Creating a safe online sphere remains a core issue for Nordic cities. Many of our member cities express concern over growing online hate speech, spread of misinformation and recruitment efforts by extremist movements on social media and in closed forums. The cities are paying increasing attention to online developments and how these may influence or reflect public and political sentiments, and how to best engage online as a city.
The Threat of Online Extremism
Extremist groups have taken full advantage of technological advances and the rise of social media platforms and online communication over the past decade to radicalise and recruit through propaganda. Much like Jihadist movements, groups motivated by anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic and racist sentiments are using the internet to strengthen their messaging and recruitment. Similarly, to Daesh, who use propaganda videos online to recruit and professionally promote their dream of a caliphate, the far-right movement has been particularly successful at spreading disinformation – information spread to intentionally mislead to spur polarisation and hate.
Since 2019, there have been a series of deadly right-wing attacks in Christchurch (NZ), Poway and El Paso (US), Bærum (NO), and Halle and Hanau (DE). These attacks were carried out by solo actors who were radicalised and inspired by each other and primarily through online forums and encrypted channels that the right-wing use to spread their ideologies, and in some cases live-stream their deadly attacks. In their 2020 threat assessment, the Danish intelligence agency, PET, stated that recent attacks show that virtual platforms and social media are being used extensively to spread right-wing extremist propaganda to a large audience, and to radicalise and recruit sympathisers. The Finnish intelligence and security service, SUPO, further note that attacks in other countries pose serious threats as they may inspire and encourage lone perpetrators to carry out violent extremist acts in the Nordics.
Hate and Misinformation on Social Media
Crime rates have been declining for years in Malmö, but the city has experienced challenges communicating these developments publicly. Messages from city officials on social media are met by narratives of actual violent acts on the streets of Malmö, as well as perceived threats, misinformation and hate speech. This stands in the way of the city projecting a nuanced description that recognises the real challenges while factually and credibly communicating the declining crime rates. Oslo (NO) is experiencing an increased spread of fake news online, as well as a lowered threshold and normalisation of hateful statements towards minorities, particularly the Muslim community. Finland has similarly seen an escalation in racist and intolerant hate speech online. In particular, right-wing extremist groups engage in hate speech targeting asylum seekers and religious minorities with the aim of recruiting more supporters to their cause.
While some might not consider hate speech online dangerous, it has been linked to physical violence and extremist attacks in the real world. In Germany, research found a correlation between anti-refugee posts on Facebook by the far-right movement and attacks on refugees, and data from Cardiff University connected an increase of hateful posts on Twitter made from a certain location/city to a corresponding rise in racially and religiously motivated physical attacks in that same location. Currently we are witnessing how far-right groups are exploiting Covid-19 fears to spread disinformation and hateful messages targeting migrants and refugees on and offline.
The online sphere is an information battlefield. Social media companies continue to play an ever more important role as content moderators, judging and removing what’s deemed controversial and extremist content. Meanwhile the EU and national governments continue to push for new or updated legislation on harmful content, privacy and election integrity as extremist videos and false information are still available and spread. In this space, cities and local stakeholders have to find their role between hate and free speech, privacy laws and algorithms. The online sphere continues to be an arena with ample space for innovation in new prevention practice for cities and local stakeholders.
Our Safe City Action
Monitoring and acting on hate online
Hate speech online can be difficult to detect and monitor, which is why some of our member cities are pursuing this issue specifically through their membership in Nordic Safe Cities.
The Norwegian city of Haugesund takes action to reach vulnerable youth at risk of exclusion and being exposed to extremist communities online. The capital city of Stockholm (SE) is taking action to reduce online hate and fear and to empower citizens to resist disinformation, while Malmö (SE) is using the Nordic Safe Cities Alliance to examine new ways of monitoring and dealing with hatred and misinformation expressed on social media.
Nordic Safe Cities will investigate the possibilities for creating an online monitoring tool that can help member cities better monitor extremist hate and disinformation online in real time. Nordic Safe Cities will help cities better understand how to use data while mapping off- and online developments within extremist movements and public sentiments to prevent the spread of propaganda, as well as extremist recruitment and radicalisation online.