Indivisible:Healing Hate (2022)
Documentary covering the fallout from January 6th. Episode 5.
Megan Squire
Dr. Megan Squire is Deputy Director for Data Analytics and OSINT at the Southern Poverty Law Center, and a former professor of Computer Science at Elon University. As a computer scientist, Dr. Squire applies techniques from data science and cybersecurity to track and expose networks of hate and extremism online. She is the author of two books on data cleaning and data mining, and over 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including several Best Paper awards for her work tracking extremist online fundraising and cryptocurrency.
Podcasts and Videos
Monetizing Propaganda (June 2021)
đ Best paper award, ACM Web Science conference. How do right-wing extremists use video streaming to make money? This is a deep dive into the network of streamers and donors using the DLive service. (Conference, PDF)
American Insurrection (April 2021)
PBS Frontline and ProPublica examine how far-right groups were emboldened and encouraged by former President Trump and how individuals were radicalized and brought into the political landscape (13:50 mark)
BBC Click investigates extremism in online gaming. (September, 2021)
TedX talk outlines some basic data science techniques for studying extremism online. (Feb, 2020)
BookNotes+, Episode 100
From C-SPAN- Podcast I talk with Brian Lamb on the BookNotes+ podcast about Proud Boys and other extremist groups. (February, 2023)
On mute â holding Donald Trump to account
The Economist's "Checks and Balance" Podcast- Podcast De-platforming and the problem of social media (January, 2021)
Monetization of hate online soars
From Hearst television- Television Hearst explores my data to explain how online hate is financed. (May, 2021)
Live-streaming and White Nationalism - A New Moneymaking Enterprise
From the Center for Analysis of the Radical Right- Podcast I talk with Right Rising about monetized propaganda. How are white nationalists using popular live-streaming to make money? (December, 2020)
"Baseless", Sounds Like Hate
From the Southern Poverty Law Center- Podcast I help analyze "The Base", an international terrorist group plotting for a race war. Parts 1, 3, and 4. (October, 2020; May 2021)
"The Evolution of All-American Terrorism", Reveal
From Reveal, The Center for Investigative Journalism, and PRX- Podcast I talk about how online organizing of White supremacists and other right-wing extremists has evolved (June, 2020)
Digital vs Analog Analysis of Nazi Podcasts
From "I Don't Speak German" podcast, Ep. 56- Podcast We discuss data mining and network analysis of neo-Nazi, neo-Confederate, fascist, and other far-right extremist podcasts. (June, 2020)
"Hate in the Homeland", Reveal
From Reveal, The Center for Investigative Journalism, and PRX- Podcast We discuss the rise of "Alt-Tech" social media platforms that enable online extremism (June, 2019)
Latest Papers
How are extremist groups organizing online? Who are the key players and what do they believe? Which groups are growing and which are shrinking? Why are some online communities more toxic than others?
I collect, store, and analyze data - mostly from social media, but other sources as well - so we can understand how extremist and niche online communities work.
Here are a few of my latest research papers and findings.
Monetizing Propaganda (2021)
đ Best paper award. How do right-wing extremists use video streaming to make money? This is a deep dive into the network of streamers and donors using the DLive service. (Conference, PDF)
The Pushshift Telegram Dataset (2020)
Describes our dataset of 27.8K channels and 317M messages from 2.2M unique users, designed to study social movements, protests, political extremism, and disinformation. (Read More on Arxiv)
The Pushshift Reddit Dataset (2020)
Describes our dataset of Reddit's millions of subreddits, millions of users, and hundreds of millions of comments(Read More on Arxiv)
Understanding Gray Networks using Social Media Data (2019)
đ Best paper runner-up. Is it possible to understand the structure of a clandestine network, for example Proud Boys, using just their social media trace data? (Read More)
Radical Right-Wing Women on Facebook (2019)
At what rates and in what capacity do women participate in extreme far-right ("radical right") political online communities? (Read More)
Anti-Muslim Hate Network on Facebook (2018)
How do anti-Muslim political groups use the Facebook social network to build their own online communities? Do they crossover with other far-right political ideologies, such as anti-immigrant or white nationalists? (Read More)
Analyzing the "Summer of Hate" (2018)
How "united" is the far-right? Which groups share members? Which ideologies tend to attract the same people? Which groups are responsible for uniting such distinct far-right ideologies at an event like the Charlottesville rally? (Read more)
Rudeness on Linux (2017)
How do the leaders of the Linux Kernel project write in email? What are the salient features of their writing, and can we discern one leader from another? (Read more)
Current Projects
Here are some long-term projects I'm working on that have not yet been published.
