate action. We also found that Twitter had become a haven for climate denial, promoting the hashtag #ClimateScam above other climate-related hashtags with more engagement, for no clear reason.

This publication has been widely reported on, including in TIME, PBS, POLITICO and more.

Also in this newsletter:

• Jan 6 series: The key to fighting extremism is accountability
• Spitting out the blackpill: Evaluating how incels present themselves in their own words on the Incel Wiki
• The ‘groomer’ slur
• ISD researchers feature in the Irish Times, NPR, Audible, VICE and more

The second anniversary of the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. was marked by ceremonies in the Capitol and White House. The trials of prominent insurrectionists are carrying on, while the nation continues to struggle to reach consensus on the events of the day. To help understand the enduring impact of the events of January 6th, ISD is launching a series of articles, the first of which is an analysis of the mixed fortunes of election deniers globally. Over the coming weeks, you will hear from our US team on topics including the digital footprint of the insurrectionists, the progress of accountability for key actors and the nature of the US’s extremist landscape today.

Also in this newsletter:

• How January 6 inspired election disinformation around the world
• Extreme Dialogue: Former conspiracist shares story to help others understand the realities of extremism
• Profiting from hate: Extremist merchandise found on Redbubble, Etsy, Teespring, Teerepublic and Zazzle
• Recap of lessons learnt from the 2022 French elections
• ISD’s report mapping alternative online spaces now available in German
• Science denial communities turn their attention to RSV, the latest in a predictable trend
• Takeaways from the 2022 US midterms: election denialist activity and abuse targeting female political figures
• Wieambilla, Australia, shooting: analysis of perpetrators’ online footprint
• Online crises responses by social media platforms
• The effects of algorithmic ranking on online discourse
• ISD researchers feature in Bloomberg, USA Today, the Washington Post, Grid and more.

Dear friends,

Since 2006 ISD has been at the forefront of analyzing and delivering solutions to weaponized hate, disinformation and extremism around the world. The events of January 6th underscored the urgency of turning the tide on these threats before their impact becomes insurmountable. In 2020, ISD broke new ground working with US partners to safeguard the elections. Last year, we took the decision to significantly scale up ISD-US, establishing a real-time extremism and disinformation threat monitoring and response capability in the lead up to the midterms.

It is fitting, on the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, that today we are welcoming C. Dixon Osburn as our new Executive Director for ISD-US. Dixon brings three decades of policy entrepreneurship and leadership experience to the position from his work at the intersection of national security, human rights and democracy. His experience runs from leading the successful bi-partisan effort to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, the military’s ban on LGB servicemembers; to spearheading campaigns to end counter-terrorism policies that violate the rule of law at Human Rights First; and leading the efforts of the Center for Justice and Accountability to hold accountable war criminals across the globe. Dixon’s lifelong commitment to justice and democracy reflects ISD’s deep commitment to human rights based approaches to national security. Dixon will lead our growing US team as we go into the 2024 election season, and you can hear from him about his background and plans below.

Beginning shortly, ISD will be publishing a series of analyses examining our data around the midterm elections, the ongoing impact of extremism and disinformation, and the evolution of the threat landscape two years on from the January 6th insurrection. This newsletter is a snapshot of recent ISD-US highlights across our areas of work, and provides an insight into the incredible people we’ve brought on board to help turn the tide.

We couldn’t do this work without our friends and partners. With immense gratitude, from all of us here at ISD, we wish you a happy, peaceful and productive New Year and look forward to working with you on our common cause in 2023!

Sasha Havlicek, CEO

Dear Friends and Partners,

We couldn’t do what we do without your partnership and support! This year our research teams have shown how extremists, conspiracy networks, hate groups and authoritarian states borrow from each other’s playbooks and amplify each other’s narratives. We have shown repeatedly how profits are being made from hate and disinformation and how social media products and algorithms are supercharging everything from electoral disinformation to misogyny.

Our digital policy team has used this insight to move the needle on tech platform action and regulation and where bad actors seek to exacerbate division and undermine trust, we have built out our programming to meet the evolving challenge. In 2022, our teams helped safeguard elections in the US, France, Kenya, and Australia, protect targeted communities from harassment and violence, and counter conspiracy and disinformation on Ukraine, climate, migration and public health.

Alongside the significant expansion of ISD US and ISD Germany this year, our Strong Cities Network (SCN) launched the build-out of regional hubs – from East and Southern Africa to MENA and the Western Balkans – serving mayors and local leaders, sharing and delivering good practices and training to address threats where they are felt most acutely, at a local level within communities around the world.

Below you will find highlights from our work in 2022. As we move into 2023, your continued support and partnership are crucial to us. With immense gratitude from all of us here at ISD, we wish you a peaceful and happy new year, and look forward to working together in 2023!

Sasha Havlicek, CEO

Research highlights: 

• Mitigating new frontiers in disinformation: Elections, Ukraine, Climate and more
  • Safeguarding elections
  • Countering disinformation on Ukraine
  • Driving action on climate disinformation
• Research and action on conspiracy, extremism and hate
  • Misogyny and targeted hate against women
  • Targeted hate against LGBTQ+ people
  • Research and action on antisemitism
• Tech platform accountability and action
  • Evidencing platform harms
  • Digital policy and regulation
• Strong Cities Network

Since 2006, ISD has been at the forefront of analyzing and delivering solutions to weaponized hate, disinformation and extremism around the world. The events of January 6th underscored the urgency of turning the tide on these threats before their impact becomes insurmountable. Already in 2020, ISD broke new ground working with US partners to safeguard the elections. This year, we took the decision to significantly scale up ISD-US, establishing a real-time extremism and disinformation threat monitoring and response capability in the lead up to the midterms. Combining advanced digital analysis of the threat landscape with communications and training on the front line, our US team worked to prevent violence, evidence the role of social media platforms in the proliferation of disinformation and hate, and protect the integrity of the election. This newsletter is a snapshot of recent ISD-US highlights.

In this newsletter:

• Safeguarding Democracy; Protecting Communities; Countering Disinformation
  • Five key trends around the 2020 midterms
  • ISD research on the targetting of female candidates during midterms
  • Hate merch on major e-commerce sites Etsy, Redbubble and Teepublic
  • Upward trend of hate targeting the LGBTQ+ community
• Building Resilience; Preventing Violence and Extremism
  • Threat detection and prevention
  • Building capacity for extremism prevention and interventions
  • The Strong Cities Network
• Tech Platform Accountability and Action
  • Roe v. Wade
  • Election disinformation
  • Elon Musk and Twitter

In December, German authorities arrested over 20 people accused of plotting a coup to overthrow the German government. They were part of a movement similar to ‘sovereign citizens’ called the Reichsbürger. In light of these arrests, ISD’s Senior Manager of Policy & Research Jakob Guhl and Research Manager Dominik Hammer wrote an Explainer of the movement, their beliefs and how they overlap with QAnon and other conspiracy theories and extremist ideologies.

Jakob, along with Senior Fellow Julia Ebner, provided expert commentary in the aftermath of these arrests, which saw concerning numbers of individuals with military backgrounds involved in a plot to overthrow the German government. His commentary appears in Vice News, The Independent, and Newsweek, to name a few, while Julia appeared on The News Agents podcast.

Also in this newsletter:

• Tim Pool and YouTube profit from antisemitic Super Chats posted during Pool’s Ye Interview
• Prevention Practitioners Network launches training materials to prevent targeted violence and terrorism among communities
• ISD researchers feature in news pieces for the Washington Post, Euronews, Insider, VICE News and more.

On the night of November 19, five people were killed and dozens injured in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ bar in Colorado Springs. The alleged shooter faces hate crime charges. Details continue to emerge, but the attack has exacerbated an already heated discourse. As ISD has noted, LGBTQ+ people in the US and elsewhere are increasingly being slurred as ‘groomers’ and ‘pedophiles’, with politicians and commentators invoking old baseless myths to roll back years of progress on rights and acceptance.

ISD found a substantial increase in engagement with posts using the terms ‘groomers’ and ‘pedophiles’ in the aftermath of the attack, as well as celebration from accelerationist neo-Nazi groups, and posts sympathetic to the attack from right-wing influencers.

Also in this newsletter:

• Colorado Springs shooting: The latest in a transnational, upward trend of anti-LGBTQ hate
• What the UK migrant centre attack tells us about contemporary extremism trends
• Explainer spotlight: Sovereign Citizens movement
• ISD analysts feature in news pieces from Mother Jones, MSNC, Euro News, Axios and more.

ISD and CASM Technology are pleased to announce the launch of our Beam website. Beam began as a partnership between ISD and CASM in 2015 which, from the beginning, had two key emphases: the capability to detect information threats at scale, and empowering more effective ways of responding to them. Since then, our award-winning technology has paved the way for researchers to custom design their own data collection and analysis ‘architectures’ by bringing data from various social media platforms under a single format. Users can then categorise data, analyse behaviour and identify trends among communities. Information can be synthesised into outputs including dashboards, data visualisations, regular reporting and alerts. This technology has been the basis for investigations of election disinformation in the US, Australia and France; information operations and disinformation about the Ukraine and Syria conflicts; climate disinformation in and around COP26 and COP27; and more. More information on Beam and how to get involved is available on our website.

Also in this newsletter:

• Election disinformation thrives following social media platforms’ shift to short-form video content
• Social media platforms and the drop box monitoring ecosystem
• Explainer feature on the ‘New World Order’
• ISD analysts feature in news pieces from BBC Panorama, POLITICO, Bloomberg, AP, the Washington Post and more.

As the US midterms approach, ISD analysts are monitoring threats to officials, election workers and voters, across a range of online spaces, with increased concern. On the same day as Head of Elections Jiore Craig spoke to CNN about the risks posed by poll watchers, a man allegedly sought to kidnap or assassinate Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Suspect David DePape is alleged to have attacked her husband with a hammer and has being charged with, among other things, attempted murder. ISD’s analysis of suspect DePape’s online footprint and conspiratorial beliefs led ABC News’ coverage of the attack.

Also in this newsletter:

• 100 Days after US Supreme Court decision overturns Roe v. Wade: Are platforms doing enough?
• First evaluation of London’s Shared Endeavour Fund: £800,000 awarded to 31 projects addressing intolerance, hate & extremism
• ISD Germany researches right-wing extremist online subcultures: reports now available in English
• Climate Action Against Disinformation’s (CAAD) COP27 Intelligence Unit, overseen by ISD, launches its COP27 newsletter

New research from ISD highlights the failure of social media platforms to set policy, and act, on abortion misinformation. In the aftermath of the leaking of the US Supreme Court’s decision on the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which had the effect of overturning Roe v Wade, misinformation about abortions as well as about ‘abortion reversal’ pills and procedures ran rampant across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

As the US midterms loom, platforms are under pressure to make the right calls on preventing the spread of mis- and disinformation about the elections. Their reaction to the overturning of Roe v Wade and the resulting huge change in access to abortions for many, is in some sense a test-run for this. The platforms had substantial notice that this outcome was likely, and therefore had time to create and enforce policies on misinformation about abortion. They mostly failed to adopt policies to deal with this, and where they did so those policies were inadequately enforced. This does not bode well for the likelihood that they will act decisively on mis- and disinformation related to the midterms. This is especially concerning given the importance of these midterms, which will act as an inflection point for the survival of American democracy itself.

Also in this newsletter:

• Violence in Leicester, UK: Understanding online escalation and offline fallout
• Eight trends from election denialists to watch in the US midterm elections
• How QAnon conspiracy theories legitimise coordinated and targeted gender-based violence
• Have the EU sanctions against Russian-state media worked? ISD finds steady website traffic & circumvention methods at play
• Inside the ‘Journalisten Friekorps’, a pro-Kremlin influence operation

ISD CEO Sasha Havlicek was honoured to address the Christchurch Call Leaders’ Summit, convened by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron in New York during the margins of the UN General Assembly on 20 September. The two-hour roundtable brought together heads of state, including from Canada, Spain and Jordan, alongside senior representatives from social media platforms and civil society for a frank discussion of the Call’s progress in addressing terrorist and violent extremist activity online.

Drawing on ISD’s extensive digital research in this domain, Sasha spoke to the enduring challenges of platform moderation of such content, especially in non-English speaking contexts. She called for better data access for independent, third party review of social media platform algorithmic systems: ISD has long advocated for meaningful transparency and accountability of platform systems including independent audits to assess the extent of algorithmic amplification of harmful content. Sasha underscored the need to better understand the role of algorithms in the promotion of borderline content – such as disinformation, hate and conspiracy – that can lead users to more extreme content online and can itself inspire violence. She advocated for the extension of data access rules coming into effect under the EU’s Digital Services Act to other liberal democratic environments.

Also in this newsletter:

• Pro-Kremlin network impersonates legitimate websites and floods social media with lies
• Understanding Italian pro-Kremlin Twitter users’ behaviour in the lead up to the elections
• How Eric Zemmour’s election campaign used petitions to distort online support ahead of the French elections
• ISD panels several sessions at the 2022 Eradicate Hate Global Summit
• ISD staff feature in articles and news segments such as WaPo, Insider, USA Today, Grid News, Le Monde, ZDF, the Irish Examiner and more.

ISD released a new report detailing the depth and breadth of the ecosystem of pro-Islamic State ‘media outlets’ across social media. Our study, “The Terror Times“, authored by Moustafa Ayad, ISD Executive Director for Africa, Middle East and Asia, and researchers Nadeem Khan and Aymenn al-Tamimi, found 38 outlets across Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, with a collective following of 108,268. Some of the posts from these pages had garnered over a million views in a year, a number far larger than their following, indicating their propaganda has spread much wider than their core audience.

This report details the resilience mechanisms pro-Islamic State outlets are using to remain online despite the moderation efforts of social media companies. It also provides key recommendations for how both tech companies and governments can tackle the problem of terrorist propaganda being spread online.

Also in this newsletter:

• Dispatch: Unpicking pro-Kremlin attempts to link the Baltic States with Nazism
• Dispatch: The conversation about Australia’s Indigenous Voice to Parliament is at risk from disinformation and conspiracy theories
• ISD research featured in articles and news segments such as  CBS’s Face the Nation, ABC, Insider, DW and more.

A mere handful of Western influencers who are spreading pro-Kremlin misinformation about the war in Ukraine are enabling Russia to circumvent attempts to prevent its spread. ISD researchers identified 12 influencers from eight Western countries who have been reporting from Ukraine. The influencers have successfully amplified pro-Kremlin narratives, reaching hundreds of millions worldwide. Their content also features copies of Russian state media outputs, such as RT videos, which allows them to evade platform moderation and automatic disclaimer labels. Their posts have also been boosted by various Russian actors, such as government officials, diplomatic accounts and state media actors. To read this report, please contact us here.

Also in this newsletter:

• Monkeypox and ‘groomers’: How Twitter facilitated a hate-riddled public health disinformation campaign
• Error 404: RELIABLE INFORMATION NOT FOUND
• The impact of election disinformation narratives on France’s online communities
• Russian sympathisers label Finland fascist following its bid to join NATO
• Tales from the underside: A Kremlin-approved hack, leak & doxxing operation
• Intimidation tactics: A case study of digital violence against election candidates
• ISD staff feature in articles and news segments such as  C-SPAN, NPR, Salon, Newsy, The Hill. New Lines, Yahoo News and Insider.

The rights of LGBTQ+ people in the US are under sustained assault from far-right pundits, politicians and social media influencers.

These groups are using the monkeypox outbreak as a new opportunity to attack these people. ISD Analyst Aoife Gallagher wrote about the failure of Twitter to take seriously the threat to LGBTQ+ people posed by public health disinformation narratives attempting to link monkeypox in children to sexual contact with gay men. This ties in to the homophobic ‘groomer’ narrative, pioneered by the Twitter account ‘Libs of TikTok’, which directs a swarm of followers towards, among others, teachers in the US who are openly LGBTQ+, accusing them of ‘grooming’ their students.

Also in this newsletter:

• Contextualising rhetoric around ‘fascism’ targeting Ukraine and Western support
• A snapshot of pro-Kremlin narratives framing NATO as a ‘neo-Nazi’ and ‘White Supremacist’ organisation
• The aftermath of pandemic disinformation trends: what can be done now?
• Odysee, the latest right-wing extremist alt-platform with a twist
• ISD staff feature in articles and news segments such as  LBC, Irish Examiner, Guardian, Washington Post and CNN.

In July, ISD’s Head of Digital Integrity, Jiore Craig, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Administration on the growing threat of election disinformation from foreign and domestic sources. Domestic disinformation targeting voters remains a substantial threat to democracy. It is critical for platforms and policymakers to address systemic failures rather than focusing on content alone.

Jiore told Congress, “We cannot just debate which meme is more rooted in fact, or we will stay frozen in false debate around content where only those benefitting from disinformation win and the American people lose. We need to debate which systems at play in disinformation should change to end the downward spiral of trust that Americans have started to have in their own democracy and even more important, in each other”.

The full hearing, including Jiore’s statement and answers to questions by members of the Committee, is available on ISD’s website.

Also in this newsletter:

• Propaganda primping: The ‘Kremlinistas’ of Twitter
• RT articles are finding their way to European audiences – but how?
• Iraqi gun sales on Facebook: The very real consequences of moderation failures
• Researching the evolving online ecosystem: barriers, methods and future challanges
• The impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on French-speaking fringe communities online
• The 2022 French elections expose the divisions wrought by the pandemic
• Our staff feature in various media pieces including POLITICO, the New York Times, the AD,  Axios, and El País.

On 4th July, a shooter opened fire at a parade in Highland Park, Chicago, killing seven. ISD’s rapid response and analysis identified this as a clear example of the awful form that hybridised threats to democracy can take. The suspect has no explicit ideological motive. He was, instead, immersed in communities that glorify violence, as explained by Melanie Smith, Head of ISD’s Digital Analysis Unit, in an interview with NPR. This shooter’s actions resemble more those of a school shooter than a typical terrorist, but the deadly effects are the same.

The Highland Park shooting underlines how critical it is to better understand the hybridised nature of the online threat landscape. ISD’s report Mainstreamed Extremism and the Future of Prevention outlines the very real risks that this folding together of extreme ideologies and aesthetics, simmering hatred, and ubiquitous conspiracy theories, pose to democracy.

Also in this newsletter:

• Our analysis of deadly disinformation about Syria
• Russia Today digs deep to stay on YouTube
• The ‘Info Defense’ network: Crowdsourcing soldiers for the information war
• ISD insights features in various media pieces including leading German investigative TV magazine ARD Kontraste, Bloomberg, VICE and NPR.

During the recent French elections, Russia’s ability to undermine the legitimacy of the presidental and parliamentary elections through social media manipulation was dampened. This was mainly thanks to the EU-wide ban on its state-controlled media as a result of its invasion of Ukraine.

However, elections remain a moment when social media’s vulnerability to manipulation to bad actors is exposed. It is heartening therefore that this recently published report by the Online Election Integrity Watch Group, in which ISD participates, showed that the impact of attempts to manipulate the information environment during the French elections was limited. This was primarily due to a more robust information ecosystem that is structurally difficult to manipulate without a substantial resource investment. Our recently released report explains why bad actors were unable to impact the election.

Nevertheless, pro-Kremlin information operations are continuing. An ISD investigation explored how Project Nemesis, a pre-Kremlin doxxing operation, is being used in Ukraine, with doxxing – the malicious sharing of opponents’ personal information – rapdily becoming a new frontier of informational warfare. Also in this newsletter:

• Dispatch: The significance of Gettr among the German-speaking far right
• Event: Environmental Intelligence Grand Challenge 2022
• Event: 2022 Collision Conference
• ISD analysts offer commentary in various media pieces including The Washington Post, The Independent, the Irish Examiner and Alsat-TV.

During COP26, ISD’s “war room” monitored online climate mis- and disinformation content intended to undermine climate action. This work put climate disinformation on the map, with the most recent IPCC report referring for the first time to deliberate attempts to undermine climate science by those with vested economic and political interests. This week, ISD followed up with a major report, Deny, deceive, delay: Documenting and responding to climate disinformation at COP26 and beyond, launched at the UN’s Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany. The report maps and analyses the climate disinformation ecosystem, and provides recommendations for actions by policymakers, regulators and tech companies.

Also this week, we launched a report based on two years of research into terrorist content on Facebook in East Africa. This report documents the unmoderated and unchecked spread of pro-al-Shabaab and Islamic State content on the platform and beyond. Also in this newsletter:

• Amnesty International released a statement expressing concern over our findings in East Africa, and calling on Facebook and government agencies to assist in mitigating further threats to digital democracies.
• Dispatch: Unsubstantiated claims of foreign meddling will sow division and damage democracy
• Antisemitic hate network manipulates media coverage to amplify its propaganda
• ISD joined the Spotify Safety Advisory Council
• ISD analysts offer commentary in various media pieces including The Conduit, Radio Télévision Suisse, the BBC, Newsweek.

Conspiracy theories “thrive” in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, said ISD’s Head of Analysis Unit Melanie Smith in a conversation with Grid News about the horrific Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in late May. Following the tragedy that left 21 dead, including 19 children, fringe media and extremists once again began to post “false flag” operation narratives and revived other theories related to the timing the massacre.

But this pattern isn’t limited to events like these. Since our last Insights, ISD has been monitoring online discourse related to the ongoing outbreak of monkeypox. In a recent Dispatch, we outline the most prominent conspiracy theories from right after the outbreaks began and found they were “cut-and-paste” versions of COVID-19 narratives that emerged in 2020. In similar fashion, following the defeat of Australia’s self-described “freedom friendly minor parties”, many in Australia adopted US fraud narratives to justify their almost-complete loss. Also in this newsletter:

• The ‘Great Reset’ conspiracy in Australia
• What China’s sweeping algorithm regulation means for digital governance globally
• Russian propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine spreads on Facebook around Victory Day
• ISD analysts offer commentary in various media pieces including Grid News, the BBC, ABC News and VICE News.

Following the 14 May act of terrorism in Buffalo, New York, ISD analysed the resulting discussion online. We produced a Dispatch on the attempts made by a variety of actors to link the perpetrator to Azov Battalion, a regiment in the Ukrainian army with white supremacist links. Much like other recent acts of white supremacist terrorism, the shooter claims to have been inspired by the ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory. ISD has warned that this is becoming increasingly mainstreamed in 2019 in the aftermath of the Christchurch attack. This attack and the ecosystem in which the shooter was radicalised demonstrate the hybrid nature of the threat: extremist ideology, bolstered by radicalised conspiracy theories, motivated by hate. We will continue to work tirelessly to mitigate these threats. Also in this newsletter:

• Our practical guide to tackling antisemitism is now available in German
• Dark MAGA: The latest cycle in the far-right aesthetics laundromat
• Unprompted and unwarranted: YouTube’s algorithm is putting young men at risk in Australia
• After Bucha, here’s what to expect from the next phase of Russian disinformation in Ukraine
• YouTube’s Super Chats tool enables the platform to profit from misinformation
• ISD features in various media pieces including, Channel 4, BBC World News, VICE News, Tortoise, NBC, and Bloomberg.

Given the ongoing war in Ukraine, ISD is continuing to analyse Russian information operations. We have identified the origins of the #IStandWithRussia campaign, explored an antisemitic conspiracy theory being used to justify the invasion, and uncovered a network of Twitter accounts that appeared to have been hijacked to spread pro-Chinese Communist Party narratives including blaming the US for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Also in this newsletter:

• Misogynist content is being recommended to boys and young men on YouTube
• Cash for comments: How YouTube’s Super Chats generate profits from conspiracies, misinformation and calls for violence
• ISD’s report on right-wing extremism in Germany
• What can the most shared URLs on social media during the French election tell us about public opinion of the vote?
• Fury of anti-establishment voices weakens the Republican front during French elections
• ISD features across in this edition including, POLITICO, the Sydney Morning Herald, VICE World News, Slate France, and Al Jazeera English.

ISD has launched a new hub to keep up with the latest in our analysis of the Russia-Ukraine war, focusing on online disinformation, conspiracy theories and extremist mobilisation. Since the last edition of Insights, we’ve explored how pro-Putin “power-users” are faking grassroots support for the Kremlin on Facebook; shown that the most shared posts on the Bucha atrocities on Facebook engaged in war crimes denialism; and analysed the consequences the RT and Sputnik ban is having in France during the election period.

In the media, ISD’s Ciarán O’Connor is featured in a VICE documentary about the anti-government ‘Sovereign-Citizen’ movement, while Julia Smirnova spoke to VICE News about a pro-Kremlin ‘cyber army’  movement, and Jiore Craig featured on Australian national broadcaster ABC, explaining our new project to track disinformation around the Australian elections. Also in this newsletter:

• Evaluating counter-extremism in North Macedonia
• A guide to M&E of counterextremism measures for organisations in France
• Baseline evaluation report for PROACT: Community-based interventions in Kenya program
• The Mosaic Project: ISD’s joint initiative to combat disinformation during the Australian federal election
• Tim Squirrell spoke to Newsweek about Dark MAGA
• Elise Thomas talks to The Guardian about false voter fraud rhetoric in Australia being ‘imported’ from the US

For more of our ongoing Russia-Ukraine analysis, visit our regularly updated hub.

ISD continues to monitor the situation in Ukraine and the spread of disinformation by pro-Kremlin actors in Russia and abroad. Our latest research shows how the war has sparked an influx of disinformation among conspiracy groups, and how a network of accounts linked with the Chinese Communist Party is supporting Putin’s war. We also explore the policy precedent set by the banning of RT and Sputnik across Europe.

ISD’s Ciarán O’Connor appeared on a panel discussing the narratives being pushed by Russia and Ukraine, while Tim Squirrell spoke to UnHerd about the splits that may be created within the far-right because of the war, and Jasmine El-Gamal wrote an op-ed about the future of refugee policy within Europe after the exodus of millions of Ukrainians fleeing the conflict. Also in this newsletter:

• Online Antisemitism: A Toolkit for Civil Society
• Online Russian-Language Hate and Discrimination Against Central Asian Migrants

For more of our ongoing Russia-Ukraine analysis, visit our newly launched hub.

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its second month, ISD is focussing on the concurrent information war. Our research shows how pro-Kremlin narratives are seeping into the mainstream, slowly engraining into conspiracy groups, exploiting wedge issues to create a chaotic information environment and prevent public opinion hardening against Russia.

We’ve exposed how RT is circumventing social media restrictions with the assistance of their fanbase, and the Kremlin’s use of traditional Cold War propaganda in the form of ‘whataboutisms’. Our CEO Sasha Havlicek appeared on Radio 4’s Today discussing the last two decades of Western response to Putin, while Julia Smirnova helped the Washington Post debunk a viral video claiming the death of a German boy was caused by Ukrainian refugees, and Elise Thomas spoke with the New York Times about the Kremlin’s pragmatic approach to propaganda narratives. Also in this newsletter:

• QAnon’s imminent pro-China shift?
• Gettr’s failure to launch in France and Germany
• Anti-lockdown analysis: US and Italy
• New war, old Soviet propaganda tactic: ‘whataboutism’
• Why Western conspiracy influencers are promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda

ISD News:

• Webinar alert: The Strong Cities Network invites you to their next Together for Safety series webinar, Safe City Governance: The Role of Networks and Alliances, on 7 April. More info here.

For more of our ongoing Russia-Ukraine analysis, visit our regularly updated hub.

The ISD team has been mobilising its counter-disinformation operation around the unfolding human tragedy in Ukraine, which will shape our geopolitical landscape for decades to come.

We are providing continuous analysis across our areas of expertise, focusing on the spread of disinformation on TikTok, Facebook and Telegram, while also identifying pro-Kremlin influence operations on Twitter. Our CEO, Sasha Havlicek, joined Sky News’ ‘The Great Debate’ discussing the Ukraine/Russia conflict, while Julia Smirnova helped POLITICO understand how Telegram has become a central hub for Russian state narratives, and Ciaran O’Connor spoke to AP News about his research on pro-Kremlin disinformation on TikTok. Also in this newsletter:

• Hate and harassment during the 2021 German federal elections
• Conspiracy clickbait networks seize opportunity to run ‘Freedom convoy’ Facebook groups
• The problem with preprints

ISD News:

• Last call for our final session of the Be Internet Citizens programme
• Webinar alerts: Conversions & convergence: Side-switching extremists and the threat of reciprocal radicalisation (16 March); Safeguarding Local Democracies (17 March).
• Podcast: Jennie King talks to Stop Funding Heat about the latest trends in climate mis- and disinformation.

In this issue of Insights, ISD reports on two years of research on Australian political fringes, analyses identitarian mobilisation around the 2022 French presidential election, tracks growing online sales of fake COVID-19 health passes in France, and takes an in-depth look at German-language antisemitic YouTube video comments. Also in this newsletter:

• Measuring ‘toxicity’ in digital Salafist content
• How to register for Be Internet Citizens training sessions in March
• A retrospective report on digital threats during the 2021 German federal elections
• Open registration for a Strong Cities Network online panel discussion discussing the role of cities in addressing anti-minority protests
• ISD’s work in global media outlets
• New roles available at ISD

Events:

• Registration for the final sessions of the Be Internet Citizens programme with YouTube in partnership with Kate Daniels (PSHE Education)
• Join the Strong Cities Network for a webinar on the role of cities in addressing the rising threats posed by anti-minority and far-right activism in cities across the US, Europe and beyond. Registration is open here.

Media: 

• Ciarán O’Connor speaks to France 24 on the connections between the Canadian truckers’ convoy, the North American far right, and how that translates across the Atlantic.
• ISD’s CEO Sasha Havlicek featured on BBC Radio 4’s series ‘Death by Conspiracy’ to talk about the changing social media landscape, algorithms and the pressure the pandemic put on existing models.
• Elise Thomas features in Australia’s national broadcaster’s (ABC) 7.30 on the ‘Canberra Convoy,’ discussing the eclectic nature of the protests taking place in the country’s capital, a movement that may be small in numbers but loud in significance.
• Moustafa Ayad spoke to POLITICO about ISD’s research into online Islamist networks on mainstream social media, despite platform policies banning extremist content.

Highlights:

In this special issue, we share with you an exciting preview of what lies ahead in 2022 across our regional teams, research and programming, and hope you’ll join us as we continue to work for a brighter and more hopeful year! 

With 2021 now in the rearview, our teams are gearing up to bring you the latest analyses around disinformation, hate and extremism in numerous spheres and as many countries prepare for election years. We are particularly excited about the expansion of ISD-US in 2022, and the Strong Cities Network soon to be running regional hubs in the Balkans, West Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Here are some highlights from this issue:

• 2022 developments
• Our 2021 in review
• Mitigating new frontiers in disinformation: elections and more
• ISD’s policy and thought leadership
• Strong Cities Network in 2021
• ISD’s growing global footprint

Highlights:

In this issue of Insights, ISD breaks down the anti-lockdown movements in Canada and Ireland, releases a prototype taxonomy for classifying terrorist and violent extremist content, and lays bare a global network pushing to undermine women’s and LGBTQ+ rights in Hungary. Also in this newsletter:

• How German right-wing extremists and conspiracists are building their infrastructure on Telegram
• The Growth of the left-wing ‘gunstagram’
• The conspiracy consortium: examining discussions of COVID-19 among right-wing extremist Telegram channels
• Keep up with our Events, including Moustafa Ayad and Milo Comerford speaking to the GW Program on Extremism on Salafism and Alt-Right Online Subcultures
• ISD in the Media
• Our US programming is expanding in 2022, with vacancies across our team now open

Events:

• ISD’s Milo Comerford and Moustafa Ayad were hosted by the Program on Extremism at George Washington University for a virtual discussion event on Salafism and Alt-Right Online Subcultures.
• Jennie King, who recently led ISD’s efforts in tracking climate change misinformation during COP26, joins Kantar Public experts to discuss climate change disinformation.

ISD in the Media:

• Moustafa Ayad wrote an op-ed for WIRED about Gen-Z jihadists and the varying aspects that influence their outlooks and social media use as the post-September 11 generation.
• ISD’s Jacob Davey spoke with Sky News on their investigation into openly available antisemitic, racist, and generally extremist podcast material on Spotify.
• Aoife Gallagher features in this article by VICE News on the growing interconnectedness between the far-right and antivaccine movements in countries around the world.
• ISD’s Paula Matlach spoke with the Berliner Morgenpost on our findings from the 2021 German federal elections.

Highlights:
In this issue of Insights, ISD sheds light on a significant but little-known extremist ecosystem on Instagram, the German far-right’s tactics during the recent federal elections, and how to better detect hate speech on video platforms like YouTube. Also in this newsletter: 

• ISD co-hosts Summit for Democracy event with US and Canadian governments, and Strong Cities network convenes local and national leaders at Africa Summit
• How Mobilisation by Climate Sceptic Actors on Facebook During COP26 Undermined the Summit
• Online Extremism Index Series: Looking Ahead to the 2022 Elections in Kenya
• Pro-Russian Disinformation Outlet Evades Facebook Ban
• Keep up with our events
• ISD in the Media

Events:

• As part of the United States Summit for Democracy series, ISD brought together experts for a closed discussion on the issue of data provision from online platforms for research.
• Our Strong Cities Network hosted the virtual Africa Summit: Supporting City-Led Efforts to Address Hate, Polarisation and Extremism, alongside the County Government of Mombasa and the Kilindini Coalition. 
• On 1 December, ISD convened government officials and regulators from Five Eyes and European countries for a session of the Digital Policy Lab focused on threats to election integrity.
• As part of a project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV), ISD Germany recently held its first annual expert conference “In the Blind Spot – How Right-Wing Extremists Use Alternative Online Platforms for Radicalisation” in Berlin.

ISD in the Media:

• This piece by UnHerd draws on our report “Islamogram: Salafism and Alt-Right Online Subcultures” to explain the growing union between the online far-right and a subset of young Salafi Muslims
• Speaking with The Hill, ISD’s Chloe Colliver discusses how Twitter and other platforms dealt with a violent video directed at U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
• ISD’s Milo Comerford and Moustafa Ayad spoke with MEL magazine about our Islamogram report, part of our series Gen-Z & The Digital Salafi Ecosystem.
• Our Jennie King features in BBC’s The Denial Files where she speaks about how different groups and movements have repurposed and weaponised COVID-19.

Highlights:
In this issue of Insights, ISD takes a deeper look at the rapidly evolving online Salafi ecosystem, uncovers the re-emergence of a pro-Russian propaganda outlet on Facebook, and finds that TikTok is failing to tag almost 60% of COVID-19 vaccine-related content, while YouTube is failing to remove antivaxx misinformation more broadly. Also in this newsletter: 

• Our new report by the Strong Cities Network maps the online extremism space in Slovakia 
• The Threat of Conspiratorial COVID-Sceptic Extremism in Australia and NZ
• Get involved with: Youth Programming, an opportunity with Be Internet Citizens

Events:

• Our Head of Political Integrity and Digital Communication, Jiore Craig, joined global thought-leaders for the Global Progress 2021 Summit in Rome.
• SCN is hosting two virtual events in November and December: Africa Summit and the inaugural South Asia Summit

ISD in the Media:

• ISD’s Ciáran O’Connor spoke to NBC News about the latest viral “vaccine detox” theories.
• Our COP26 War Room monitoring unit is profiled in articles by Cities Today, NPR and The Guardian.
• Jennie King, who led our ‘War Room’ efforts in Glasgow, spoke with NPR about the weaponisation of climate change narratives by climate sceptic actors.
• Julia Ebner spoke to Refinery 29 about the urgency in recognising misogyny as a hate crime in the UK.

Highlights:

• ISD launches its COP26 War Room, providing real-time analysis of information threats across the whole of the climate conference; traces the origins of the Climate Lockdown conspiracy; explores the complex relationship white supremacists have with the U.S. military; and releases concerning findings on Facebook’s fact-checking model by analysing the World Doctors Alliance’s rise to fame.
• Reciprocal Dynamics Between Australia’s Political Fringes on Twitter
• Why are Online Book Retailers Recommending Anti-Vax Content to Buyers?

Speaking engagements:

• ISD’s Jennie King and Chloe Colliver joined the EU Disinfo Lab’s annual conference in their return to physical format in Brussels.
• Our Jacob Davey participated in the opening conference of RUSI’s Far-Right Extremism and Terrorism (FRET) Research Programme. Watch it here.

ISD in the Media:

• BBC’s Sunday Morning Live – Our CEO, Sasha Havlicek, discussed internet safety in the wake of MP David Amess’ killing, amid calls for a crackdown on social media abuse toward public figure.
• BBC specialist disinformation reporter Marianna Spring enlisted our Chloe Colliver to help investigate how online trolls can openly abuse her and so many other women without repercussions from platforms.
• Channel 4 – Jennie King speaks on our findings concerning the ‘Climate Lockdown’ conspiracy.
• Washington Post – Aoife Gallagher discusses our latest analyses on the World Doctors Alliance.

Highlights:

• ISD wins the U.S.-Paris Tech Challenge with our online manipulation detection technology, Beam, and launches new research that charts the financial lifelines of German far-right actors, evidences the gendered disinformation trends in German election discourse and shows how open source tech is allowing extremist websites to flourish
• Setting human rights at the centre of future prevention policy in the Future of Extremism series
• Putting German far-right online activity in historical context from the early internet

Speaking engagements:

• Web panel: ISD’s Milo Comerford spoke at the launch of the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN) this month, which publicly established the newly formed Network of counter-extremism organisations, including ISD.

ISD in the Media:

• VOX, Why is Guantanamo still open? – ISD’s Jasmine El Gamal is a guest speaker for “Today, Explained” where she discusses the history of Guantanamo Bay and why the detention center remains open 20 years later.
• VICE, ‘He’s Gonna Die With Us’: Sovereign Citizen Took an Elderly COVID Patient Out of the ICU – Aoife Gallagher comments on the rise of Dolores Cahill, a leader in the antivaxx community in Europe.
• POLITICO, “Dark news: The murky world of undercover EU lobbying” – Daniel Maki provides insight into disinformation used in lobbying efforts at the EU in Brussels.

Highlights:

• Gamers who hate: An inside look at extremist activity on Steam, Discord, DLive & Twitch
• ISD’s latest report provides in-depth analysis on the state of extremism and hate on TikTok
• ISD identifies key trends in the online activity of Canadian right-wing extremists
• The tactics right-wing extremists use to avoid internet regulation, such as the NetzDG – Download in German
• Sounds on TikTok are reportedly fueling antivaxx conspiracies

Speaking engagements:

• Web panel: ISD’s Sasha Havlicek on the threat of disinformation to European Democracy

• Event: A plan for action: Ten years since the terrorist attacks in Norway

ISD in the Media:

• Sky News, “What is the legacy of 9/11?” – our CEO, Sasha Havlicek, sat down with Sky News to speak about the legacy of the ‘War on Terror.’ Watch it here.
• ARD Media Thek (German), “Die Story im Ersten: Wahlkampf undercover” – ISD’s Chloe Colliver and Jakob Guhl are featured in a documentary following PR firms’ interests and involvement with political parties around elections.
• POLITICO, “Jihadists flood pro-Trump social network with propaganda” – Moustafa Ayad comments on the Islamists extremists exploiting GETTR, the alt-right social media platform started by Trump’s inner circle.

Highlights:

• Disinformation targeting state election in Germany signals risks for 2021 Bundestag election – Download in German
• New ISD report uncovers anti-refugee disinformation and mobilisation in Europe
• ISD and Die Welt investigation identifies shift in Chinese influence operations tactics
• New ISD research maps New Zealand’s online extremist ecosystem

Speaking engagements:

• Podcast: Monetising Islamophobia
• Webinar: Digital hatred, its causes, manifestations, and effects – To register click here

ISD in the Media:

• BBC’s Newsnight, Chloe Colliver speaks with Newsnight about the risks of radicalization, and radicalization toward violence, after prolonged exposure to extremists and disinformation narratives such as antivaxx conspiracies.
• The Wall Street Journal, “After Trump Ban, Facebook Oversight Panel Pushes for More Say” – Our CEO Sasha Havlicek comments on Facebook’s Oversight Board and how it could better orient its focus toward its business practices, the design of its product and algorithms.
• POLITICO, “Voter fraud misinformation gains momentum in Germany” – Julia Smirnova and Chloe Colliver spoke with POLITICO about ISD‘s research on the far-right and voter fraud narratives in Germany ahead of nationwide elections.

Highlights:

• ISD’S Sasha Havlicek addresses Christchurch Call Leaders’ Summit
• New ISD research for EU shows dramatic rise in online antisemitism in French and German during the pandemic
• Understanding the inner workings of the “Cloud Caliphate“

Speaking engagements:

• Webinar: SCN launches the Covid-19 Resource Hub
• Webinar: Countering Extremism at the Municipal Level, Council on Foreign Relations
• Podcast: Identity, Pluralism, and Extremism, RISE

ISD in the Media:

• BBC News Africa, “The Door Closed and Then I Heard the Shots” – Aoife Gallagher contributes to a short documentary on a fatal shooting by the Gardaí (Irish police) and the role of disinformation in the case.
• POLITICO, “Boris Johnson’s phone number breach fails to prompt tighter security” – Daniel Maki talks with Politico about how government officials should use disposable burners in order to deter hackers.
• The Irish Times, “Why are women more hesitant to get the Covid-19 vaccine?” – Cecile Guerin quoted in this article looking at COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among women.

Highlights:

• New report finds Amazon’s algorithms drive traffic to extremist content
• Linking Irish far-right activity on the Telegram to real life consequences
• Making sense of Arabic COVID-19 misinformation in the MENA region

Speaking engagements:

• Webinar: The Growth of Transatlantic Far-Right Networks
• Webinar: Extremism and extremist groups in an Irish context
• Podcast: Domestic extremism spreads its wings

ISD in the Media:

• Tortoise Media, “Climate is the new front in the culture wars” – A long read article by Jennie King outlining how climate disinformation is the next big topic to be exploited by extremists to serve their interests.
• Bild, “Antisemitische Hetze bleibt oft unbestraft” – Coverage of ISD’s research on antisemitic online hate speech in Germany, with comment from Huberta von Voss of ISD Germany.
• USA Today, “Is Amazon recommending books on QAnon and white nationalism? Browsing books can lead to extremist rabbit hole” – Chloe Colliver discusses ISD’s recent report on Amazon algorithms promotion of extremist content.

Highlights:

• ISD study shows spike in anti-vaxx disinfo in France in last 6 months
• PROACT: ISD’s grassroots capacity building programme in Kenya underway
• Major German corporations pilot ISD Germany’s Business Council for Democracy (#BC4D)

Speaking engagements:

• Webinar: Open Discourse and Fighting Extremism in the Virtual World
• Webinar: Antisemitism and hate movements after Trump
• Webinar: Unmasking Influence Operators: What are Best Practices in Attribution?

ISD in the Media:

• The Times (UK), “Facebook ads lure users to conspiracy videos” – Milo Comerford remarks on how anti-vaxx and conspiracy-laden ads target users in Ireland through Facebook.
• The Independent, “QAnon: How the US Satanic paedophile cult conspiracy theory took root in Europe” – Jakob Guhl comments on QAnon’s resonance in Germany
• Vice, “Canadian Facebook Groups Spreading Anti-Vax Conspiracies Jumped by Almost 50%: Study” – More coverage of ISD’s COVID-19 disinformation monitor for Canada, as seen in Digital Dispatches.

Highlights:

• Strong Cities Network hosts 70 mayors in conversation with the Dalai Lama
• How Russian Influence Operations Travel Across the Internet
• New SCN report highlights resilience-building in the Balkans

Speaking engagements:

• Webinar: Practical approaches to digital citizenship and media literacy in France
• Webinar: The fight against online radicalisation and its data protection implications
• Radio documentary: Digitale Demagogie (Digital demagogy)

ISD in the Media:

• CNN, Don Lemon Tonight: Chloe Colliver spoke to Don Lemon as a featured guest on January 15th and January 21st
• Cécile Guerin talks about the interaction between the yoga world and QAnon from her personal experience in Wired
• BBC News, “Biden inauguration: What are far-right Trump supporters saying?” – Ciaran O’Connor looks at the aftermath of the Biden inauguration and its effect on the far right.

Highlights:

• New report confirms how coordinated and divisive political content on Facebook targeted US audiences
• ISD Germany report tracks how Germany-based extremists amplified their reach with COVID-19
• ISD launches Digital Policy Lab, helping governments chart the path forward on platform governance and policy

Speaking engagements:

• Webinar: Lessons Learnt and ‘New Normals’ in a Post-COVID World, London School of Economics
• Webinar: Who regulates free speech?, Trust in Journalism Conference
• Webinar: The Internet and Islamophobia, WebRoots Democracy Festival

ISD in the Media:

• New York Times, “QAnon is still spreading on Facebook, despite a ban.” – Exclusive coverage of ISD’s reporting with NewsGuard on QAnon and Facebook
• Slate, “Keep Calm and QAnon” – Amarnath Amarasingam writes on how pro-Trump conspiracy theories may have actually discouraged postelection violence
• GNET Research, “Digital Extremism in German-Speaking Countries During the COVID-19 Crisis” – Op-ed by ISD’s Jakob Guhl covering research on the COVID-19 crisis in Germany

Highlights:

• Bankrolling Hate: New report into online funding strategies used by hate movements
• Krise und Kontrolverlust: COVID-19 and German online extremism (in German)
• Hoodwinked: Coordinated inauthentic behavior on Facebook

Speaking engagements:

• Webinar: The Future of Disinformation, The Aspen Initiative UK
• Webinar: Mainstreaming right-wing extremism, Belgrade Security Forum
• Webinar: Outthinking Hate, Center for Humane Technology

ISD in the Media:

• BBC Two’s “In the Face of Terror” features Jacob Davey and the digital analysis team (UK only)
• BBC News “The TikTok Election,” features Jennie King, Chloe Colliver, and Ciaran O’Connor
• NBC News, “Tech platforms continue to let U.S.-based hate groups use them to make payments” – Jacob Davey discusses ISD’s recent report, “Bankrolling Bigotry.”

