Skip links
Login

HE

Big Tech Becomes Alt-Tech

Author: , and Published on: Published in: Far-Right Extremism

Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, considered part of the Big-Tech ecosystem, heralds an alarming change regarding online disinformation. Statements about removing censorship and allowing free speech, accompanied by solid end-to-end encryption and weakening the enforcement of online content monitoring, are prominent warning signs for democracy and its institutions.

The transfer of control over information and data and supervision of how it can be used into the hands of individuals becomes a tangible danger due to the lack of checks and balances and captive users. The fact that far-right activists desire to go back to Twitter and re-open their blocked accounts to spread far-right propaganda clearly demonstrates the risk that it poses. By monitoring posts of activists in encrypted and non-encrypted far-right communication channels towards two events that occurred in October and November 2022, the U.S. mid-term elections and the purchase of Twitter by Musk, there is a clear demonstration of the danger posed to public order and to the stability of democracy by social networks platforms terms of use.

Download

author

Researcher, Head of the Global Far-right Extremism Desk & Internal Relations Manager at ICT. Dr. Koblentz-Stenzler is a Researcher, Head of the Global Far-right Extremism Desk & Internal Relations Manager at ICT. She holds a Ph.D. from Tel-Aviv University, Political Science Department. Her research deals with democratic states facing terror or guerilla activities with a focus on Israel, United-States and Sri-Lanka. The research provided democratic states fighting these kind of organizations with an operative instrument that defines realistic requirements to help the state maintain its military effectiveness while increasing the legitimacy of its actions in the eyes of the international community both during and after combat. Dr. Koblentz-Stenzler was awarded a prize for her unique research in the field of terrorism, on behalf of Inbar Fund and the Intelligence Heritage Canter.  She holds an M.A. from Tel-Aviv University, Security Studies department. Her Thesis deals with the subject of morality of targeted killing in the state of Israel. Dr. Koblentz-Stenzler was awarded the Fox International Scholarship (2011-2012), on behalf of Yale University USA, the MacMilan Center for International and Area studies, for research that intends to offer practical solutions to problems which stand in the way of the world`s peace and prosperity. During 2012-2013, and while being a doctoral candidate, she held a visiting Assistant in Research position at the Sociology Department at Yale. She has published articles and op-eds in various newspapers and journals and  has lectured in front of diverse audiences. Dr. Koblentz-Stenzler specializes in issues of Military Ethics, Far-right extremism, Radicalization process, Low Intensity War, Targeted Killing, Just War Theory, Terrorism and Guerilla Warfare.

You may also like