iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Hateful narratives evolve fast. To address this challenge, PERIL takes a proactive, evidence-based approach called “prebunking”: short inoculation messages that teach people to recognize the manipulation techniques behind hateful narratives before they encounter them on their own. bit.ly/4y5BhhD

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

“Don’t be a pawn in someone else’s endgame,” - PERIL’s Founding Director Cynthia Miller-Idriss spoke at Dickinson College’s Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issue’s, focusing on “The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism”. Read more about the event here: 🔗 bit.ly/3VunHG3

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“The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism” Clarke Forum

On September 10, Dickinson’s Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues hosted its first program of the year in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium (ATS). The program, titled “The New Misogyny and the…

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Join PERIL Executive Director Bill Braniff on Oct. 6 for Prevention in Practice: Tackling Online Extremism & Radicalization. Learn how to identify warning signs and the importance of early prevention of potential violent threats in this online, interactive event. 🔗 bit.ly/4ryh0Po

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

“I think if we want a safer society overall, we should also be worried about [leaders]...who help normalize things that we know are reliable predictors of political violence.” - PERIL’s Cynthia Miller-Idriss quoted by CNN on the Texas Congressional race.🔗 bit.ly/4iV3yD1

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‘Fat b*tches’: Videos reveal the extent of GOP candidate’s crude sexual remarks | CNN Politics

Brandon Herrera repeatedly made vulgar sexual statements and derogatory comments about the appearance and intelligence of women, CNN found.

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

PERIL’s Fall Newsletter is out! Featuring new resources such as pre-bunking materials against online misinformation, updates on current initiatives and events, and tools for educational institutions to keep campuses and students safe. Sign up now to catch the latest: bit.ly/4rhtpal

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

There’s still time to register for Going Mainstream on September 23. Join PERIL for our upcoming webinar as staff unpack how online male supremacy is filtering into higher education and what faculty and staff can do. Sept 23, 12pm ET. 🔗https://bit.ly/4xTxELi

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Sadistic exploitation networks go beyond national borders, targeting victims at a distance through online platforms. PERIL’s NVE Tracker analyzed 86 cases and found that 27 ended with harm across jurisdictions, with the majority of perpetrators and victims found in the United States: bit.ly/3T3gtYU

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

As we look back twenty-five years later on the horrific tragedy of 9/11, the legacy of the “War on Terror” also looms large. PERIL’s Executive Director Bill Braniff reflects in this article for The New Yorker on how the “underlying causes of international terrorism” have persisted. 🔗 bit.ly/4cKDDdj

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The U.S. Was Never Going to Win the “War on Terror”

In the twenty-five years since 9/11, the U.S. has waged several military campaigns against extremism around the world, resulting in the deaths of almost a million people. What has it accomplished?

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

We at PERIL offer our congratulations to Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Greer for being named an Obama Foundation Leader! The program inspires, empowers, and connects diverse leaders – PERIL, SPA, and AU are honored to see Ryan in this cohort. 🔗 bit.ly/4h3umy7 @au-spa.bsky.social

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Ryan Greer

Ryan Greer, 2026-2027 Obama Foundation USA Leader

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

ICYMI: PERIL is very excited for the potential for our AI-generated content to reduce the uptake of antisemitic conspiracies and similar forms of hate and extremism. Using AI reduces influencer-related challenges and empowers scale. Read about it here: bit.ly/3UlXngV

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

PERIL’s NVE Tracker continues to monitor incidents across the country and abroad. This brief demonstrates that gore and TCC networks produce an oversized portion of NVE-related casualties and are growing rapidly. Youth-oriented prevention efforts should focus on these two pathways: bit.ly/4gM5niK

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Male supremacist ideology is becoming one of the prevalent forms of contemporary extremism in the world. In their recent academic article, PERIL Researchers Victoria Gurevich and Fielding Montgomery highlight the psychology of male radicalization and strategies for prevention.🔗https://bit.ly/4gAz1bZ

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Frontiers | Conspiratorial misogyny and the radicalization continuum: male supremacy as a dominant ideology in contemporary extremism

Male supremacist ideology is quickly becoming one of the most prevalent forms of contemporary extremism in the world. In many ways, it is similar to how othe...

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Antisemitic narratives lead to real-world harm. PERIL developed AI-generated content to counteract these conspiracies and it worked. Our videos increased resilience to antisemitism and other forms of hate and extremism. We are very excited for this to make the internet a safer space: bit.ly/3UlXngV

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

A School Without Hate, authored by PERIL's Dr. Pasha Dashtgard and Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, translates years of research into practical, classroom-ready tools for preventing radicalization and building school cultures that protect every student. All book sale proceeds go to PERIL. 🔗 bit.ly/4gtYnbv

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A School Without Hate

An in-depth look at hate and violence in schools that provides proactive, evidence-based practices for responding to troubling student behaviorsEducators are...