What happens after deplatforming?
My work as a Belfer Fellow for ADL will uncover what happens after bad actors are removed from social media or other online environments.
Network and Text Analysis of Christian Identity Hate Groups
For this work we mine decades of Christian Identity historical documents to create a social network of key players. We then compare that to the current CI landscape on the social media platform Telegram.
Popular Press Writing
2023
Alex Jones: The Text Messages
6-part series for Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Michael Edison Hayden. February 1.
2022
'Unite the Right' 5 Years Later: Where Are They Now?
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Hannah Gais, Michael Edison Hayden, Cassie Miller and Jason Wilson
White Nationalist Book Publishers Revealed
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Hannah Gais, Jason Wilson, and Michael Edison Hayden. June 13.
Pro-Trump White Nationalist Group Facing Key Desertions
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Hannah Gais, and Michael Edison Hayden. June 2.
Alex Jonesâ Bitcoin Fairy Drops $8 Million in a Month on Infowars
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Michael Edison Hayden. May 26.
Anonymous Donor Drops $2 Million in Bitcoin on Alex Jones
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Michael Edison Hayden. April 29.
Infowars Store Enjoyed Traffic Boost During 'Stop the Steal'
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Michael Edison Hayden. April 6.
AFPAC Co-Planner Led Crypto 'Solicitation Scheme'
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Michael Edison Hayden. March 29.
Far-Right Livestreamer Who Attended Capitol Insurrection Got Federal Pandemic Relief Funds
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Hannah Gais. February 24.
Prolific White Nationalist Personality Identified
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Jason Wilson. February 18.
One in Five Patriot Front Applicants Claim Military Ties
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Jeff Tischauser and Michael Edison Hayden. February 1.
2021
Revealed: Startup Creates Streaming Platform for Extremists on Big-Tech Infrastructure.
Southern Poverty Law Center Techwatch. With Jason Wilson.
How Cryptocurrency Revolutionized the White Supremacist Movement
Analysis of donation patterns and habits of early adopters of crypto, including Stefan Molyneux, Greg Johnson, Andrew Anglin and others. For Southern Poverty Law Center Techwatch. With Michael Edison Hayden.
Infowars Director Bought Domain Named After Terrorist
Uncovering the network of tech workers keeping Infowars, America First, and Epik afloat. For Southern Poverty Law Center Techwatch. With Michael Edison Hayden and Hannah Gais.
Building a Network of Hate: Understanding the Right-Wing Extremist Podcast Ecosystem
Long-term study of 4000 episodes and 900 cast members on 18 different right-wing extremist podcasts. 4 parts. For Southern Poverty Law Center Techwatch. With Hannah Gais
Neo-Nazi's Bitcoin History Suggests Russian Darknet Link
Blockchain analysis project. For Southern Poverty Law Center Techwatch. With Michael Edison Hayden
Revealed: Startup Creates Streaming Platform for Extremists on Big-Tech Infrastructure
Another example of alt-tech infrastructure supporting extremism. For Southern Poverty Law Center Techwatch. With Jason Wilson
Mystery Donor Backing Pro-Trump Disinfo Troll With Bitcoin.
Tracking donations to peddlers of election disinformation. For Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center Techwatch. With Hannah Gais.
Funding Hate: How extremists like the ones who attacked the Capitol are making money off the internet
Summary of platforms and techniques enabling extremist fundraising. For Southern Poverty Law Center Techwatch. With Cassie Miller and Hannah Gais
How an Encrypted Messaging Platform is Changing Extremist Movements
The rise of Telegram as the preferred method of spreading white supremacist terror propaganda. For Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. With Hannah Gais.
2020
Why is Telegram so appealing to terror groups?
What are the key technical features that make the Telegram app so appealing to hate and terror groups? At Center for Analysis of the Radical Right
Alt-Tech & the radical right: part 2
Inside the radical right's video addiction: Moving from Youtube to DLive & Entropy. At Center for Analysis of the Radical Right
2019
Alt-Tech & the radical right: part 1
Why are radical right groups shifting to "alternative" tech? At Center for Analysis of the Radical Right
How Big Tech and Policymakers Miss the Mark When Fighting Online Extremism
Why is it still so easy to find violent white supremacist content online, even though social media companies keep claiming that they are working overtime to delete it? At Brookings Institution
Why the next terror manifesto will be even harder to track
It's difficult to track the spread of digital materials, and new technologies will make it even harder. At Salon and others for The Conversation
Media Coverage
I've discussed my work on right-wing extremists and toxic online communities with numerous media outlets, including:2024
- NPR, All Things Considered. April 1. How anti-vaccine activists and the far right are trying to build a parallel economy
- NBC. April 16. Verified pro-Nazi X accounts flourish under Elon Musk
2023
- Washington Post. January 24. For one Proud Boys tracker, trial offers long-awaited accountability
- Rolling Stone. March 2. Why Did Spotify Have an Official âHitler Radioâ Playlist?
