New Zealand’s Online Extremist Ecosystem

CASM and ISD used Beam for a project commissioned by the New Zealand Department of Interior Affairs that was intended to map the ecosystem of online extremism either from, or about, New Zealand. This included the online activities of extremists with a demonstrable link to the country and led to an exploration of transnational linkages and coordination between groups and individuals.

Exploring far-right, Islamist and far-left extremism as well as the growing grey area between conspiracy theories and extremism online, this research draws on data from social media sites including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, as well as a range of ‘alt tech’ platforms, including Parler, Gab and Telegram, and data from stand-alone extremist websites and forums. The report formed part of the government’s response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 2019 Christchurch attacks.