November 24, 2021 | MEL Magazine
Gen-Z Salafi followers turn to far-right memes further reinforcing dividing lines
ISD's Milo Comerford and Moustafa Ayad spoke with MEL magazine about Gen-Z and the digital Salafi ecosystem.
ISD in the Media
November 23, 2021 | UnHerd
Left or right? Islamism at the center of a culture war lacking religious representation
UnHerd cites our report "Islamogram: Salafism and Alt-Right Online Subcultures" to better explain the growing overlap between Salafi Gen Zers and the online far-right.
November 19, 2021 | The Hill
Violent video against U.S. representative AOC stirs up debate around online misogyny
Our Chloe Colliver spoke with The Hill about the handling by social media platforms in dealing with the video directed at AOC.
November 13, 2021 | BBC's The Denial Files
Repurposing COVID-19 conspiracy theories among climate change sceptics
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-related language to instill fear among climate change sceptics.
November 12, 2021 | NBC News & The Guardian
COVID vaccine sceptics are getting mandated doses and then turning to questionable “vaxx detoxes”
Our Ciáran O'Connor spoke with NBC News about viral "vaccine detoxes" and how the very design of platforms like TikTok is helping promote potentially dangerous methods.
November 12, 2021 | NPR
Climate-narrative hijacking by extremists and conspiracists threatens COP26 summit efforts
Our Jennie King has been onsite at COP26 with partner organisations keeping watch over our monitoring dashboards analysing trends, posts and narratives on Facebook, Twitter and other websites that could potentially derail summit efforts.
November 8, 2021 | Refinery 29
Julia Ebner: “misogyny is a central part of hateful extremism” and should be recognized as a hate crime
The rise of the incels movement may be linked to the outbreak of the pandemic, according to our Julia Ebner.
November 5, 2021 | Tagesschau
Russian state propaganda fuels COVID-19-related conspiracies among German social media
Our research exposes the influence RT DE on YouTube and how it became one of the most shared sources within the COVID-19 sceptic community.
November 4, 2021 | Cities Today, BBC & more
ISD’s climate monitoring “War Room” keeps watch over misinfo activity during COP26
ISD and partners are maintaining watch over our Climate Dashboards during COP26, monitoring for any mis- and disinformation trends and attacks against the Summit.
October 26, 2021 | BBC Sunday Morning Live
Can we make the internet safer? Sasha Havlicek on cautions behind ending online anonymity
ISD's Sasha Havlicek participates in a panel on BBC's Sunday Morning Live about internet safety.
October 25, 2021 | ABC News
Ciáran O’Connor: Facebook is prioritizing platform growth over safety
ISD's Ciáran O'Connor spoke with ABC News about information revealed in the Facebook Papers.
October 25, 2021 | POLITICO
The Facebook Papers: hate speech filters through in Middle East thanks to lack of Arabic-language monitoring and faulty AI tech
ISD assisted POLITICO in reviewing the Facebook Papers, a 59-page memo from late 2020 that evidenced that the platform's efforts to curb hate speech and terrorist content in the Arab world weren't working.
October 22, 2021 | Washington Post
Climate of distrust pushes many in the wellness community to turn to misinformation sources
ISD's Cécile Simmons speaks with the WaPo on the appeal of misinformation within the health and wellness community.
October 21, 2021 | The Economist
Users circumvent TikTok policies by finding workarounds for publishing toxic content
What makes TikTok so popular is also what makes some its content so toxic among younger users.
October 21, 2021 | The Guardian
Terror-related online activity isn’t the only type of extremist content that’s grown since the pandemic
ISD's Jacob Davey speaks to The Guardian in the wake of the killing of British MP David Amess about the increase in "harmful" activity relating to extremist issues since the beginning of the pandemic.
October 20, 2021 | The Washington Post
Social media policies against health disinformation aren’t stopping repeat offenders
ISD's Aoife Gallagher spoke to the WaPo about our latest report "Ill Advice: A Case Study in Facebook’s Failure to Tackle COVID-19 Disinformation" focussing on the virality of the World Doctors Alliance.
October 20, 2021 | Mirror
Narrowing gap between online and offline activity as tech platforms “normalise” hate
ISD's Chloe Colliver speaks with the Mirror about how hateful posts and extremist content may be a mirror of the offline world, while also serving as a trigger within online communities.
October 19, 2021 | BBC's Panorama
How misogynistic hate benefits from algorithms and propels through social media
ISD's Chloe Colliver joins journalist Marianna Spring's investigation on how social media algorithms promote hate toward women.
October 19, 2021 | Channel 4 News & more
Climate change deniers weaponise the pandemic and revel under new conspiracy theory
ISD’s Jennie King spoke with Channel 4 News about our latest report “’Climate lockdown’ and the Culture Wars,” and comments on how the pandemic has ultimately been weaponised by climate change deniers and right-wing media outlets.
