Policing of the Far-Right Online: The Cases of the UK and Hungary

Abstract

Far-right groups have increasingly been able use and weaponize the online space for activism, especially in regard to create radicalizing effects that lead to political violence. This article explores how policing communities are treating far-right groups online, what strategies they’ve been using, and the effect this has on far-right activism. Using interviews with practitioners and key in-depth case studies of far-right groups in the U.K. and Hungary, what it finds overall is that policing communities are increasingly using more sophisticated tactics to combat far-right content. In the future, this research advocates for more transparency about tactics and reasoning behind policing strategies used in the online space.