NIJ Day: Online Interactions Leading to Radicalization: Mobilization to Violent Extremism and Internet Safety

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

While it is commonly understood that radicalization to violent extremism spreads mainly in the online space, the context surrounding this phenomenon is not as well-understood. Four research projects sponsored by the National Institute of Justice shed light on risk factors as they relate to online radicalization, the degree to which linguistic risk factors (in particular) can be used to predict violent extremist outcomes at the individual level, the strategies or methods used to finance illegal domestic extremist activities online, and what strategies work best to counter the pathway to domestic terrorism through safe behavior online. General digital literacy and resiliency will be discussed, as well as potential intervention points for effective counter-messaging campaigns and actions will be discussed.

Sub Unit

• Area III. Types of Offending / 20. State Crime, Political Crime, and Terrorism

Individual Presentations

• From Dot Coms to Pipe Bombs: Online Radicalization and Mobilization to Violence - Jeffrey Gruenewald, University of Arkansas

• Differentiating Violent Extremist Offenders using Linguistic Analysis - Neil Shortland, University of Massachusetts Lowell

• Understanding and Responding to Domestic Extremism Financing - Caitlin McCulloch, RAND Corporation; Luke Matthews, RAND Corporation

• Operation250: An Evaluation of a Primary Prevention Campaign Focused on Online Safety and Risk Assessment - Neil Shortland, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Chair

• Rayna Enriquez, National Institute of Justice