- USA Today. March 21. Trump holding his next rally in Waco, Texas, sends a message to the far right, experts say
- USA Today. March 21.Despite Trump's calls for protests, few efforts emerge, as supporters worry: 'It's a trap'
- Yahoo News. March 24. Trump protest call foiled by fears of FBI 'trap'
- Barron's. April 1. Right-wing Video Site Rumble Grows, As Does Its Misinformation
- Rolling Stone. May 3. How one man pushed harassment 'raids,' sold racist paraphernalia online, while in federal custody
- MoneyLaundering.com. May 16. Video-sharing, Live-streaming Platforms Enabling Financial Crime, Analysts Warn
- The Guardian. June 6. Harvard affirmative action challenge partly based on Holocaust denierâs work
- The Guardian. July 16. Extremist-friendly tech company closes after legal fine
- Tech Against Terrorism. Podcast interview, pre-recorded. August 9. Tuning in to Hate: How Extremists Utilise Podcasts
- USA Today. September 20. COVID lockdowns and mail-in ballots: Inside the Trump-fueled conspiracy spreading online
- The Guardian. September 29. Revealed: far-right Oath Keepers kept up dues payments after Capitol attack
- The Guardian. October 24. Revealed: Republican debate broadcast partner fueled by misogyny and extremism
- Mother Jones. November 20. Israel-Palestine Disinformation Is Everywhere. Hereâs How You Beat It.
2022
- The Guardian. January 3. Bannon and allies bid to expand pro-Trump influence in local US politics
- NPR. January 6. Radio interview, pre-recorded. Kicked off Facebook and Twitter, far-right groups lose online clout
- Globe and Mail. January 7. How Rumble, a Toronto-based YouTube alternative, became a refuge for the MAGA crowd (with a US$2-billion valuation)
- Gizmodo. January 21. 7 Trends in Online Extremism to Look Out for in 2022
- Paramount+. February 3. Documentary, pre-recorded. Indivisible: Healing Hate, Episode 5.
- WIRED. February 8. How Telegram Became the Anti-Facebook
- Washington Post. March 20. 'People's Convoy' provoked and motivated by D.C. police roadblocks
- Reuters. May 13. Musk says he would reverse Twitter ban on Donald Trump
- AP. May 16. Livestreamed carnage: Tech's hard lessons from mass killings
- ABC KGTV. May 16. In-Depth: How much money extremists can make from livestreaming hate
- The Grid. May 16. The social spaces where the Buffalo shooter became extremist
- WFAE-NPR Charlotte. June 8. Charlotte Talks: A preview of the Jan. 6 committee hearing from a national and NC lens
- USA Today. July 3. The extremist watchers: How a network of researchers is searching for the next hate-fueled attack
- Reuters. August 22. New breed of video sites thrives on misinformation and hate
- USA Today. September 9. Extremist Boogaloo Bois back on Facebook since Mar-a-Lago raid as anger toward feds mounts
- USA Today. September 10. Livestreamed violence compounds America's horror and inspires copycats, experts say. When will it stop?
- NPR. September 16. Alex Jones' defamation trials show the limits of deplatforming for a select few
- The Washington Post. September 3. Police Supervisor Chatted Up Patriot Front Poser Who Recorded It All
- Washington Post. Dec 1. Trumpâs dinner with antisemites provides test of GOP response to extremism
- NPR, Dec 2. Ye says 'I see good things about Hitler' on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' show
- Guardian, Dec 6. Top US conservatives pushing Russiaâs spin on Ukraine war, experts say
- Bucks County Beacon. Dec 15 Microsoft, Benevity Include Extremist And Hate Groups In Charity Rewards Program
- BBC. Dec 22 Far-right groups had racism rift before Capitol riot
- Semafor Dec 23 How Telegram captures the fractured reality of war
2021
- MLive. January 3. Misinformation and conspiracies took starring role in Michigan's political movements
- Mother Jones. January 5. Wednesday's Protests Are Primed to Turn More Trump Supporters into Dangerous Extremists
- NBC News. January 5. Violent threats ripple through far-right internet forums ahead of protest
- BBC news. Television interview, live. January 7. Analysis of extremists involved in US Capitol Siege.
- The Trace. January 7. 'Either We Finally Take This Seriously...or This Gets Worse'
- Wall St. Journal. January 7. 'Trump or War': How the Capitol Mob Mobilized on Social Media
- WIRED. January 7. A Game Livestreaming Site Has Become an Extremist Haven
- MLive. January 7. Far-right activist who encouraged U.S. Capitol occupation also organized 'stop the steal' rally in Michigan
- Southern Poverty Law Center HATEWATCH. January 7. Meet the White Nationalist Organizer Who Spewed Hate Against Lawmakers
- NPR, Morning Edition. Radio interview, pre-recorded. January 8. Did Minimizing Far-Right's Threat Lead To The Breach Of U.S. Capitol?
- Time. January 8. Like, Share, Recruit: How a White-Supremacist Militia Uses Facebook to Radicalize and Train New Members
- LA Times. January 8. Essential California: The social media reckoning (again)
- Columbia Journalism Review. January 8. The mob that stormed the capital was its own media
- NBC News. January 8. Right-wing extremists vow to return to Washington for Joe Biden's inauguration
- New York Times. January 8. Pro-Trump Mob Livestreamed Its Rampage, and Made Money Doing It
- ProPublica-FRONTLINE. January 9. Members of Several Well-Known Hate Groups Identified at Capitol Riot
- NPR, Weekend Edition. Radio interview, pre-recorded. January 10. Trump Is Leaving Office, But His Supporters Are Here To Stay
- Time. January 10. 'Our First Martyr.' How Ashli Babbitt Is Being Turned Into a Far-Right Recruiting Tool
- Associated Press. January 11. A theater of propaganda: The Capitol, cameras and selfies
- Mother Jones. January 11. On Telegram, White Nationalists are Trying to Radicalize Those Fleeing Parler
- MLive. January 11. Security increased at Michigan Capitol as FBI warns of possible armed protests
- Voice of America. Video, pre-recorded. January 12. After Trump Social Media Ban, Questions About Future of Online Speech
- NBC. January 12. Extremists move to secret online channels to plan for Inauguration Day in D.C.
- The Guardian. January 13. Rightwingers flock to 'alt tech' networks as mainstream sites ban Trump
- CBC. January 13. Anti-government website hosted in Montreal shut down after promoting armed protests in U.S.
- FiveThirtyEight. January 13. What Kicking Trump Off Twitter Can â And Canât â Do
- WTTW PBS, Chicago. Television interview, live. January 13. Analysis of social media platforms used by extremists involved in US Capitol insurrection.
- NBC. January 13. Telegram, a recent haven for the far right, purges extremist content
- WUSA-9, Washington, DC. Television interview, pre-recorded. January 13. Tech specialists call for more social media security ahead of inauguration
- Financial Times. January 13. FBI races to track insurrectionists before Joe Bidenâs inauguration
- New York Magazine's The Cut. January 13. Will Right-Wing Violence Erupt on Inauguration Day?
- Katie Couric Media. January 14. Did President Trumpâs Ban From Twitter Violate Free Speech? These Experts Say Not Exactly
- WIRED-UK. January 14. Trump's mob is on Telegram and theyâre already getting organised
- Gizmodo. January 15. Leaked Parler Data Points to Users at Police Stations, U.S. Military Bases
- The Economist "Checks and Balances" podcast. January 15. On muteâholding Donald Trump to account
- CNN. January 19. Fearing more violence, online platforms are cracking down on livestreams from Washington
- ProPublica. January 19. Twitter and YouTube Banned Steve Bannon. Apple Still Gives Him Millions of Listeners
- Southern Poverty Law Center HATEWATCH. January 19. Meet the White Nationalist Organizer Who Spewed Hate Against Lawmakers
- Vox. January 20. Why right-wing extremistsâ favorite new platform is so dangerous
- Spectrum News. January 20. "A Long Time Coming": A Conversation with N.C. Professor Who Tracks Online Extremism
- NPR, All Things Considered. Radio interview, pre-recorded. January 22. Alternative Social Media Platforms Become Popular Among Some Trump Supporters
- The Wire, China. January 24. The Crypto Kid
- Financial Times. January 25. White nationalists target scattered Trump supporters
- Reuters. January 25. Online merchants linked to QAnon down, but not out, following platform bans
- New York Times. January 26. They Found a Way to Limit Big Techâs Power: Using the Design of Bitcoin
- The 74. January 27. How White Extremists Teach Kids to Hate
- Business Insider. February 1. Signal barely knows anything about its tens of millions of new users. Experts and employees worry it's an extremist free-for-all.
