The Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) is an American organization dedicated to identifying and predicting the spread of ideologically motivated threats (e.g. hate groups), disinformation, and misinformation across social media platforms and physical spaces.[2]
 | |
| Abbreviation | NCRI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2018 |
| Founder | Joel Finkelstein |
| Type | Nonprofit research institute |
| 82-3649399 (EIN)[1] | |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) organization |
| Headquarters | Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Affiliations | Rutgers University |
| Revenue | $1.45 million (2023) |
| Expenses | $1.6 million (2023) |
| Website | networkcontagion |
History
editThe NCRI was founded in 2018 as a nonprofit organization by psychologist and neuroscientist Joel Finkelstein.[3]
After its founding, Finkelstein began collaborating with experts in the field of political violence, including John Farmer Jr., a former New Jersey attorney general and director of Rutgers' Eagleton Institute of Politics and the Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience. Farmer, who previously served as lead counsel for the 9/11 Commission, joined the NCRI's leadership team, and since then, NCRI has produced numerous report on the spread of political extremism and its link to violent outcomes.[3]
Research focus
editNCRI's research focuses on analyzing emerging threat data from both the far-right and the far-left.[3] Examples include reports on QAnon supporters,[4] militia/boogaloo movements,[5] anarcho-socialist networks,[6] antisemitism,[7] racial supremacism, and other topics related to xenophobia.[8][9] The institute has also conducted studies on the dissemination of disinformation and bias from state actors, including Iran,[10] Russia,[11] and China.[12]
Other research areas include the study and prevention of sextortion,[13] child sexual abuse,[14] and the negative consequences of DEI programs, such as workplace hostility and racial bias.[15]
Concerns
editMedia scholar Jack Bratich has criticized the NCRI for a lack of neutrality, accusing it of being used to target domestic dissenters labelled as threats.[16] In 2021, the NCRI was criticized by Matthew Lyons of the anti-fascist project Three Way Fight for equating undesirable political views on the left and right, particularly in the wake of the George Floyd protests and for allegedly aligning with state security interests.[17]
See also
edit- Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
- Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
- International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT)
- Charles Koch Foundation (CKF)
- Open Society Foundations (OSF)
References
edit- ^ Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon (9 May 2013). "Network Contagion Research Institute - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Johnson, Scott P. (2020). Political Assassins, Terrorists and Related Conspiracies in American History. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-4203-1.
- ^ a b c Joung, Nina (2021). "How these researchers track viral outbreaks of online hate that lead to violence". PBS (published 16 March 2021). Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "How to respond to the QAnon threat". Brookings. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Thomson-DeVeaux, Amelia (4 September 2020). "How Trump And COVID-19 Have Reshaped The Modern Militia Movement". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Kaur, Harmeet (16 September 2020). "Tactics employed by right-wing extremist groups are now being used by extremists on the left, report finds". CNN. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Menn, Joseph (3 December 2022). "Surging Twitter antisemitism unites fringe, encourages violence, officials say". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Rutgers Report Finds Increase in Anti-Hindu Disinformation". New Brunswick, NJ Patch. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "TikTok Shows Less 'Anti-China' Content Than Rivals, Study Finds". Bloomberg.com. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Bennett, Brian (7 June 2021). "Exclusive: Iran Steps up Efforts to Sow Discord Inside the U.S." TIME. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ Vanian, Jonathan. "Russian disinformation campaigns are trying to sow distrust of COVID vaccines, study finds". Fortune. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ Myrow, Rachael (8 August 2024). "TikTok Stacking Algorithms in Chinese Government's Favor, Study Claims | KQED". www.kqed.org. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ "Sextortion warning: In 6 hours, my son was dead". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "Network Contagion Research Institute to host virtual panel on risks of financial sextortion". Police1. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Zaki, Adam. "Study suggests DEI may escalate workplace hostility and racial bias". CFO.com. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ Bratich, Jack. "Observation in a Surveilled World". In Cannella, Gaile S.; Giardina, Michael D.; Denzin, Norman K.; Lincoln, Yvonna S. (eds.). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research. SAGE Publications. p. 344. ISBN 978-1-4766-4203-1.
- ^ Lyons, Matthew (9 May 2021). "Network Contagion Research Institute: helping the state fight political infection left and right". PM Press.