September 28, 2021 | Der Standard & Waz
Popular funding services are being used by well-known extremists to finance their activity
ISD Germany and the Global Disinformation Index found that multiple well-known German far-right groups and actors are using well-known funding services like PayPal or Klarna to finance their activity.
September 20, 2021 | BBC Click
Far-right extremists live out fantasies on gaming platforms
ISD's Jacob Davey spoke with BBC Click about far-right extremist activity on gaming platforms.
September 11, 2021 | Al Jazeera
Prioritizing Human Rights in the Aftermath of the So-Called War on Terror
The global War on Terror has further fueled extremist discourse around the world, according to ISD's Moustafa Ayad.
September 7, 2021 | Sky News
Twenty years later: Sasha Havlicek on the global impact of the 9/11 attacks
ISD's CEO, Sasha Havlicek, speaks with Sky News about the global implications that have resulted in the last 20 years when the U.S. embarked on what would be their longest war.
August 27, 2021 | New York Times
The Far-Right and Alt-Right Find Common Ground with the Taliban
ISD’s Moustafa Ayad provides insight to the New York Times in this piece on "Right Wingers who Admire the Taliban."
August 25, 2021 | POLITICO Europe
Hate in Plain Sight: Extremists Unchecked Activity Spreads on TikTok
Ciarán O’Connor’s research on the state of hate on TikTok is featured in articles by POLITICO Europe, USA Today, Jewish Insider, PBS and The Journal, among others.
August 12, 2021 | WIRED UK
Far-right gamers on Steam and Discord, an uncensored community
Our findings on popular gaming platforms Steam, Discord, DLive and Twitch, are featured in this article for WIRED UK.
August 2, 2021 | POLITICO
Pro-Trump Social Media Platform Inundated with Jihadist Propaganda
ISD’s Moustafa Ayad shared with POLITICO various findings relating to the rapid exploitation of the recently launched social media network Gettr by Islamic State and jihadist groups.
July 20, 2021 | CBC News
Mackenzie Hart speaks on CBC News about Right-Wing Extremism in Canada
Mackenzie Hart discusses the findings and implcations of ISD's new report: An Online Environmental Scan of Right-Wing Extremism in Canada.
July 14, 2021 | NBC News
Ciarán O’Connor Finds a Loophole for Anti-Vaccine Misinformation on TikTok
ISD's Ciarán O'Connor spoke to NewsNation Now, NBC News and Reuters on his findings.
July 1, 2021 | BBC's Newsnight
Chloe Colliver on disinformation narratives and risks in the antivaxx movement
ISD’s Chloe Colliver speaks with Newsnight about the risks of radicalisation, and radicalisation toward violence, after prolonged exposure to extremists and disinformation narratives like those being seen in the antivaxx movement.
June 28, 2021 | Morning Consult
The Overlap between QAnon Narratives and Antisemitic Tropes
Aoife Gallagher speaks with the Morning Consult about how QAnon believers often also follow antisemitic tropes.
June 18, 2021 | POLITICO
Far-right Tactics to Undermine the German Federal Election
ISD's work monitoring a range of social media platforms in the lead up to the German Federal Election this September is featured in an article by Mark Scott for POLITICO.
June 18, 2021 | BBC News Africa
Aoife Gallagher speaks on the misinformation storm surrounding the death of George Nkencho in Ireland
ISD's Aoife Gallagher is featured in a story by BBC News Africa following the death of George Nkencho and the misinformation storm that ensued.
June 16, 2021 | Wall Street Journal
Sasha Havlicek quoted on the Long-Term Effectiveness of Facebook’s Oversight Panel
ISD's CEO Sasha Havlicek is quoted in an article by Parmy Olson for the Wall Street Journal about the long-term effectiveness of Facebook's oversight panel.
July 12, 2021 | Alsat-M
Emir Hasanovic on ISD’s Strong Cities Network in the Balkans
ISD’s Emir Hasanovic is an in-studio guest at North Macedonia's most watched national station for a 30-minute interview on ISD's Strong Cities work in the Balkans.
May 5, 2021 | Tortoise Media
Extremists Shift their Focus to Green Politics ahead of COP-26
Jennie King writes an op-ed for Tortoise on how far-right extremists are turning their attention online to the alleged threat of the green agenda.
April 30, 2021 | VICE
Far-right activity on Telegram spikes after the death of George Nkencho
In a VICE article which highlights the harmful misinformation spread about George Nkencho and his death by the far-right on Telegram, Aoife Gallagher is quoted on how Telegram has evolved among far-right groups and supporters in Ireland.
April 29, 2021 | USA Today
Amazon Responds to ISD’s research about the Danger of their Algorithm Recommendations
Chloe Colliver speaks to USA Today about the implications of an ISD research investigation which found Amazon’s algorithms recommending potentially harmful content to users.