- The Trace. February 2. Keybase, a Platform Owned by Zoom, Will Ban Groups Sharing Blueprints for 3D-Printed Guns
- The Trace. February 2. What Are 3D-Printed Guns, and Why Are They Controversial?
- USA Today. February 5. Crowdfunding hate: How white supremacists and other extremists raise money from legions of online followers
- The Trace. February 6. Extremists Are Using Gun Rights to Attract New Recruits
- Financial Times. February 10. Big Tech needs to tackle the white supremacists of Gen Z
- CNN. February 19. How White nationalists evade the law and continue profiting off hate
- Gizmodo. February 24. Your Travel Guide to the Rudderless Right-Wing Web After Trump
- The Guardian. March 10. US far-right extremists making millions via social media and cryptocurrency
- The Guardian. March 11. Gab: hack gives unprecedented look into platform used by far right
- The Guardian. March 12. Far-right supporters move to open source to evade censorship
- ABC News. March 12. How the far-right group behind AFPAC is using Twitter to grow its movement
- New York Times. March 14. Police Shrugged Off the Proud Boys, Until They Attacked the Capitol
- NPR, All Things Considered. March 16. Across The Internet, A Game Of Whac-A-Mole Is Underway To Root Out Extremism
- USA Today. March 28. Insurrection fundraiser: Capitol riot extremists, Trump supporters raise money for lawyer bills online
- Chicago Tribune. March 29. Cancel proof? Activists are trying to get Nick Fuentes, a far-right video streamer from the western suburbs, kicked off the internet. It might be impossible
- ABC News. March 30. Militia extremists developing strategies to work around social media crackdown, DHS memo warns
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution. April 2. New focus for vaccine push: Republican men
- Salon. April 8. White nationalist "groyper" movement links up with anti-vaxxers, threatens use of weapons
- NBC News. April 11. 'White Lives Matter' rallies flop as hardly anyone shows up
- BBC Business Daily podcast, pre-recorded. April 12. Telegram in the Spotlight (10:59 mark)
- PBS and ProPublica, Frontline. Television pre-recorded. April 13. American Insurrection (13:50 mark)
- Very Opinionated with Soledad O'Brien. Podcast, pre-recorded. April 13. A Closer Look at How Extremists Fundraise
- Gizmodo. April 14. White Extremists Sought Murders of Politicians and Cops After Capitol Siege
- BBC. April 23. Telegram misogyny: 'They wanted to tie me and my child to a horse'
- MLive. April 27. Pics or it didnât happen: Indoctrinated on Facebook, Capitol rioters turn to social media to rehash their exploits
- New York Times. April 27. Extremists Find a Financial Lifeline on Twitch
- Raw Story. April 28. Feds seize funds from white nationalist leader that may have been donated by mysterious now-dead French donor
- Southern Poverty Law Center "Sounds like hate". Podcast, pre-recorded. May 12. Season 2, Episode 1: "Baseless, Part IV"
- Hearst television. Television interview, pre-recorded. May 12. Hate in the Homeland, Part 2: Monetization of hate online soars
- USA Today. May 14. Feds are tracking Americans' social media to identify dangerous conspiracies. Critics worry for civil liberties
- Southern Poverty Law Center "Sounds like hate". Podcast, pre-recorded. May 19. Season 2, Episode 2: "Baseless, Part V"
- Washington Post. May 21. Trump is sliding toward online irrelevance. His new blog isn't helping.
- WNYC, On the Media. Radio interview, pre-recorded. July 2. The Road to Insurrection.
- Coda Story. July 9. Far-right influencers made thousands of dollars a day on a little-known gaming platform
- Gizmodo. July 21. U.S. Intel Officials Eyed DLive as Recruitment Vehicle for Neo-Nazis Targeting Young Gamers
- USA Today. July 23. A respected developer died by suicide. Experts say toxic online culture is partly to blame
- American Independent. August 4. Despite promises, Facebook is still not removing antisemitic and Islamophobic hate speech
- CNN. September 1. White supremacist praise of the Taliban takeover concerns US officials
- Raw Story. September 9. Ex-Marines in neo-Nazi terror cell planned to attack power grid as precursor to assassination campaign: government
- NPR. September 17. Capitol Police Are Bracing Themselves Ahead Of Far-Right 'Justice For J6' Rally
- Washington Post. September 21. Huge hack reveals embarrassing details of whoâs behind Proud Boys and other far-right websites
- BBC Click. September 21. Video, pre-recorded. Extremism Online (focus on video gaming). (6:45 mark)
- FiveThirtyEight. September 22. Jan. 6 Has Given The Right Hundreds Of New Martyrs
- USA Today. September 30. How podcasts have become the backbone for white supremacist recruiting
- KUOW-Seattle. October 6. Podcast, pre-recorded. Seattle Now: An epic hack of online extremists (2:20 mark)
- Washington Post. October 25. White supremacists are returning to Charlottesville. But this time, theyâre on trial.
