Third-Party Research
Tech Against Terrorism is a leading resource of research on the intersection between technology, terrorism, violent extremism and human rights. You can search for specific content using the tags below the articles.
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Running A’maq: The Practice of Western Media Citing Islamic State Propaganda — This Perspective by Leon Bystrykh looks at journalists' use of material provided by the A'maq News Agency and asks whether Western media should be using A’maq; whether this a shortcut for investigative reporting, | Analysis, Terrorism | View Full Article | |
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Digital Decay: Tracing Change Over Time Among English-Language Islamic State Sympathizers on Twitter — Until 2016, Twitter was the online platform of choice for English-language Islamic State (IS) sympathizers. As a result of Twitter’s counter-extremism policies - including content removal - there has been a decline in activity by IS supporters. This outcome may suggest the company’s efforts have been effective, but a deeper analysis reveals a complex, nonlinear portrait of decay. Such observations show that the fight against IS in the digital sphere is far from over. In order to examine this change over time, this report collects and reviews 845,646 tweets produced by 1,782 English-language pro-IS accounts from February 15, 2016 to May 1, 2017. This study finds that Twitter’s policies hinder sympathizers on the platform, but counter-IS practitioners should not overstate the impact of these measures in the broader fight against the organization online. |
Academia, Tech Responses, Terrorism | View Full Article | |
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World Leaders Urge Big Tech to Police Terrorist Content — At an unusual session on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, leaders of one powerful government after another told the leaders of some of the most powerful internet companies to intensify their efforts to take down terrorist propaganda. | Europe | View Full Article | |
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How to Tackle Internet Mob Rule — All over the web – from Facebook to the comments section of your favourite online newspaper – it’s not hard to find examples of people ganging up against one another. Many individuals know only too well the feeling of a hateful mob bearing down on them via social media. Often, it is women and members of minority groups that are targeted. But when neo-Nazi, white supremacist website the Daily Stormer was booted from various web services – including Google, GoDaddy and Cloudflare – in August, some members of the far-right complained that another kind of “mob rule” had prevailed. | Analysis, News, Violent Extremist | View Full Article | |
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Countering Islamic State Messaging Through “Linkage-Based” Analysis — The Islamic State’s recent losses on the battlefield, including significant casualties within its media and propaganda division, offer a unique opportunity to inject competing and alternative messages into the information space. This paper proposes that the content of such messages should be guided by a linkage-based analysis of existing Islamic State messaging. A linkage-based analysis of a top-level 2017 audio message by Islamic State spokesperson Abu Hasan al Muhajir offers several potential insights into crafting effective content for competing and alternative messages. A comparison of the 2017 work to earlier Islamic State messaging also reveals specific opportunities to undermine the credibility of the organisation’s broader propaganda programme by highlighting the organisation’s repeated failure to follow through on its extravagantly promised commitment to achieving its stated goals. |
Academia, Counterterrorism | View Full Article | |
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CPS To Crack Down On Social Media Hate Crime — British Prosecutors will be ordered to treat online hate crime as seriously as offences carried out face to face in plans announced by the director of public prosecutions. | News, Regulation, UK | View Full Article |