ADL launches hub on online communities pushing youth toward violence — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism has launched a research and resource hub dedicated to online communities that, according to the organization, influence the recruitment of young people into targeted and mass violence. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post. The initiative focuses on digital spaces where mass murderers and shooters are glorified, which, according to ADL, normalizes violent content and desensitizes users to it.
Networks and hub tools
According to ADL, such communities include forums featuring violent content, sexual extortion networks, and groups linked to self-harm. The organization separately mentions the transnational network The Com and its prominent subgroup 764.
ADL describes four areas of The Com’s activity: Extortion Com, linked to sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse material; Anti-Extortion Com; Offline Com, which includes physical attacks, including stabbings and arson; and Cyber Com, which specializes in hacking and swatting. According to the organization, such networks can turn vulnerable young people into victims, perpetrators of violence, or both.
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ADL said that since 2024, it has been tracking propaganda, digital footprints, visual aesthetics, and real-world incidents associated with these networks. The hub includes a global map of attacks linked to the True Crime Community, a guide to internet slang and symbols, as well as recommendations on assessing and managing behavioral threats for parents, educators, and law enforcement.
Antisemitism and network activities
ADL claims that antisemitism is deeply embedded in the culture of The Com and 764. According to the organization’s findings, anti-Jewish hatred manifests itself in online propaganda, aliases, swatting campaigns against Jewish institutions, and physical violence. The study also notes that members of such networks compete for notoriety through increasingly radical actions and may use victims’ compromised personal data for blackmail.
ADL’s Center on Extremism reported that since 2024, it has provided law enforcement with information about potential threats which, according to its data, contributed to at least 16 arrests in different countries. The organization called on U.S. federal and state lawmakers to invest in violence prevention programs, increase security funding for nonprofit organizations, and strengthen the accountability of technology platforms for the spread of extremist content.