- Mel Magazine. October 25. How Far-Right Podcasts Took Over America
- CNN. November 7. Steve Bannon's popular podcast is a 'dangerous' fantasyland of election lies
- The Guardian. November 29. How far-right extremist groups face exposure from army of hacktivists
- BBC World Service. November 30. Radio interview, pre-recorded. The Internet Instigators.(8:10 mark)
- Washington Post. December 6. A white supremacist march in D.C. was pushed by a fake Twitter account, experts say
- CNN. December 9. Epik is a refuge for the deplatformed far right. Here's why its CEO insists on doing it
- Mel Magazine. December 27. Why White Supremacists are Flocking to Crypto
- The Guardian. December 27. How Australiaâs far right uses cryptocurrencies to monetise hate online
2020
- New York Times. January 16. Virginia Capital on Edge as F.B.I. Arrests Suspected Neo-Nazis Before Gun Rally.
- New York Times. January 17. Who Is the Man Behind the Gun Rally That Has Virginia On Edge?
- CBC-Radio Canada. Radio interview, pre-recorded. January 23. Former soldier, alleged neo-Nazi Patrik Mathews denied bail in U.S.
- CBC News Canada. January 23. Former soldier, alleged neo-Nazi Patrik Mathews denied bail in U.S.
- Voice of America. March 17. Once Ardent Trump Supporters, White Nationalists Splinter Ahead of Presidential Vote.
- Raw Story. March 24. Gleeful neo-Nazis see echoes of the 1930s as America plunges into a coronavirus crisis.
- KCTV-5 Kansas City. Television interview, pre-recorded. March 27. Domestic terror suspect killed by FBI wanted to bomb hospital.
- KSHB-TV Kansas City. Television interview, pre-recorded. March 27. FBI: Terrorism suspect who planned to bomb hospital visited neo-Nazi chatrooms.
- Voice of America. April 22. Far-Right Extremists Publish 25,000 Email Addresses Allegedly Tied to COVID Fight.
- Voice of America. April 25. How Far-Right Extremists are Exploiting the COVID Pandemic.
- New York Times. May 3. The Coronavirus Becomes a Battle Cry for U.S. Extremists.
- Daily Kos. May 5. The right may have cooked up the Boogaloo bois, but will find fascists are beyond their control.
- Raw Story. May 6. Homeland Security issues a startling internal alert after lockdown protester gets arrested for building pipe bombs..
- Right Wing Watch. May 14. Capital Research Center Employee Favorite Source for White Nationalist Smear Campaign Against Ahmaud Arbery.
- Times of San Diego. May 28. Behind the Troll Mask: Santee's Swastika Man and His Expert Translator.
- NBC News. May 31. Videos, threats, but few signs protests have been stoked by 'outsider' extremist groups.
- AP News. May 31. Officials see extremist groups, disinformation in protests
- New York Times. May 31. Many Claim Extremists Are Sparking Protest Violence. But Which Extremists?
- The Daily Beast. June 1. The Bizarre Downfall of a Neo-Nazi Who Used a COVID Protest to Target Jews
- Voice of America. June 1. Four Extremist Groups Suspected of Involvement in Protest Violence
- Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. June 2. North Carolina Protest Shooting Suspect Appears To Have Ties to Organized Neo-Confederacy, Hate Groups
- CNN. June 3. Gun-toting members of the Boogaloo movement are showing up at protests
- WXII Greensboro. Television interview, pre-recorded. June 3. Greensboro, Asheboro protests attract gun-toting 'Boogaloo' group to demonstrations
- Rolling Stone. June 5. Far-Right âBoogaloo Boysâ Are Trying to Incite Violence at Protests
- The Daily Beast. June 8. The Disturbing Appeal of Boogaloo Violence to Military Men
- NBC News. June 11. Man charged in deputy ambush scrawled extremist 'Boogaloo' phrases in blood
- WIRED. June 18. The Meme-Fueled Rise of a Dangerous, Far-Right Militia
- Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. June 23. 'There Is No Political Solution': Accelerationism in the White Power Movement
- Washington Post. June 24. The Technology 202: Facebook struggles to keep violent âboogalooâ content off its platform
- Vice News. June 24. The U.S. Military Has a Boogaloo Problem.
- Vice News. June 25. Discord Just Shut Down the Biggest 'Boogaloo' Server for Inciting Violence
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation. June 27. Antifa, Boogaloo boys, white nationalists: Which extremists showed up to the US Black Lives Matter protests?
