Managing threats

This project examines the uses of social media for policing domestic extremism and disorder in the UK.

Project details

This project examines the uses of social media for policing domestic extremism and disorder in the UK. The research explores two key areas of social media practices for policing:

The ways in which social media communication and data becomes identified as potential domestic ‘threats’ and
The ways in which the police engages with social media to manage and minimize those ‘threats’. Combining qualitative and quantitative research methods, carrying out semi-structured interviews with British police together with big data analysis, the project looks at the nature of algorithmically-produced intelligence, what aspects of social media data are used to identify domestic extremism and disorder, and how the police actively communicate on social media platforms.

Research outputs

Project report
Journal article
Conference paper

Research impact

Workshop organised bringing together leading scholars, civil society organisations and senior members of the British police to discuss the social, political, legal and ethical implications of the use of social media data for policing.
Research findings disseminated amongst police force and civil society organisations, including list of recommendations.