Highlights:

• ISD examines online abuse of candidates in the US 2020 Elections
• ISD launches new blog Digital Dispatches
• Global mayors and practitioners convene for Strong Cities Network 5 year anniversary

Speaking engagements:

• Webinar: The Repatriation of Extremists, Oxford Forum for Questioning Extremism
• Podcast: “Your nation’s attention for the price of a used car”, Your Undivided Attention, Center for Humane Technology
• Webinar: Are Hate Groups Still Active During the Pandemic?, The Groundswell Project

ISD in the Media:

• BBC World Service, Newshour – Rashad Ali speaks on on the arrest of a hoax ISIS foreign fighter in Canada (Listen from 14:00).
• National Public Radio, “Social Media Companies Brace For Post-Election Threats” – Chloe Colliver discusses what social media platforms should be doing to respond to election misinformation and voter suppression.
• The Today Show (NBC) – Aoife Gallagher discusses the rise of QAnon and Facebook’s recent ban of QAnon content.

Highlights:

• ISD Uncovers Substantial Online Jihadist Cache:  BBC Click
• Lens on Hate is launched: ISD’s weekly briefing on online hate during the US 2020 elections
• Launch of London’s Shared Endeavour Fund

Speaking engagements:

• Webinar: Current and Future Terrorist Threats and Trends, Institute for Economics and Peace
• Webinar: Mapping Conspiracy Theories During COVID-19, Tinfoil Trust
• Webinar: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and Israel/Palestine, FODIP

ISD in the Media:

• CNN.com: ISD’s Farah Pandith on what we’ve learned 19 years after the September 11th attacks.
• BBC Click: ISD’s Moustafa Ayad and Carl Miller discuss the finding of the largest ISIS digital archive online
• The Real Story, BBC World Service: ISD’s Aoife Gallagher joins a panel of experts to discuss whether QAnon is a harmless online fantasy or a dangerous threat to truth, democracy and public safety around the world.

Highlights

• Hosting the Holohoax: A Snapshot of Holocaust Denial Across Social Media
• ISD identifies pro-Chinese Communist Party Twitter networks
• How QAnon gained traction: The Genesis of a Conspiracy Theory

Speaking engagements:

• Webinar: France under attack: Responses to information manipulations around Covid-19, Institut Montaigne
• Webinar: In the Streets and Online – Peace, human security and civil unrest after COVID-19, London School of Economics
• Webinar: Supporting African youth in the COVID-19 era, Global Peace Foundation

ISD in the Media:

• The Stream, Al Jazeera: ISD’s Moustafa Ayad and Amar Amarasingam discuss the ways ISIS are resurging amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Scope, Indus News: ISD’s Zahed Amanullah speaks to Pakistan’s Indus News on on anti-Muslim Covid-19 related racism in the UK.
• News at Ten, BBC: ISD’s Chloe Colliver speaks to BBC’s News at Ten about privacy and security concerns regarding TikTok and the Chinese government.

Highlights:

• Anatomy of a disinformation empire: Investigating NaturalNews
• An online environmental scan of right-wing extremism in Canada
• Telegram: A safe space for white supremacy?

Speaking engagements:

• ISD gives testimony on disinformation used to interfere in elections and spur division, US House Intelligence Committee
• Podcast: Aoife Gallagher, Analyst at ISD, joined the ‘Una & Andrea’s United Ireland’ to discuss the growing conspiracy group Qanon.

ISD in the Media: 

• BBC News: Chloe Colliver, head of digital policy & analysis, joined Facebook’s vice president of northern europe to discuss a growing advertising boycott over hate speech and misinformation on its platform.
• RTE: Milo Comerford, Senior Policy Manager, spoke about Ireland’s ‘new nationalists’ and their relationship to the transnational far-right.
• BBC News: Two decades on, Sasha Havlicek, CEO, discussed the difference between the War on Terror’s rhetoric and reality with Security Correspondent Frank Gardner

Highlights:

• COVID-19 Disinformation Briefing No.4
• How to support BAME communities during COVID-19
• COVID-19, Misinformation, and Anti-Muslim Violence in India

Speaking engagements:

• Podcast: Julia Ebner (Senior Research Fellow) talked to Hannah MacInnes (journalist) about what she discovered on her journey undercover in extremist circles for How To Academy

ISD in the Media:

• Financial Times, ‘EU tussle with WhatsApp highlights false information battle lines’: Chloe Colliver spoke about disinformation on social media platforms
• Deutschlandfunk Nova: Jakob Guhl spoke to this German radio station about extremism, disinformation and conspiracy theories in the context of COVID-19
• Die Welt, ‘Turn the anger in the country into money‘: Jakob Guhl spoke about the widespread speculation that social media platforms are biased against conservative voices

Highlights:

• COVID-19 Disinformation Briefing No.3

Speaking engagements: 

• Webinar: ‘Preventing Violent Extremism in the Classroom,’ SXSW

ISD in the Media: 

• POLITICO, ‘Conspiracy theorists, far-right extremists around the world seize on the pandemic’: Chloe Colliver speaks about how the transnational far-right are mobilising around COVID-19
• Jacob Davey spoke to The Guardian about how COVID-19 may be giving extremists opportunities to recruit.
• ISD spoke to The Spectator about how extremists, on all sides of the ideological spectrum, are using the pandemic to spread hateful narratives.

Highlights:

• Comparing Jihadist and Far-Right Extremist Narratives on COVID-19
• Strong Cities Network: Helping local leaders respond to COVID-19
• Education during lockdown: ISD’s digital citizenship resources

Speaking engagements: 

• ISD Investigation with BBC Click: Far-right spreads COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ on Facebook

ISD in the Media:

• ISD’s Digital Analysis Unit provided data and commentary to the New York Times for its article The Coronavirus Becomes a Battle Cry for U.S. Extremists.
• BBC News interviewed Chloe Colliver in a report examining the sources and spread of misinformation online about the pandemic.
• Sasha Havlicek (CEO) joined Damian Collins MP and journalist Edward Lucas on the Infotagion podcast to discuss state-sponsored disinformation surrounding the COVID-19 crisis.

Highlights:

• Covid 19 Briefing #2: How White Supremacists and the far-right are mobilising in the US

Speaking engagements:

• Webinar: ‘Using Social Listening to confront Covid 19,’ Skoll World Forum. Sasha Havlicek, Carl Miller, Chloe Colliver, and Zahed Amanullah explored the intersection between the current Covid 19 pandemic and the polarisation of global societies through hate and disinformation.

ISD in the Media:

• ‘Zoombombing’ Becomes a Dangerous Organized Effort – New York Times. Zahed Amanullah spoke out about his experience being ‘Zoom-bombed’ by an unidentified user sharing racist slurs and images.
• Social Media Companies Open New Front in Fight with EU – Financial Times. Chloe Colliver spoke about the need to continue to push for better regulation of social media platforms amidst Covid 19 despite their response so far.
• White Supremacist Groups Are Recruiting With Help From Coronavirus – and a Popular Messaging App – TIME. Jacob Davey on how Telegram is becoming the go-to social media platform for extremists.