Trend indicator toolkit for dealing with online extremism

This study will draw on several years of research at the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace Security and Justice, Queen's University Belfast, including Professor John Brewer and Dr Stephen Herron’s FiMT funded research on UK Armed Forces transition, which discovered that Veterans are susceptible to online extremist messaging. 

The aim of this study is to advance how we understand and deal with online extremism. This seeks to develop a countering online extremism toolkit with a focus on cultural sensitivity, targeting security, policing, policymakers, and anti-extremism networks. Early intervention mechanisms adopted from the toolkit will also increase the capacity of organisations involved in countering online extremism by improving effectiveness and efficiency. The real-world impact of this research will also be to shape future discussions and policy around online extremism and help to lead in positive social transformation.

This study seeks to utilise inter-disciplinary mixed methodological approaches to develop a countering online extremism toolkit.