Modern right-wing extremism as a challenge for the democratic security architecture: New approaches against extremism in social media with Computational Criminological Science

Abstract

This dissertation examines the effects of digitalisation on processes of political decision-making and the resulting potential dangers in (and around) the phenomenon of right-wing extremism and places them in the context of their detectability by security authorities. The modern challenges to a functional early warning system of democracy are first developed theoretically and then analysed primarily on the basis of data-scientific studies of relevant social media profiles. The results of the individual research phases show that the basic framework conditions of the networking and distribution of information in social media already form a breeding ground for radicalisation, which arises in particular from the viral spread of emotionalising content and the automated connection of contextual entities. In this way, a formative influence is exerted on the perception of problems in society and processes of political decision-making are shaped by this. Feelings of fear, outrage, injustice or anger can be triggered and/or amplified in political communities and networks and channelled into enemy stereotypes. Under these conditions, extremist potential dangers often cannot be subsumed under the legal construct of extremism because the heterogeneous networks cannot be shown to have a "goal- and purpose-oriented endeavour". Potential extremist threats arising from this can therefore only be recognised late by the security authorities' early warning system for democracy. Narrowly defined legal mandates, a lack of overarching cooperation structures and limited information transfer as well as rigid interpretations of (legal) definitions based mostly on classic real-world experience form hurdles that need to be adequately overcome in order to successfully combat and prevent extremism in the present and future. Interdisciplinary structural approaches based on co-operation between science, civil society and security authorities, particularly on the basis of computational criminological science, offer new and promising perspectives for meeting the modern demands of a secure and free democratic society in an appropriate, flexible and transparent manner.