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

When dealing with hateful online narratives, it is becoming increasingly necessary to build resilience to them ahead of time. Kicking off PERIL’s new series on “pre-bunking” against violent rhetoric, this primer focuses on identifying four common manipulation tactics: bit.ly/4qJXkHJ

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

As the WBNA becomes more popular, players are finding themselves increasingly the target of violent threats and abuse. PERIL’s Founder Cynthia Miller-Idriss recently discussed PERIL’s partnership with the Chicago Sky to prevent misogyny in women’s sports on NPR. Listen here: 🎧https://bit.ly/3UOCgE5

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

With mounting frequency, harmful, male-supremacist ideologies have filtered their way from fringe corners of the internet into campuses across America. PERIL's new resource is intended to aid colleges and universities in creating safe, healthy environments where all can thrive: bit.ly/4zx9V59

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

The release of the Epstein files has created a powerful storm of legitimate outrage, conspiracy theories, and misinformation in media and online circles. In this final Mitigating Harms one-pager, PERIL researchers address how to identify and prevent manipulative tactics by bad actors: bit.ly/3S42hyt

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

You may have heard "looksmaxxing" said as a joke around campus but it started on male supremacist platforms. Join PERIL for our upcoming webinar as staff unpack how online male supremacy is filtering into higher education and what faculty and staff can do. Sept 23, 12pm ET. 🔗 bit.ly/4xTxELi

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Andrew Tate may be "passé and over" to young men now, but the manosphere remains: PERIL's Cynthia Miller-Idriss quoted in USA TODAY on how the toppling of the influencer doesn't touch the machine that produces them. 🔗 bit.ly/4gbd4ic

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Will Trump free Andrew and Tristan Tate? Epstein files loom over case

President Trump could free Andrew and Tristan Tate but he hasn't. Why not? Because they're increasingly irrelevant and accused of child pornography.

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

As debate around the SAVE American Act continues in congress, online discourse on it runs the gamut including patterns of scapegoating, conspiracy theories, and us vs. them dichotomies. Read the full analysis by PERIL researchers and learn to identify and disrupt these harmful cycles: bit.ly/4gzzf2S

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Since launching in April, PERIL's Nihilistic Violent Extremism Tracker has added 29 new incidents from 2026 alone. The threat continues to shift and the data set helps enable researchers to spot patterns not captured by headlines alone. Explore the data here: bit.ly/4cT8NOS

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Recently, PERIL partnered with the Chicago Sky to bring the Be the Sixth Player campaign into the arena, with Sky players leading the call for fans to stand up against online hate. Watch the video shared at the game and explore the Sixth Player resources here: bit.ly/4vRAjDO

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Most crises follow a pattern: bad actors exploit fear to spread hate and division. PERIL's Mitigating Harms series tracks how manipulation and harmful narratives spread after each kind of crisis, and the evidence-based ways to counter them. Explore the series to date here: bit.ly/3TFdplM

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

"The central node is profit." PERIL's Cynthia Miller-Idriss on what actually drives online extremist messaging: not just ideology, but profiteers and malign actors selling fear-driven products. To stop it, you have to interrupt the profit motive. Listen here: 🎧 bit.ly/45G7xew

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How Online Algorithms & Profit Motives Fuel Youth Radicalization | Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss

Doing Tech Right · Episode

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

"I think it's good and right to be pursuing two strategies at the same time." PERIL's Bill Braniff on CBS News, on balancing rehabilitation and public safety supervision in the wake of the Berlin attack. Watch the whole interview here: bit.ly/4xi9HNh

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Inside Germany's deradicalization programs as Berlin Pride attack suspect identified

Bill Braniff, executive director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University, joins "The Daily Report" to break down the attack that took place at an LGBTQ+…

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Nearly two years after it became a national flashpoint, xenophobic rhetoric targeting Haitian immigrants in Ohio is still circulating online. PERIL's newest one-pager tracks how these narratives persist, and how to interrupt them. 🔗 bit.ly/4brohtr

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Apply today! PERIL Research is looking for young adults to serve on our Youth Advisory Council. The YAC is a low-lift, high-impact volunteer opportunity for young people to help shape research. Ready to apply? For more information, visit

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Youth Advisory Council - PERIL Research

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

The US is facing its largest measles outbreak in over 30 years, and 94% of cases are among the unvaccinated or those with unknown status. PERIL's latest analysis tracks the misinformation spreading alongside it, and how to interrupt it. 🔗 bit.ly/4x1H2Mk

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Every team has five players on the court. The sixth is you. PERIL's new playbook, Be the Sixth Player is a five-part guide for fans and families on stepping in when hate and harassment show up: in the stands, in the comments, and in everyday conversations. 🔗 bit.ly/4vRAjDO

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PERIL & Sports - PERIL Research

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Free training for K-12 educators: Student Wellness, Equity and Resilience in an Online World. PERIL's Christine German joins the AFT's Share My Lesson webinar July 29 at 12pm EDT. Register to watch live or on demand. 🔗 bit.ly/4yPumtR

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Student Wellness, Equity and Resilience in an Online World: Strategies for K–12

Students today encounter biased, emotionally charged, and harmful messages at increasingly young ages—often before they have the social-emotional development or critical awareness to evaluate what…

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Terrorism prevention is a team effort. PERIL's Bill Braniff, Hala Furst, and Susan Szmania are among the inaugural members of Homeland Security Today's new Terrorism Prevention Editorial Board, launched to scale what works across the field. 🔗https://bit.ly/4vG9hzd

