The Linwood Mosque after the Christchurch terror attacks. A new report shows suspected extremist content online has increased, while more than a third of referred content last year related to the attacks. Photo: Sanka Vidanagama / NurPhoto via AFP
Suspected extremist content online has increased 10 percent, according to a new report by the Department of Internal Affairs.
A total of 974 URLs were flagged last year and 88 percent of the content referred was removed by platforms following intervention by the DIA.
The findings were published in the 2024 Digital Violent Extremism Transparency Report on Wednesday, which is meant to help the public better understand how the DIA works to identify extremist content online and prevent exposure to that material.
The report specified the most commonly reported ideology type in 2024 was "identity motivated, specifically white-identity".
That was seen in the continued presence of content relating to the Christchurch terrorist attacks, with 38 percent of referred content last year related to the attacks.
Director of the Digital Safety Group, Jared Mullen, said every one of the URLs that had been issued with informal "take-down notices" contained images and videos promoting or encouraging violent extremism or terrorist attacks.
"Much of this content promoted or depicted the violent attack or death of innocent victims for the gratification of others."
The report also indicated investigators are continuing to see the cases connected to "hybridised threat groups" - violent online groups who extort minors online into recording self-harm and sexually explicit acts.
Those groups often involved terrorist and violent extremism, gore, and child sexual exploitation material, the DIA said.
"Online groups such as these are responsible for exploiting the most vulnerable members of society by coercing them to share extreme and egregious content," Mullen said.
"These offenders use online platforms to cherry pick vulnerable members of society to systematically victimise. We are working closely with our partners to do everything in our power to apprehend these offenders and safeguard victims."
In 2023 the same report indicated it had received 886 referrals and 845 URLs were reported.
There was a 25 percent increase in referrals that year compared to 2022, and 54 percent of referred content related to the Christchurch terror attacks.
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