April 11, 2021 | The Irish Times
Conspiracy Theories, Right-Wing Extremism and Radicalisation
Aoife Gallagher is quoted extensively in an article from The Irish Times about conspiracy theories and theorists in the digital age.
April 9, 2021 | WIRED
Arabic-Language Vaccine Misinformation Spreads Unchecked on Facebook
Moustafa Ayad and Ciaran O'Connor's research on Arabic-language COVID vaccine misinformation on Facebook is exclusively covered by WIRED.
March 29, 2021 | The Times
Irish Users Targeted with Conspiracy Theories Through Facebook Ads
Milo Comerford is quoted in a Times article about the use of Facebook ads to promote conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine content on how the far-right weaponise many conspiracy theories to promote their own ideologies.
March 20, 2021 | BBC Sounds
BBC Sounds Features ISD’s Research on Irish Conspiracy Communities on Facebook
This episode of the BBC Sounds Trending series, "The Anti-Vax Files: How anti-vax went viral," features insight from ISD's Chloe Colliver.
March 1, 2021 | RTÉ Radio 1
Violent Anti-lockdown Protests in Ireland: Aoife Gallagher on RTÉ Radio 1
Aoife Gallagher discusses how the the Gardaí handled anti-lockdown protests in Ireland on Saturday, 27 February, on RTÉ Radio 1.
February 16, 2021 | SPLC
Telegram and the Post-Organisational Extremism Paradigm
An article by the SPLC draws on analysis from ISD to explain the changing dynamics of right-wing extremist activity.
February 10, 2021 | Al Jazeera
Podcast: Aoife Gallagher Discusses QAnon global reach on Al Jazeera’s The Take
Aoife Gallagher features in this episode of Al Jazeera's The Take: 'How did the QAnon conspiracy go global?'
January 28, 2021 | WIRED
Cécile Guerin writes for Wired about the Yoga World, antivaxxers and QAnon believers
Cécile Guerin writes for Wired about the increasing presence of conspiracy theories, anti-vaxx and QAnon narratives in the wellness community over the past year.
January 25, 2021 | Rolling Stone
New QAnon Conspiracies About Trump Spread on TikTok
Aoife Gallagher is quoted in a Rolling Stone article on why the increasing convergence between QAnon and the anti-government Sovereign Citizen movement is highly concerning.
January 18, 2021 | CNN
Chloe Colliver on CNN’s Don Lemon Tonight
ISD's Chloe Colliver speaks on CNN's Don Lemon Tonight about the Capitol Hill riots and the role social media played in the event
January 14, 2021 | POLITICO
Trump’s Post-Jan 6 Speech Fails to Convince MAGA Nation to Back Down
In the wake of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, Chloe Colliver provides insight to POLITICO about the continued concerning activity of right-wing extremists online.
December 29, 2020 | Slate
Amarnath Amarasingam on the Ability of Some Conspiracy Theories to Mitigate Violent Mobilisation
Amarnath Amarasingam outlines how pro-Trump conspiracy theories may have actually discouraged postelection violence in an op-ed for Slate Magazine.
December 18, 2020 | New York Times
QAnon Narratives Spread on Facebook Despite Ban
Research from ISD and NewsGuard about the spread of QAnon narratives on Facebook is exclusively covered by the New York Times, and featured in articles from the Financial Times, Die Welt, Deutschland Funk, Turi2, and La Repubblica, and NBC News.
December 17, 2020 | GNET
Op-ed: Jakob Guhl on Online Extremism in German-Speaking Countries for GNET
Jakob Guhl writes about online extremism in German-speaking countries during the COVID-19 pandemic for the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET).
December 15, 2020 | ABC
Australia’s Far-Left: A Security Threat?
Mario Peucker and ISD's Jacob Davey write for ABC (Australia) on whether Australia’s radical left pose a national security threat.
November 25, 2020 | IEP
Milo Comerford on the Behaviour of Extremist Groups During the Pandemic
Milo's Comerford's article for the Institute of Economics and Peace on the behaviour of extremist groups during the pandemic receives widespread media coverage, including from ITV, Arab News, Euractiv (DE), Metro and The Sun.
November 2, 2020 | The Forward
Chloe Colliver on Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour on Faceboook
Chloe Colliver is quoted in The Forward on coordinated inauthentic behaviour on Faceboook.
October 27, 2020 | Politico
Despite cries of censorship, conservatives dominate social media
ISD's research work featured heavily in this article in Politico on how a small number of conservative users routinely outpace their liberal rivals and traditional news outlets in driving the online conversation.
October 27, 2020 | BBC Newsnight
Chloe Colliver speaks about the virality of disinformation on BBC’s Newsnight
ISD's Chloe Colliver appears on BBC's Newsnight to discuss how disinformation can spread, using the example of a fake announcement promoting the reopening of Woolworths stores in the UK.