- Reveal News from the Center for Investigative Journalism. Podcast, pre-recorded. June 27. The Evolution of All-American Terrorism
- The Informant & The Trace. June 29. Selling the boogaloo
- NBC News. June 30. Facebook to Remove Anti-Government 'Boogaloo' Groups
- Huffington Post. July 1. Facebook Cracked Down On Extremism. It Only Took A Major Boycott And Multiple Killings.
- Charlotte Observer. July 2. Blue Igloo gone: Did Facebook delete page tied to armed marches in Raleigh?
- Slate. July 31. Confederate Groups Are Thriving on Facebook. What Does That Mean for the Platform?
- The Informant. August 1. Use of Force: Boogaloo website urges "justifiable use of force" against members of law enforcement
- TIME. August 20. How Far-Right Personalities And Conspiracy Theorists Are Cashing In On The Pandemic Online.
- Raw Story. August 25. A far-right group with a history of violence plans to join a QAnon-inspired march in North Carolina
- NBC News. September 1. Where protesters go, armed militias, vigilantes likely to follow with little to stop them
- Associated Press. September 4. Online bans fail to silence US extremists drawn to protests
- USA Today. September 29. Donald Trump sidesteps call to condemn white supremacists â and the Proud Boys were 'extremely excited' about it
- Time. September 29. President Trump Was Asked to Condemn White Supremacists. He Gave Them 'a Huge Win' Instead
- NBC News. September 29. Proud Boys celebrate after Trump's debate callout
- BBC London. September 30. Live television interview. Who are the Proud Boys?
- Gizmodo. September 30. 'Stand Back and Stand By' Already Selling on Extremist Proud Boys T-Shirts, Thanks to Trump
- Buzzfeed News. September 30. The Proud Boys Got A Bunch Of New Followers After Trump Said To "Stand By"
- New York Times. September 30. Far-Right Group That Trades in Political Violence Gets a Boost
- WRAL. September 30. Trump's debate comments energize white supremacist group
- LA Times. October 1. Who are the Proud Boys?
- ABC-10 (Sacramento). October 1. Other local extremist groups a threat despite focus on 'Proud Boys'
- Bloomberg. October 1. Debate Gives Fresh Notoriety to Vice Co-Founder's Proud Boys
- Talking Points Memo. October 1. https://www.npr.org/2020/10/22/926339006/heres-where-the-threat-of-militia-activity-around-the-elections-is-the-highest
- Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch. October 7. Far-Right Pennsylvania Politics Blog Was Mirrored by Obscure Russian Website
- AP News. October 8. Law enforcement preps for potential election-related unrest
- New York Times. October 13. Riled Up: Misinformation Stokes Calls for Violence on Election Day
- Southern Poverty Law Center "Sounds like hate". Podcast, pre-recorded. October 15. Season 1, Episode 3: "Baseless, Part II".
- NPR. October 16. How Zello Became A Recruitment & Organizing Tool For The Far Right
- NPR. October 22. Here's Where The Threat Of Militia Activity Around The Elections Is The Highest
- Toronto Star. October 22. Canadian Forces investigates after mystery man in secret recording claims to be a soldier â and a neo-Nazi
- Bloomberg. October 23. Americans Are Frantically Buying Military Gear Before the Election
- Rolling Stone. November 3. An American Powder Keg
- Atlanta Journal Constitution. November 17. Online sales fuel fringe movements
- Southern Poverty Law Center HATEWATCH. November 17. Extremists Are Cashing in on a Youth-Targeted Gaming Website
2019
- Gizmodo. January 9. Self-Described Proud Boy, QAnon Believer Arrested for Allegedly Murdering Brother With Sword.
- BBC 5. Radio interview, live. January 26. End-to-end encryption and the Facebook merger with Whatsapp and Instagram.
- Buzzfeed News. March 18. Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Is Absolutely Relentless On Social Media Even As Platforms Crack Down On Other Extremist Groups.
- Snopes. March 19. 'The Ladder Down to Hell': How Social Media Breeds Hate Speech.
- Voice of America. April 10. US White Nationalists Barred by Facebook Find Haven on Russia Site.
- NBC News. May 15. The feds need to up their game against domestic extremists, critics say.
- Buzzfeed News. May 30. White Nationalist Groups Banned By Facebook Are Still On The Platform.
- Reveal News from the Center for Investigative Journalism. Podcast, pre-recorded. June 8. Hate in the homeland.
