EXTREMISMOnline Extremist Threats: A View from the Trenches
Threats posed by online extremism are evolving— extremists are younger, using operational security, and adhering to non-traditional ideologies. Understanding these trends is imperative for the professionals charged with mitigating them.
Once upon a time, not so long ago, online extremism and the behavior of online extremists could be characterized as a new and emerging threat. Today, the online space is central to understanding, and trying to address, violent extremism.
Security and intelligence professionals often comment that “everything we do has an online component.” The challenge then lies in the rapidly evolving risks posed by the online environment. The following brief describes these challenges from the perspectives of the professionals tasked with their mitigation at the national, provincial, and municipal levels in Canada.
“Awful” vs “Unlawful”
As extreme rhetoric permeates mainstream culture, it is increasingly necessary to distinguish between “run of the mill” extremist content and that which rises to the level of crime or national security risk. Canada has widely adopted the terms Ideologically, Religiously, and Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (IMVE, RMVE & PMVE) to refer to the actions that fall into the latter category, and it is in the “unlawful” sense that extremism is used here.
___________________________________
“Between about 2016 and 2018, everything was “low hanging fruit,” and locating online extremists and their content was relatively straightforward.”
___________________________________
Where’s Waldo?
Between about 2016 and 2018, everything was “low hanging fruit,” and locating online extremists and their content was relatively straightforward. Operational security among individuals on the internet and social media platforms was poor to non-existent. This is no longer the case. Extremists take precautions to hide their identities, including wearing balaclavas, blurring their faces, or using stock images as profile pictures. Access to extremist controlled spaces like select Telegram channels is increasingly “by invitation only,” with some employing elaborate vetting procedures, such as having “applicants” provide videos of self-harm (knowing that this would preclude law enforcement).
Anecdotally, there appears to be a strong positive correlation between a site’s “level of extremism” and its operational security level: the more extreme the site, the higher its security precautions. This presents heightened challenges in trying to locate the most pressing national security and law enforcement targets. Currently, there is considerable focus on individual risk assessment. But this presupposes that the “right” targets (individuals) are being assessed, and this has become increasingly difficult. Professionals at all levels note an urgent need for better tools for locating extremists online.