October 27, 2020 | NBC News
ISD’s Research on the Funding Strategies of Hate Groups Covered by NBC
NBC News provides exlcusive coverage of the research findings outlined in the new ISD report: Bankrolling Bigotry: An overview of the Online Funding Strategies of American Hate Groups.
October 16, 2020 | The Sun
Aoife Gallagher explains QAnon’s innerworkings for The Sun
In an op-ed for The Sun, Aoife Gallagher explains the QAnon conspiracy theory.
October 8, 2020 | Global News Canada
Mackenzie Hart Talks to Global News Canada About Facebook’s QAnon Ban
Mackenzie Hart discusses Facebook's ban of QAnon-related content on the platform.
October 7, 2020 | The Today Show (NBC)
Aoife Gallagher Discusses QAnon on NBC’s Today Show
Aoife Gallagher explains why QAnon can be considered a 'digital cult' on the Today Show.
October 5, 2020 | The Washington Post
Analysis of the Online Harassment of Politicians Covered by WaPo
The Washington Post provides exclusive coverage of the findings in ISD's new research report: Public Figures, Public Rage: Candidate Abuse on Social Media.
September 11, 2020 | CNN
Farah Pandith on How the Terror Threat has Morphed since 9/11
As we approach another anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, Farah Pandith writes for CNN on how the terror threat in the U.S. has morphed over the last two decades.
September 8, 2020 | BBC Click
Click reveals ISD discovery of huge pro-ISIS online cache
How ISD deputy director Moustafa Ayad discovered one of the largest collections of material belonging to the so-called Islamic State group ever found on the internet.
September 4, 2020 | BBC
Podcast: Aoife Gallagher explains why QAnon is “Going Global”
In the latest episode of the The Real Story, a podcast from the BBC World Service, Aoife Gallagher provides expert opinion on why QAnon is "going global."
August 21, 2020 | First Draft
Coronavirus: How pro-mask posts boost the anti-mask movement
Chloe Colliver is quoted in this article on First Draft by Carlotta Dotto and Lydia Morrish on anti-masker conspiracy theories being amplified by Social Media.
August 11, 2020 | The Beacon
Aoife Gallagher Interviewed by The Beacon on the QAnon Conspiracy Theory
ISD's analysis of the key trends in activity around the QAnon conspiracy theory from 2017 to 2020 features in an article from The Beacon. Aoife Gallagher is quoted on the ongoing popularity of the conspiracy theory as well as the use of QAnon for electoral purposes by the Trump campign.
August 10, 2020 | CNN
A propaganda battle is playing out in the replies to Trump’s tweets
CNN article based on our report on our case study of a pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Twitter network.
July 23, 2020 | BBC
QAnon, coronavirus and the conspiracy cult
Aoife Gallagher makes her BBC debut on video report about QAnon, coronavirus and the conspiracy cult.
July 12, 2020 | The Times
Extremists use BBC theme to trick Facebook into showing vile clips
Moustafa Ayad, ISD Deputy Director for Technology, Communications, and Education, is extensively quoted in this article in The Times.
July 7, 2020 | CTED Trends Alert
UN CTED report examines how extreme right-wing groups have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic
In this Update to the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Trends Alert from April 2020, CTED examines how extreme right-wing groups have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
July 6, 2020 | BBC
TikTok’s Boogaloo extremism problem
Chloe Oliver, Head of Digital Policy and Strategy at ISD, is quoted in this BBC report on TikTok's problems with extremism.
July 2, 2020 | BBC
Facebook targets ‘false news’ amid growing pressure from advertisers
Chloe Colliver, head of the Digital Research Unit at ISD provides insights to this BBC story on 'False News' propagated on Facebook.
June 30, 2020 | CNN
White supremacists openly organize racist violence on Telegram, report finds
Jakob Guhl talks to CNN about Telegram and its white supremacist problem.
June 30, 2020 | Coda
How Covid-19 spread QAnon in Germany
Jakob Guhl, Coordinator in Policy & Research, contributed to this story on Coda.
June 22, 2020 | ZDF Germany
Undercover im Nazi-Chat
Jakob Guhl, Coordinator in Policy & Research was interviewed for this ZDF exposé of right wing activity on the Telegram chat platform.
May 12, 2020 | POLITICO
Extremists Seizing on the Pandemic to Push their Own Political Agendas
Chloe Colliver is quoted in an POLITICO article about how COVID-19 is providing a global rallying cry for conspiracy theorists and far-right extremists.
May 11, 2020 | BBC Click
How Coronavirus Has Changed The World: Chloe Colliver on BBC Click
Chloe Colliver features in an episode of BBC Click that looks at the rise of disinformation during the coronavirus pandemic.