Neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists were early adopters of bulletin board systems, pioneering online recruiting and radicalization techniques long before the social media revolution.

How can society police the global spread of online far-right extremism while still protecting free speech? That’s a question policymakers and watchdog organizations confronted as early as the 1980s and ’90s – and it hasn’t gone away.

Decades before artificial intelligence, Telegram and white nationalist Nick Fuentes’ livestreams, far-right extremists embraced the early days of home computing and the internet. These new technologies offered them a bastion of free speech and a global platform. They could share propaganda, spew hatred, incite violence and gain international followers like never before.

  • BakkodaEnglish
    34·
    5 days ago

    “Before the Internet” in a headline and then 2 paragraphs later “using the Internet”. Bravo.

    And confusing “the Internet” with the http protocol shows a total lack of basic knowledge and also a wonderful teaching moment to incorporate into your article. Missed opportunity in a race to crank out drivel and get some AI seo traffic.

    • PattyMcBEnglish
      9·
      5 days ago

      Right? The term online didn’t really enter the vernacular until the internet was a thing.

      While I agree with “Fuck Nazis” the headline is shit

    • dukemirageEnglish
      4·
      4 days ago

      It’s usually called the Web though, not http as only one of the technical details involved.

      • BakkodaEnglish
        3·
        4 days ago

        That’s 100% a better term to use. I just always feel silly when I say it in my head because it’s ambiguous as fuck for me.

    • undrwaterEnglish
      3·
      5 days ago

      “Far center extremists have hacked the power grid to make LLM’s more understandable. Click the link to learn how to protect yourself.”