On the sidelines of #UNGA81, ISD CEO Sasha Havlicek joined members of government, civil society and private sector leaders for a UN Women roundtable on tackling technology-facilitated violence against women and girls. Read more: bit.ly/3Vq87LH

ISD CEO Sasha Havlicek participates in UN Women roundtable on technology-facilitated violence

ISD CEO Sasha Havlicek participated in a roundtable organized by Croatia and UN Women to combat technology-facilitated violence.

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Meta users were targeted with ads claiming they could obtain a “national concealed carry permit”, a permit that does not exist. Despite this, the campaigns generated at least 24.8 million impressions. Read the research: www.isdglobal.org/digital-disp...

Grandma got her gun: How scam concealed carry ads are targeting seniors and veterans on Meta platforms

ISD finds scam ads for fake concealed carry permits reaching millions on Meta, often targeting seniors and veterans with AI-generated deception.

isdglobal.org

Despite years of efforts to remove al-Qaeda content and networks from online platforms, its digital ecosystem persists, adapting to new technologies and operating through a decentralised “network of networks”. Read the research: www.isdglobal.org/digital-disp... Key findings 🧵👇

25 years after 9/11, al-Qaeda remains perennially online: The group’s digital ecosystem in 2026 - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Twenty-five years after 9/11, al-Qaeda remains online, adapting its decentralized ecosystem across platforms, messaging services and AI.

isdglobal.org

ISD research made the front page of @theipaper.com this week, revealing how possible Russian state-linked actors may be exploiting online networks of predominantly young people already predisposed to violence, adding financing, expertise and direction.

The i Paper @theipaper.com · 4w ago

Wednesday's front page: Russian spies 'recruiting UK teenagers' Read the full story: trib.al/6GHGjpb #TomorrowsPapersToday

Could online subcultures of nihilistic violence be the next frontier for state-linked hybrid warfare? Since April 2026, a coalition we're calling 'the Alliance' has worked to impose order on the 'Com' — a sprawling cybercrime network defined by nihilistic, youth-driven violence.

In a new article, our Global Chair Eric Rosand argues that cities remain overlooked in global counter-terrorism efforts, despite their unique role in prevention. As the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy enters its third decade, this needs to change. 🔗 bit.ly/4xiArwQ

Twenty Years On, the UN’s Counterterrorism Strategy Still Overlooks Cities - Strong Cities Network

The following article was originally published by Eric Rosand, Global Chair, Strong Cities Network, in the International Peace Institute’s (IPI) Global Observatory on 8 September 2026 September 2026 m...

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In the 25 years since 9/11, the online ecosystem around al-Qaeda has changed dramatically, but it has not disappeared. Today, we're revisiting ISD research tracing how this propaganda adapts and reaches new audiences, from online extremist networks to memes and mainstream social media. 🧵

Today in Berlin, ISD begins marking its 20th anniversary and two decades of work addressing extremist propaganda, polarisation and hostile foreign information operations. Over the coming year, we will reflect on how these challenges have evolved and what comes next.

What happens when voters ask AI how to vote? As chatbots become an increasingly common source of information, their answers to election questions can have real consequences for voters. With the US midterm elections approaching, ISD researchers tested leading AI models ⬇

Chatbots and the Ballot Box: Evaluating Accuracy, Sourcing, and Language Gaps in AI Answers to Election Questions - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

ISD assesses how reliably six leading AI models provide accurate, complete information on US election procedures and voter access.

isdglobal.org

Online jihadist propaganda is taking on a new form in the hands of a younger generation ⬇️ A new ISD Investigation explores the ‘Slop Jihad’, where generative AI and everyday internet trends are being used to glorify jihadist attackers, ideologues and violence. www.isdglobal.org/digital-disp...

Generation ‘Slop Jihad:’ The decentralized ‘media jihad’ gets sloppy - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Jihadist propaganda is evolving as younger supporters embrace AI-generated ‘Slop Jihad’ content, reshaping online communities and extremist aesthetics

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What can two decades of counter-extremism teach us about responding to an evolving landscape of hybrid threats? A new ISD paper examines the rising tide of Iran- and Russia-linked violence in Europe, and how lessons from counter-extremism policy and practice can inform prevention efforts 🧵

Lessons in Extremism Prevention for Countering Hybrid Threats: A Framework for Policy Response - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Europe faces growing hybrid threats as hostile states increasingly exploit online networks to recruit young people for disruptive & violent activity.

isdglobal.org

In a new piece for The Globe and Mail, ISD’s Steven Rai examines how online cultures that glorify violence are reshaping risks facing young people and schools in Canada. He argues for earlier intervention and stronger prevention before law enforcement becomes the only option. Read: tgam.ca/4yf99YW

Opinion: Canada needs to modernize school violence prevention

We need to be able to identify threats and disrupt plans, denying violent actors the notoriety they seek

tgam.ca

Canadian domestic extremism update: March – May 2026 ⬇️ ISD’s latest briefing examines the platforms extremist actors use, the topics that galvanize them and the communities they target, as part of a multi-year study of domestic extremist activity in Canada. 🧵 www.isdglobal.org/publication/...

