11Dic/22

The Captagon factor – by Emilio Palmieri

Captagon is the brand name given to the synthetic-produced drug based off of fenethylline molecules. Firstly synthesised in Germany in 1961, it was introduced as milder alternative to amphetamine and methamphetamine that were employed at the time to treat narcolepsy, fatigue, behavioural disorder and minimal brain dysfunctions. It was also used in lack of drive, particularly in elderly patients due to organic diseases (like Parkinsonism) or other causes, as well as after severe illness or injury. Continue reading

09Nov/22

TERRORGRAM: Status dashboard after HARD-RESET

  1. Terrorgram status dashboard after the countermeasures implemented by Telegram, in response to the HARD-RESET publication. The dashboard is composed of 5 sections: 
  • Definition of Terrorgram and a visual insight of its main propaganda production
  • Social network analysis of the Terrorgram’s channels core (every channel is identified with a code)
  • Top domain shared inside the Terrogram 
  • Top domain shared inside the Terrogram with the timeline
  • Languages detection
02Nov/22

TERRORGRAM: the impact on Italian far-right digital ecosystem – by Federico Borgonovo & ITSTIME (It. & Eng. Version)

Versione italiana – Tra il 26 e il 27 ottobre il ventitreenne Luigi Antonio Pennelli è stato arrestato in provincia di Bari per arruolamento con finalità di terrorismo internazionale e di propaganda ed istigazione a delinquere per motivi di discriminazione razziale etnica e religiosa. Continue reading

24Ott/22

TERRORGRAM: from Buffalo to Bratislava – by Federico Borgonovo & Ali Fisher

Between May and October 2022, five supremacist or accelerationist attacks took place: On 14 May Payton Gendron in Buffalo (USA), on 4 July Robert E. Crimo III in Highland Park (USA), on 11 August Ricky Walter Shiffer in Cincinnati (USA), on 26 September Artyom Kazantsev in Izhevsk (Russia), on 12 October Juraj Krajčík in Bratislava (SK) and finally on 13 October Austin Thompson in Raleigh (USA). Continue reading

30Ago/22

Social bots and synthetic interactions to stage digital extremist armies (part 3) – by Daniele M. Barone

According to a report by GNET, while Daesh (and jihadist groups in general) relied heavily on bot technology, racially and ethnically motivated violent extremist networks have so far refrained from widespread bot usage, mostly because of their different objectives and the more permissive online environment in which they operate.[i]  Nevertheless, far-right or conspiracy groups’ use of social bots can still highlight further communication branches in which AI can be exploited. Continue reading

18Ago/22

“Scrivere da morire”. Scrittura, libertà e   violenza culturale – by Giacomo Buoncompagni

Per il sociologo Walter Ong la scrittura è uno dei media più potenti in grado di influenzare la storia delle civiltà, le relazioni e i conflitti tra gli esseri umani. È stata l’introduzione della scrittura a trasformare lo stile cognitivo e la coscienza degli uomini, producendo nuovi modelli di pensiero che hanno reso possibile l’enorme sviluppo della/e cultura/e. Continue reading