Illicit Activities Beneath the Surface Web: Investigating Domestic Extremism on Anonymous Social Media Platforms

Abstract

At the beginning of 2021, the Internet was used to spread words to incite insurrection and violence through social media, incited a pro-Trump mob riot into a U.S. Capitol building. Furthermore, due to recent acts of domestic terrorism in Texas, New Zealand, and California, police authorities have begun investigating social media presence that premeditated harmful acts. In all three instances, the shooters posted their manifesto online and had a presence on 8chan. The common thread among all shooters is their identification as a white nationalist and their social media site affiliation with Infinitechan, where they hid their radical ideas. Similarities in the shooters’ profiles include their perceived viewpoints of population groups regarding their political, ethnic, and social identities. This paper will provide insight into the forums where domestic terrorists spread their agendas. It will also set the foundation for further research towards a strategic algorithm that compiles and analyses relevant users’ profiles by using OSINT and data analytics techniques).

Using machine learning and topic modeling to examine manifestos of violent attackers.

“…The internet and social media, including sites such as Reddit, 4chan, 8chan, Discord, Iron Forum, Gab, and Telegram, have become platforms where lone offenders post their personal grievances and ideologically based manifestos and other written documents (Dawson et al, 2021). In our studies, 10 of the 23 manifestos had been originally posted online (e.g., personal websites, social media), and four were intended or sent to media outlets, indicating that in the majority of the cases, lengthy communication preceded the acts.…”

Understanding the Challenge of Cybersecurity in Africa: A Holistic Analysis of Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Foundation for Future Research

“…According to Dawson, Vassilakos, Remy, and Setor "Digital currency's existence, despite the conceptualization of its original form, has been tied to illicit activities in the Deep/Dark Web. Essentially that means that nefarious users have been using this type of money so that they can stay under the radar and hide any trails their actions would potentially leave behind" (Dawson et al, 2021). A part of revenue generated through the Dark Web, is based on human trafficking.…”

Online Ethics During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…There have been many cases when official/ personal data and information have been made public without the consent of the holder. The most common situations are encountered in political and economic circles (Dawson et al, 2021).…”