We Need a Whole-of-Internet Approach to Fight Hate and Extremism  

When we go online, it takes many steps, platforms, and technology companies for the content we’re seeking to travel to our screens. There are many parties involved in making the exchange of information possible. These services and service providers make it possible for us to go online and do all the things we love to do, like watch videos, play games, and shop. Unfortunately, extremists who are organizing online also use these services. Like us, extremists are dependent on these services. Significantly, a new ADL report found that when internet companies stop providing services to extremist websites, they reduce the spread of hate and harassment. For the internet to be safe for everyone, we need internet companies to stop doing business with extremists and to unite against hate.

What are these services and how do they work?

1. 1. Delivering:  This part of the ecosystem routes internet traffic from users to content (such as websites, streaming videos, and apps) and back again. It includes domain registrars.
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3. 2. Hosting and securing: Hosting services provide a place for content to sit. This includes cloud providers and website hosting platforms. DDoS mitigation services protect hosting services, and the servers that such hosting services use, by filtering attacks on the system.
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5. 3. Exchanging money for goods and services: These are the plugins and services that enable the processing of payments, an essential component of e-commerce and other fee-for-service interactions online.

If these service providers were to stop making their services available to extremists, it would help us interrupt hate and make online and offline spaces safer. Please join ADL in urging internet companies to unite against hate.