ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on characteristics of social media that can be perceived to support violent extremism and discusses legislation and technology that has been developed to prevent and counter online violent extremist expression. One such theory that has the potential to address the criminogenic impact of online technologies themselves is Wood’s theory of algorithmic deviancy amplification. In the context of far-right extremism and jihadism, a growing body of research has thus analysed the role of the internet in contributing to individual radicalization to terrorism, particularly in the context of the contentious “lone-wolf” phenomenon. There have been a number of different measures applied at both the transnational and local level to counter violent extremism, sometimes extending to hate speech online. Relative to international counter-violent extremist measures that primarily target individuals suspected of involvement in jihadism, Australian and international legislation preventing other examples of online hate speech has been less extensive and aggressive.