- Reveal News from the Center for Investigative Journalism. June 15. To protect and slur: Inside hate groups on Facebook, police officers trade racist memes, conspiracy theories and Islamophobia
- Voice of America. July 17. Many White Nationalists Praise Controversial Trump Tweets.
- WFAA Dallas-8. Television Interview, pre-recorded. Terror in El Paso. August 4. URL
- Wall St. Journal. September 4. 'So What's His Kill Count?': The Toxic Online World Where Mass Shooters Thrive.
- Reveal News from the Center for Investigative Journalism. September 30. Hundreds of cops are in extremist Facebook groups. Why haven't their departments done anything about it?
- New York Times. October 9. Assailant Live-Streamed Attempted Attack on German Synagogue.
- New York Times. October 9. 2,200 Viewed Germany Shooting Before Twitch Removed Post.
- NBC News. October 9. German shooter who killed 2 on Yom Kippur livestreamed killings.
- The Verge. October 9. An anti-Semitic shooting in Germany was live-streamed on Twitch.
- Bloomberg. October 9. Amazon Removes Synagogue Attack From Twitch Service.
- WELT. October 10. Twitch: Die Schaubühne des Halle-Attentäters im Internet.
- EuroNews. October 10. Halle: la diretta della sparatoria vista da cinque persone, ma il problema è la propagazione online.
- Independent. October 10. Germany Shooting: How Live Streamed Murder Videos Became Propaganda Tools And How Tech Firms Are Resisting.
- Straits Times. October 10. Amazon removes German synagogue attack from Twitch streaming service.
- DW. October 11. German synagogue attacker's online extremist circles revealed.
- Gizmodo. October 11. Halle Gunman Confesses to Livestreamed Shooting, Allegedly Posted Manifesto Online.
- Buzzfeed News. October 11. Far-Right Halle Shooter Allegedly Posted A Manifesto With Xbox-Like 'Achievements' To Anime Message Board Before Livestreaming Attack.
- Radio New Zealand. Radio interview, live. October 11. Spreading terror online - moving from Twitch to Telegram.
- WLOS ABC-13 Asheville. Television interview, pre-recorded. November 18. News 13 Investigates: White supremacy and the new face of hate across the Carolinas.
- Financial Times. December 15. Far-right extremists flock to protest messenger app Telegram.
- Online Hate Prevention Institute. December 23. Hate and Violent Extremism from an Online Sub-Culture: The Yom Kippur Terrorist Attack in Halle, Germany.
2018
- WIRED. January 16. Meet Antifa's Secret Weapon Against Far-Right Extremists.
- Newsweek. January 18. Alt-right Neo-Nazis Are Targeting The Women's March.
- Southern Poverty Law Center HATEWATCH. May 5. The Persistence of Anti-Muslim Hate on Facebook.
- Buzzfeed News. August 4. Here's How Anti-Muslim Groups On Facebook Overlap With A Range Of Far-Right Extremism.
- Gizmodo. August 5. Anti-Muslim Facebook is Even Worse Than We Thought.
- New Yorker. September 19. After Years of Abusive E-mails, the Creator of Linux Steps Aside
- Motherboard. September 26. The Culture War Comes to Linux.
- Mic. October 2. How not to deal with a Confederate monument.
- Daily Beast. November 2. Pittsburgh Shooting Suspect Robert Bowers Worked on Gab to Dox Left-Wing Blogger.
- Huffington Post. December 8. A Prominent White Supremacist Is An EMT In Virginia. Now The State Is Investigating Him.
- Dave Eggers PEN H. G. Wells Lecture. December 21. The violations start with us.
2017
- Newsweek. November 19. (It's Ok To Be White: How Fox News Is Helping To Spread Neo-nazi Propaganda.)
- The Academic Minute. Audio Series. July 27. (Password Security.)
- Radio New Zealand. Radio interview, pre-recorded. May 22. (Why we choose terrible passwords.)
- The W with Vicky Dávila. W Radio (Columbia). Radio interview, live (in translation). May 9. (Password Security.)
- The Matt Townsend Show. BYU Radio (Sirius XM). Radio Interview, live. April 5. (Password Security.)
2016
- The Guardian. December 17. The Day I Went Hunting for the Ku Klux Klan.
2014
- Hearsay Culture Radio Show #224. Radio interview, pre-recorded. KZSU Stanford University 90.1 FM. November 13. (Data Mining.)
Other Writing and Appearances
In addition to many research papers and articles for popular media, I have also written two technical books, Clean Data, and Mastering Data Mining with Python. I am also co-author of Engines of Mischief: Technology, Rebellion, and the Industrial Revolution in England, 1817-1818, forthcoming from UNC Press.