Many of these efforts were made available to researchers and journalists, who, in turn, revealed previously unknown details about them, including personal information.
Many extremist groups and far-right platforms were targets of data scrapes, breaches, and hacks. Researchers and digital sleuths monitored extremist groups and alternative social media platforms to gather open-source data, while hackers actively infiltrated them. Many central figures lost access to mainstream digital services, forcing them to disperse across alternative online spaces. Movements, groups, and individuals present during the attack were subjected to additional scrutiny by tech companies. Social media companies and online platforms took further actions against extremist content and activities, leading to a “great scattering” of extremists and extremist groups across alternative platforms. Widespread suspicion, of both each other and federal authorities, led many movements to discourage attendance at public political events and accuse one another of cooperating with investigators. Various movements or loosely organized groups planned and encouraged follow-up events, but most were eventually canceled. Various domestic extremist movements and their supporters cheered the January 6 US Capitol attack but became paralyzed by paranoia. Perceived momentum gained throughout 2020 saw a brief freeze, as initial waves of arrests and public scrutiny disrupted organizing and activities. Daily monitoring efforts, primarily comprising open-source and investigative reporting, began in the latter half of 2020 and continued through the entirety of 2021, producing a comprehensive record of extremist movements online that informed this report, as well as other efforts to combat the threats that domestic extremist movements pose to democracy and public safety. This research is informed by continued online monitoring and analysis of extremist individuals, groups, and movements, and how their online behavior influences offline activities. As noted in the National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism, domestic extremist threats include groups and individuals “whose racial, ethnic, or religious hatred leads them toward violence” and those who incite “imminent violence in opposition to legislative, regulatory, or other actions taken by the government,” including self-proclaimed militias, “sovereign citizen” movements, and others promoting fringe ideological grievances. This report by the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) provides an overview and analysis of the shifts observed in domestic extremist movements since the 2021 Capitol attack. By the summer of 2021, other movements reorganized, making strategic adjustments along the way. But, resulting arrests and scrutiny soured that cheer into a wicked brew of paranoia and fear that played out among these movements, both online and offline.Īfter a short period of relative inactivity, some radical movements began to resurface publicly. /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65037746/GettyImages_1154309583.0.jpg "dc organizer terrorist ties")
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Photo: Leah Millis/Reuters Executive summaryĭomestic extremist movements have evolved and adapted their strategies, infrastructure, and messaging in the year since the insurrection at the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. Such movements were initially jubilant at the sight of extremist groups and former President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters crashing through windows and brawling with police, temporarily halting the US Congress as it certified the 2020 election results.
“A parallel society”: Prepper mentality spreads. Right-wing influencers and their engagement on alt platforms. “We are so back”: Rehabilitation, rebranding, and revisionism. “They are watching”: Bombast, then blowback. Before the attack: From Stop the Steal to the Capitol steps.
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