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1 1 (September 1, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/goveirm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ____ A Research Service Law Enforcement Investigations of Extremist Calls to Action on Social Media September 1, 2022 In the wake of government actions that some have viewed as partisan or political-such as the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) search of former President Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago-there have been calls to action on social media platforms. Some of these calls to action have included calls for violence. For instance, following the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, individuals characterized as abortion rights extremists reportedly issued calls for violence on social media platforms. In addition, following the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago, individuals characterized as right-wing extremists reportedly called for violence on social media. As such, policymakers may be interested in how extremists and law enforcement use social media, as well as conducting oversight over law enforcement use of social media to thwart or investigate extremists' threats of violence. Extremists' Use of Social Media Social media plays an important role in the radicalization and mobilization of extremists in the United States. Extremists of various beliefs and backgrounds use social media to share and consume content; foster relationships with like-minded individuals; and, in rare instances, facilitate violent attacks. While extremists use mainstream platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter), mainstream social media companies' efforts to remove content that violates their policies, and if necessary the account responsible for the content from their platforms, may cause extremists to switch to less moderated and encrypted social media platforms. Former-FBI Assistant Director Michael C. McGarrity noted in congressional testimony that domestic terrorists' radicalization to violence is increasingly taking place online where social media is used for the distribution of propaganda, recruitment, target selection, and incitement to violence. He further explained that the online, global nature of the threat has enabled extremists to engage with other like- minded individuals without having to join organized groups. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11999 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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