Online Domestic Extremism in Canada Data Briefing – March 2026 to May 2026 - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Analysis of Canadian domestic extremists’ online activity, including platforms, galvanising topics and targeting of communities, from March–May 2026.

isdglobal.org

In December 2025, two Islamic State supporters carried out Australia's first mass casualty terror attack, targeting Bondi's Jewish community—sparking a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. www.isdglobal.org/digital-disp...

Online antisemitism and digital regulation: ISD’s submission to the Australian Royal Commission - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

This Dispatch contains an excerpt from an ISD expert report submitted to the Australia's Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.

isdglobal.org

How often do you scroll past a word you don't quite know and let it go? Just another bit of internet slang to half-understand. "Goyslop" is one of those words, and it's anything but innocuous.

ISD and the @strongcitiesnetwork.org are launching a new three-year initiative, supported by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, to support cities in detecting and responding to migration-related information threats. Explore how this will support local action 🧵

Across Europe, gendered narratives, anti-gender mobilisation and misogyny are reshaping how extremist movements recruit, radicalise and organise online. Yet these dynamics are still too often treated as separate from broader efforts to prevent violent extremism. www.emmelo.eu/posts/the-ro...

Masculinity in extremist movements: Policy Recommendations

THE ROLE OF MASCULINITY IN EXTREMIST MOVEMENTS: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EUROPEAN POLICYMAKERS FOR EVIDENCE-BASED AND SENSITIVE RESPONSES

emmelo.eu

The Islamist extremist attack targeting Berlin's Christopher Street Day celebrations has once again highlighted that Islamic State (IS) remains a major terrorist threat. A new ISD dispatch examines what the attack tells us about today's Islamist extremist landscape. 🧵

As conversational AI becomes part of how people seek information, advice and companionship, understanding its role in pathways to radicalisation is increasingly important. A new ISD research analysed around 1,800 responses from 10 leading AI systems. Explore the key findings 🧵

Gendered deepfakes, or synthetic non-consensual intimate imagery, are one of the fastest-growing forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence. But the problem extends far beyond AI itself. ISD's new report maps the entire ecosystem enabling this abuse 🧵 www.isdglobal.org/publication/...

Mapping the 'Nudify' Tools Ecosystem - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

ISD maps the gendered deepfakes ecosystem, exposing how it's created, spread and monetised while identifying key regulatory gaps.

isdglobal.org

Co-Exec Director of ISD Germany Julia Ebner's new book, The Language of Terrorists, is already turning heads. Drawing on a decade of research at ISD, Julia introduces the Violence Risk Index, showing how language can distinguish credible threats from violent extremist rhetoric.

ISD is excited to be part of the establishment of NERON—the Network for European Research on Jewish Life and Antisemitism—led by @jprdata.bsky.social & the @eui-eu.bsky.social. Together, we're working to advance research on countering antisemitism/fostering Jewish life in Europe. Learn more below ⬇️

Institute for Jewish Policy Research@jprdata.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Last evening in Vienna, the European Commission Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, launched '𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍' - network for researching antisemitism and Jewish life, to be led by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) and the European University Institute (EUI).

The May 2026 attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego reflects a newer and increasingly visible form of neo-Nazi accelerationist violence: while extremist ideology remains central, the pathways into it are becoming increasingly diffuse and embedded in nihilistic online subcultures.

San Diego mosque shooting highlights new generation of neo-Nazi accelerationism - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

The May 2026 attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego reflects an emerging trend in neo-Nazi accelerationist violence.

isdglobal.org

New data from ISD’s latest briefing on online domestic extremism in Canada highlights the narratives, platforms and events driving extremist activity online between December 2025 and February 2026 ⬇️ www.isdglobal.org/publication/...

Online Domestic Extremism in Canada Data Briefing – December 2025 to February 2026 - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

This briefing paper details analysis of Canadian domestic extremists’ online activity between 1 December 2025 and 28 February 2026.

isdglobal.org

Non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) abuse is a significant and growing form of gender-based violence.

New ISD analysis finds that multiple Russian state-sponsored and aligned information campaigns are targeting Armenia's upcoming parliamentary elections, in an attempt to undercut Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s re-election campaign. www.isdglobal.org/digital-disp...

All operations on Armenia: Russia's influence machine targets the vote - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Multiple Russian information operations are converging on Armenia in an apparent attempt to influence parliamentary elections on 7 June

isdglobal.org

4chan threads are functioning as the origin point for the dissemination of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) across platforms like Telegram and Discord.

Today, ISD is launching a new toolkit developed as part of Project Catalyst, a consortium led by the Christchurch Call Foundation examining the role of misogyny in violent extremism. www.isdglobal.org/publication/...

Addressing the Intersection of Misogyny, Targeted Hate and Violent Extremism - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

isdglobal.org

Three people were killed at a San Diego mosque on Monday, May 18, and the two attackers shared a video from the shooting and documents citing extremist ideology.

Anonymity, limited moderation and “wizards”, alongside the users requesting such content, have created permissive conditions on 4chan for misogynistic communities centred around synthetic non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) ⬇️ www.isdglobal.org/digital-disp...

High risk, small platforms: Understanding synthetic non-consensual intimate imagery and community norms on 4chan - Institute for Strategic Dialogue

This Dispatch examines how synthetic NCII is socially reinforced on 4chan and highlights persistent regulatory gaps.

isdglobal.org