Digital Aftershocks: Online Mobilization and Violence in the United States
October 2025
Against a backdrop of escalating political violence and deepening polarization in the United States, our report examines how extremist actors across the ideological spectrum are exploiting digital platforms to respond to, amplify, and glorify violence. Drawing on open-source intelligence collected between March and September 2025, the report traces how far-right, far-left, violent Islamist, and nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) communities use cross-platform strategies to recruit followers, justify violence, and sustain propaganda networks.
At a time of polarized debate over speech and safety online, the report brings clarity to the legal boundaries between protected expression and unlawful threats or incitement under US constitutional doctrine. It highlights the growing convergence around antisemitic targeting, the asymmetric enforcement of terrorist designations, and the rise of “nihilistic” actors seeking digital notoriety rather than political change.
The report includes a series of practical, rights-respecting recommendations for platforms and policymakers to disrupt violent networks, strengthen transparency, and safeguard both public safety and freedom of expression.
For platforms:
- Adopt precise definitions of threats and incitement to ensure consistent enforcement of policies.
- Implement user-friendly, privacy-preserving reporting tools that allow users to flag threatening or violent content without compromising encryption.
- Use metadata responsibly to detect coordinated abuse while minimizing collection, limiting retention, and maintaining transparency about its use.
- Collaborate with other platforms to identify cross-platform migration of extremist actors and disrupt coordinated campaigns.
For policymakers:
- Mandate transparency and procedural standards that require platforms to publish detailed reports on abuse detection and moderation outcomes.
- Revisit extremist and terrorist designation frameworks to ensure that enforcement applies consistently across ideological categories.
- Recognize the limits of legal remedies and respect constitutional boundaries by distinguishing harmful but protected speech from illegal threats or incitement.
- Clarify protocols for information-sharing with law enforcement so that cooperation respects constitutional due process and privacy safeguards.
- Support evidence-based counter-speech initiatives in partnership with civil society to challenge violent narratives and reduce polarization.
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