The following news features cite commentary and/or research from Network Contagion Research Institute:
Supporters of Indian separatists using Twitter bots to promote violence
The messages are too numerous for Twitter’s reduced moderation teams to delete
How a fake Nashville manifesto fueled anti-trans rage online
Trolls and liars are exploiting tragedies to inflame social conflicts. Computer tools for creating images and mimicking human voices make all of it worse.
Day of Hate Raises Questions About Amplification of Extremist Content
Last month, for several long days, many in the American Jewish community were gripped with fear over a neo-Nazi organized “National Day of Hate.” Jewish leaders and law enforcement officials urged community members to be vigilant after a little-known white nationalist group announced plans for a day of antisemitic action on February 25.
Combating Disinformation Wanes at Social Media Giants
As the companies have shed jobs recently, many teams assigned to combat false and misleading information have taken a hit.
Twitter sees surge in Gen-Z neo-Nazi antisemitism since Musk takeover
Though many extremist users came out of the woodwork during Kanye West’s tirades, research shows that organized efforts of extremists appeared on Twitter long before.
Attacks on U.S. Jews and gays accelerate as hate speech grows on Twitter
New research to be released later this month by the misinformation tracker Network Contagion Research Institute suggests a connection between real-world incidents and variations of the word “groomer,” often aimed at gays and suggesting that they are adults bent on seducing children.
The Wages of Online Antisemitism | Opinion
Boundless, a new group combating Jew-hatred, and the Network Contagion Research Institute, which specializes in cyber-social threat-identification and forecasting, traced the online discourse that emerged during the last major flare up in fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in May of 2021 to understand the impact here in the United States.
Elon Musk’s ‘amnesty’ pledge brings back QAnon, far-right Twitter accounts
Data reviewed by NBC News shows that many restored accounts trafficked in conspiracy theories and hate speech. The changes come as some high-profile users have fled.
Twitter removes suicide prevention feature, says it’s under revamp
Twitter Inc removed a feature in the past few days that promoted suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources to users looking up certain content, according to two people familiar with the matter who said it was ordered by new owner Elon Musk.
Self-harm images and videos are thriving on Elon Musk’s Twitter, which is less capable than ever of dealing with it
Graphic self-harm content is thriving on Twitter in the era of Elon Musk, an Insider investigation found.
Surging Twitter antisemitism unites fringe, encourages violence, officials say
Online comments often lead to real-world actions, social media experts warn
Social Media Accounts Helped Stoke British Violence, Rutgers Finds
Malicious narratives played ‘essential’ role in instigating attacks in Leicester
Twitter Removes Kanye’s Tweet After He Drops N-Word—And Musk Claims Platform Rules Unchanged
Kanye West threw more gasoline on his bonfire of controversy by tweeting the N-word, not long after his friend Twitter owner Elon Musk attempted to assuage advertisers on Twitter as companies pull their advertising amid fears the platform would descend into chaos.
Kanye West’s antisemitic tweet nearly doubled follower growth -study
Jews are seemingly caught in a proverbial “Catch-22,” with acts to deplatform antisemites merging groups into those against purported Jewish “control” and “displacement.”
With Mass Social Media Layoffs, Researchers Warn of Rise in Hate Speech
Social media platforms have historically had a hard time neutralizing the threat of hate speech before it leads to real-world violence. Now, researchers at the Network Contagion Research Institute and the Rutgers University Center for Critical Intelligence Studies are warning that mass layoffs, especially at social media platforms like Twitter and Meta, are leaving the door wide open to a growing phenomenon called “cyber-swarms.”
Here’s how Twitter and Elon Musk can prevent racist ‘raids’ on the social network
A new study from the nonprofit Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) said Twitter should have expected the huge spike in hate speech that occurred as Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over.
Twitter’s head of safety and integrity says more than 50,000 tweets containing a ‘particular slur’ were posted in 48 hours, amid reports of a racist trolling campaign
Twitter’s head of safety and integrity said 300 users posted over 50,000 tweets with a “particular slur” in 48 hours. Research showed the use of N-word on Twitter rose by nearly 500% after the takeover deal closed.
Elon Musk said Twitter wouldn’t become a ‘hellscape.’ It’s already changing
A surge in racist slurs, a coordinated campaign to spread antisemitic memes, an owner posting a baseless conspiracy theory: welcome to the first few days of Elon Musk’s Twitter.
Racist tweets quickly surface after Musk closes Twitter deal
Anonymous Twitter accounts celebrated Musk’s takeover and argued it meant the old rules against bigotry no longer applied
Food Supply Disruption Is Another Front for Russian Falsehoods
As the war in Ukraine has put pressure on the global markets for food, Russia has spread conspiracy theories that blame the West.
Self-harm posts are surging on Twitter, despite breaking content rules
Self-harm-related hashtags have increased roughly 500 percent since October, a new report says
Self-harm hashtags up 500 percent on Twitter: research
The prevalence of Twitter hashtags related to self-harm has increased about 500 percent in the past year, despite many of those posts violating the platform’s policy on the subject, according to a new report.
Anti-Hindu attacks grow, from N.Y. to a California Taco Bell
A tirade recorded at a California Taco Bell punctuated a string of discriminatory incidents this month aimed at Indian Americans and Hindu temples, deepening concerns that “Hinduphobia” is on the rise.
Historical plagues led to revolutions – could coronavirus do the same?
From an Ancient Egyptian plague to the Black Death and Spanish flu, epidemics have often spurred societal transformations. Understanding why can help us create a better world after covid-19
Rutgers Students Sift Through Social Media in Search of Emerging Threats From Extremist Behavior and Disinformation
Student researchers at Rutgers University are helping faculty and national security experts research emerging threats stemming from extremist behavior and disinformation on social media.
Twitter Isn’t For Quitters
One thing that unites conservatives and liberals? No matter how loudly they denounce the social media platform, they don’t actually leave.
Dogecoin jumped 7% after Elon Musk said he is not selling his crypto holdings
Once again, a spike in Dogecoin can be attributed to none other than Elon Musk.
‘Bot holiday’: Covid disinformation down as social media pivot to Ukraine
The usual deluge of invective prompted by coronavirus and vaccine issues is absent – Russia’s invasion may be a factor
A new report calls Web3 a ‘potential threat to democracy’ and says that memes are a sinister problem for crypto and NFT investors
Don’t believe all the chatter on internet message boards like Reddit when it comes to buying cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
Russia invades Ukraine: Socialist-linked social media campaign to ‘abolish NATO’ defends Putin’s aggression
Disinformation has been a key part of Russia’s playbook
Colleyville crisis followed increased online activism for ‘Lady Al Qaeda’
A new study showed that the hostage-taking at the Beth Israel synagogue came amid an uptick in social media activity advocating for the release of Aafia Siddiqui.
‘Lady Al Qaeda’ social media campaign surged before Texas synagogue attack: report
A social media campaign to free Aafia Siddiqui spiked before Malik Akram attacked the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas
Walmart Has Been Quietly Convincing the Unvaccinated to Get Vaccinated. Here’s Their Secret | Opinion
Nearly a year into the largest vaccine rollout in history, the U.S.’s efforts have yielded among the lowest inoculation rates of any industrialized democracy on the globe.