For 20 years, ISD has delivered field-leading threat detection, analysis and real-world strategies to combat terrorism, extremism and authoritarianism - in all their ideological forms.

ISD resources for policymakers and Officials

ISD has a 20-year track record of helping governments at all levels. Our work includes policy advisory support, cutting-edge analysis, and monitoring of the threat landscape to safeguard national security and individual rights.

Threat detection, research and analysis

We provide governments with the best-in-class data analysis to combat a range of emerging threats both online and offline. Our analysis tracks the connections between extremist networks and offline violence, dissects the role of foreign interference in regional politics, and explores a variety of threats to democracy across different jurisdictions.

Policy advisory support

We use evidence and expertise to make sure regulations can adapt and last. Our Digital Policy Lab (DPL) convenes regulators and other officials from to discuss threats to democracy, free speech and public safety.

Please email us at [email protected] if you would like to learn more about this work.

September 17, 2026

25 years after 9/11, al-Qaeda remains perennially online: The group’s digital ecosystem in 2026

Twenty-five years after 9/11, al-Qaeda remains online, adapting its decentralized ecosystem across platforms, messaging services and AI.

Islamist Extremism, Tech Accountability and Safety, Threat Analysis and Prevention

September 7, 2026

Lessons from Extremism Prevention for Countering Hybrid Threats: A Framework for Policy Response

Threat Analysis and Prevention

August 26, 2026

Online antisemitism and digital regulation: ISD’s submission to the Australian Royal Commission

Antisemitism, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse

May 21, 2026

Addressing the Intersection of Misogyny, Targeted Hate and Violent Extremism

Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse, Tech Accountability and Safety

March 10, 2026

The 2025 Annual Review of Plots and Attacks Across the US

Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Islamist Extremism, Terrorism and Extremism, Threat Analysis and Prevention

MORE Resources for policymakers and OfficIals

January 22, 2024

Terrorism, Extremism, Disinformation and Artificial Intelligence: A Primer for Policy Practitioners

An intro to AI's intersection with focus areas covered by ISD's Digital Policy Lab (DPL), including key concepts, challenges, and solutions.

Recommender Systems and Algorithms, Tech Accountability and Safety

December 19, 2023

Caution, manipulated! A Guide for Communication Managers from MPs’ Offices, Ministries and Authorities

This guide provides an introduction to the strategic-communicative handling of information manipulation for politicians' comms teams.

Information Warfare and Online Manipulation, Resources

November 30, 2023

Web of Hate: A Retrospective Study of Online Gendered Abuse in 2022 in the United States

This report examines the spikes in misogynistic and abusive content on social media in the United States during 2022.

Misogyny, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse, Threats to Public Figures

November 20, 2023

Uisce Faoi Thalamh: Topic Analysis

The final instalment of the series provides an in-depth analysis of the leading topics of discussions within this mis- and disinformation ecosystem.

Far-Right Extremism, Gaming and Alternative Platforms, Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Tech Accountability and Safety, Terrorism and Extremism

November 20, 2023

Uisce Faoi Thalamh: Platform Analysis

In this report, we examine how online platforms are used to produce, promote and contribute to the circulation of mis- and disinformation.

Far-Right Extremism, Gaming and Alternative Platforms, Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Tech Accountability and Safety, Tech Legislation and Regulation, Terrorism and Extremism

November 20, 2023

Uisce Faoi Thalamh: Summary Report

This research project is the first landscape study of the online ecosystem where mis- and disinformation and conspiracy theories thrive in Ireland.

Far-Right Extremism, Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Tech Accountability and Safety, Tech Legislation and Regulation, Terrorism and Extremism

November 9, 2023

Tangled Web: The Interconnected Online Landscape of Hate Speech, Extremism, Terrorism and Harmful Conspiracy Movements in the UK

This digital snapshot produced by ISD for Ofcom outlines the online landscape of terrorism, extremism and hate speech related to the United Kingdom.

Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse, Terrorism and Extremism

November 9, 2023

Hate of the Nation: A Landscape Mapping of Observable, Plausibly Hateful Speech on Social Media

This analysis produced by ISD for Ofcom explores the scale and nature of ‘plausibly hateful’ English-language content across platforms.

Anti-LGBTQ+, Anti-Migrant, Antisemitism, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse