The Hydra on the Web: Challenges Associated with Extremist Use of the Fediverse

The report examines the use of PeerTube, a decentralized video platform, by far-right and conspiracy movements in Germany. It finds that while these actors occupy a small fraction of the Fediverse, they exploit its decentralized structure to avoid the moderation and legal requirements of centralized platforms. Through network analysis and case studies, the report demonstrates that PeerTube often serves as a back-up for 'deplatforming' and that success on the platform is heavily dependent on pre-existing audience popularity. The authors argue that state regulation is limited by the software's nature and suggest community-led moderation and isolation of extremist instances as more effective responses.

• PeerTube's decentralized architecture creates a 'hydra effect' where the network survives even if individual connected servers are removed, allowing new servers to be added easily.
• There is no central authority for content moderation on PeerTube; content can only be removed from the network if the server operator chooses to do so or if the server is switched off.
• Far-right and conspiracy actors represent only a small portion of the overall Fediverse and primarily network among themselves, though some connect to the wider network via highly networked servers.
• PeerTube is primarily used as a back-up option following deplatforming from YouTube, but the deletion of YouTube channels does not always result in a proportional increase in PeerTube account registrations.
• Success and viewership on PeerTube instances are strongly linked to the pre-established popularity of the individuals or organizations involved rather than the volume of content uploaded.
• PeerTube instances frequently serve as refuges for disinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and conspiracy theories about global elites and the war in Ukraine.
• State regulation, including the German Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) and the EU's Digital Services Act, is limited in effectiveness because many instances lack the required user numbers for reporting obligations and are not operated for profit.
• The federation system allows users to view illegal or extremist content on an instance even if that instance's operator claims to moderate such content, as the content is hosted on a different federated server.
• Community-based moderation, such as the use of curated blocklists to isolate extremist instances, is proposed as a more viable alternative to state legal measures.

APA

Gerster, L., Arcostanzo, F., Prieto-Chavana, N., Hammer, D., & Schwieter, C. (2023). The Hydra on the Web: Challenges Associated with Extremist Use of the Fediverse. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-Hydra-on-the-Web.pdf

Chicago

Gerster, Lea, Francesca Arcostanzo, Nestor Prieto-Chavana, Dominik Hammer, and Christian Schwieter. The Hydra on the Web: Challenges Associated with Extremist Use of the Fediverse. Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-Hydra-on-the-Web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gerster |first1=Lea |last2=Arcostanzo |first2=Francesca |last3=Prieto-Chavana |first3=Nestor |last4=Hammer |first4=Dominik |last5=Schwieter |first5=Christian |title=The Hydra on the Web: Challenges Associated with Extremist Use of the Fediverse |publisher=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |date=2023 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-Hydra-on-the-Web.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gerster2023hydra, author = {Gerster, Lea and Arcostanzo, Francesca and Prieto-Chavana, Nestor and Hammer, Dominik and Schwieter, Christian}, title = {{The Hydra on the Web: Challenges Associated with Extremist Use of the Fediverse}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2023}, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-Hydra-on-the-Web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }