How Extremism Operates Online

Online, Extremism, Cyber terrorism

Since the mid-1980s, extremist movements across the ideological spectrum have demonstrated their intent and ability to exploit digital communication, networking, and commerce tools and to transition some of their operations online. These activities began to capture policy attention in the early 2000s, but the challenge has gained new urgency in recent years as groups and movements such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Q-Anon conspiracy theory, and the #StopTheSteal political campaign have harnessed social media and other virtual platforms to generate major real-world effects.