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Homeland Security Today Announces Terrorism Prevention Editorial Board - HSToday

Washington, D.C. — Homeland Security Today, the premier nonprofit news and information platform serving the homeland security enterprise, today announced the official launch of its Terrorism…

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Even a Supreme Court ruling on tariffs became a vector for antisemitic conspiracy theories and us vs. them rhetoric. Read more in this next installment of PERIL's Crisis Mitigation series 🔗https://bit.ly/4fgVtEZ

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

"The public-health-informed approach...allows us to think about shared risk and protective factors for violence, and start to think about interventions that weren’t indexed on ideology.” PERIL's Bill Braniff in the New York Times on prevention-based approaches to targeted-violence. 🔗 bit.ly/4fpoQoW

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Trump Administration Guts Efforts to Prevent Gun Violence, Suppressing Reports

As the administration works to expand gun rights, hospitals and community groups have lost funding, and reports on preventing firearm injuries have vanished from government websites.

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Weather conspiracies aren't just noise. They target disaster victims navigating recovery with disinformation and can fuel hostility toward the officials and communities helping them. PERIL's newest report breaks down the pattern of manipulation. 🔗 bit.ly/4vxkYbp

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

After the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, harmful narratives targeting LGBTQ+ and Latino communities spread quickly. The latest in PERIL's crisis response series documents harmful narratives in the wake of the shootings and how to address them. 🔗 bit.ly/4wu9q9H

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Across 104 documented 764 cases, the same coercion playbook appears again and again. The warning signs are learnable. Perpetrators typically pose as peers, often as another teenager. 🧵 1/4 Read more here: bit.ly/4uZHJUT

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Threats against members of Congress jumped from 9,474 to 14,938 in a single year. PERIL's Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Greer on the normalization of political violence and how deescalation can work. 🔗https://bit.ly/449n5XD

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What Is the State of Political Violence in PA?

It’s not your imagination: American politics, including in Pennsylvania, has become more aggressive and, sadly, violent. From 2024 to 2025, the number of violent threats against members of Congr

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Where do 764 cases stand legally? Of the 104 documented incidents: 58 have charges pending, 25 ended in guilty pleas, and 5 in convictions at trial. Read that pending number alongside the incident curve. 🧵 1/2 Read more here: bit.ly/4uZHJUT

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

In our network map, the 764 node has 258 documented connections, more than twice any other node. But fixating on 764 itself misses the structure around it. The map documents 52 groups, including... 🧵 1/4 Read more here: bit.ly/4uZHJUT

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Our network map tracks 23 platforms documented across 764-linked cases. Two dominate: Discord appears in 61 documented connections and Telegram in 40. But the more important pattern is the pipeline. 🧵 1/5 Read more here: bit.ly/4uZHJUT

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

In the days after the Iran war began, anti-Arab/anti-Muslim content rose 210% on Reddit and 180% on Gab. PERIL's latest crisis analysis brief tracks how bad actors exploit conflict to spread hate, and how to counter it. 🔗 bit.ly/4oSHw4L

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Four overarching findings from tracking 104 incidents and mapping 406 nodes of the 764 ecosystem: 1. The threat is growing fast. From 6 documented incidents in 2021 to 51 in 2025. 2. It is an ecosystem, not a group. 52 interlinked groups, with a third of members in more than one.

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

A Dutch court recently sentenced a 22-year-old man from Spijkenisse to seven years in prison plus compulsory psychiatric treatment for the online sexual extortion of at least sixty girls aged 13 to 20. 🧵 1/4 Read more here: bit.ly/peril-764-re...

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

764 incidents in our dataset span 19 countries. The United States leads with 53, ... Brazil (7), Uruguay and Sweden (6 each), Canada (5), Romania and the United Kingdom (4 each), and the Netherlands (3), with cases as far afield as Australia, Argentina, and New Zealand. 🧵 1/3 bit.ly/peril-764-re...

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

The 764 network is global, but its center of gravity is the United States. Of the 104 documented 764-linked incidents in our dataset, 54 — more than half — occurred in the United States. Those 54 cases are spread across 25 states, half the country. 🧵 1/3 Read more here: bit.ly/peril-764-re...

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

What do 764-linked crimes actually consist of? Of the 104 incidents in our dataset: 75 involved child exploitation or sexual abuse material. Coerced self-harm is documented in 60 incidents, sextortion in 58, and coerced animal cruelty in 22. 🧵 1/3 Read more here: bit.ly/peril-764-re...

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Crisis mitigation series: From data on more than 5,300 US mass shootings, fewer than one-tenth of 1 percent were committed by a trans or nonbinary person. PERIL's new brief demonstrates how scapegoating narratives spread after the Tumbler Ridge attack and explains how to counter them. bit.ly/4v2v7N6

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PERIL @perilresearch.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Who joins a network like 764? Data on 764 challenges the assumption that online child exploitation is driven by older adults. This chart plots age of involvement rather than age at arrest, because those milestones are often years apart. 🧵 1/6 Read more here: bit.ly/peril-764-re...

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