In the blind spot – Right-wing extremists on alternative and established platforms

The report details how right-wing extremists in Germany employ a multi-platform strategy, combining mainstream sites like Facebook and X with alternative, decentralized platforms to avoid regulation and reach wider audiences. It highlights the use of 'fear speech' and 'everyday' topics to attract new sympathizers, the diversification of financing through cryptocurrencies and digital memberships, and the challenges of monitoring visual content on TikTok. The document also discusses the impact of the European Digital Services Act (DSA) and the necessity of a holistic approach involving research, regulation, and deradicalization.

• Right-wing extremist online ecosystems utilize a multi-platform strategy where alternative platforms are used as complementary options rather than just second-choice alternatives to mainstream sites like Facebook, YouTube, Telegram, and X.
• Far-right actors employ 'fear speech' during crises—such as the COVID-19 pandemic, migration, and the energy crisis—to emotionally engage supporters and increase the perceived intensity of threats.
• To reach a broader public beyond the 'hard core', extremists use a two-pronged approach that combines conspiracist narratives with 'softer', non-political 'everyday' topics, such as parenting and rural lifestyles.
• Financing for right-wing extremists has diversified into 'new school' digital methods, including selling premium YouTube memberships (up to €29.90 per month), using cryptocurrency wallets, and leveraging livestream sites like DLive.
• TikTok is used extensively for both internal and external mobilization, often combining extremist content with pop-culture elements to trivialize the ideology and make it accessible to younger audiences.
• Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) offer far-right extremists new ways to avoid surveillance and implement campaigns of influence.
• The European Digital Services Act (DSA) is viewed as a welcome framework, particularly its mandatory risk assessments for 'very large online platforms' (VLOPs), though its effectiveness depends on the implementation of a clear national framework in Germany and access to research data.

APA

Börgmann, H. (2023). In the blind spot – Right-wing extremists on alternative and established platforms. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ISD-Im_Toten_Winkel_3-EN-v3-digitial.pdf

Chicago

Börgmann, Hanna. In the blind spot – Right-wing extremists on alternative and established platforms. Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ISD-Im_Toten_Winkel_3-EN-v3-digitial.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Börgmann |first1=Hanna |title=In the blind spot – Right-wing extremists on alternative and established platforms |publisher=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |date=2023 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ISD-Im_Toten_Winkel_3-EN-v3-digitial.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{brgmann2023blind, author = {Börgmann, Hanna}, title = {{In the blind spot – Right-wing extremists on alternative and established platforms}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2023}, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ISD-Im_Toten_Winkel_3-EN-v3-digitial.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }