{"id":43476,"date":"2018-03-30T00:15:52","date_gmt":"2018-03-30T04:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=43476"},"modified":"2018-03-29T22:02:02","modified_gmt":"2018-03-30T02:02:02","slug":"computer-science-professor-keeps-massive-dataset-on-far-right-groups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/computer-science-professor-keeps-massive-dataset-on-far-right-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"Computer science professor keeps massive dataset on far-right groups"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prof names dataset \u2018Whack-a-mole,\u2019 aims to \u2018keep our communities safe\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

As part of her academic research, a computer science professor at Elon University has created an expansive dataset to keep tabs on far-right groups in the United States.<\/p>\n

With a dataset containing information on more than 1,300 right-wing groups, Professor Megan Squire has been described as \u201can enemy of far-right extremism\u201d and \u201cAntifa\u2019s secret weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n

A recent article<\/a> written about Squire\u2019s data hints that it\u2019s been used by others to tip off police and used to try and get right-wing extremists fired from their jobs, but Squire told The College Fix<\/em> in an email that she\u2019s unaware of anyone who has lost their job because of the data she\u2019s collected.<\/p>\n

Squire told The Fix<\/em> the primary mission of her dataset is to use it for academic research and \u201cto bring greater understanding of a complex phenomenon.\u201d Though, there also appears to be an activist bent to Squire\u2019s work. On her personal blog<\/a>, Squire notes that she uses the dataset on far-right groups to track their \u201cmovement and figure out how they operate so that we can keep our communities safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, fellow academics appear to have an interest in Squire\u2019s work. This summer at an academic conference, the professor will present a paper she wrote using her dataset.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be the first of many research studies based on this database,\u201d Squire told The Fix<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The dataset<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Using information culled from public and online sources, Squire has compiled data on hundreds of organizations that she describes as a \u201cfar-right extremist groups.\u201d In January, the computer science professor wrote on her blog that she had collected data on 1,336 groups that she has categorized into an array of \u201cfar-right extremist ideologies.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the main sources Squire says she uses to gather information for her dataset, which is called \u201cWhack-a-mole,\u201d is the social networking website Facebook.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, despite Facebook claiming to be \u2018no place for hate\u2019, I have found that the Facebook social network is actually a very rich source of data about hate groups and the extreme far-right. For 500,000 members of 1,336 different far-right groups and events, Facebook is the perfect place for recruitment and community-building,\u201d Squire wrote on her blog.<\/p>\n

When it comes to deciding which right-wing groups to include in her data, Squire told The College Fix<\/em> she relies on information from the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League to determine what groups merit inclusion.<\/p>\n

For instance, Squire said a number of groups with far-right ties, but that aren\u2019t considered extremist, are left out of her data set. Groups left out of the dataset include pro-Trump groups, Tea Party groups, Libertarian groups, Blue Lives Matter organizations and pro-Second Amendment clubs, according to Squire.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I] pay special attention paid to groups that are relevant to the current national media conversation about the extreme far right and the new, so-called \u2018Alt-Right\u2019. So far, I have devoted most of my attention to the groups and factions that were front and center during the 2017 \u2018Summer of Hate\u2019 actions, Charlottesville rallies, etc,\u201d Squire said in an email.<\/p>\n

The groups included in Squire\u2019s dataset are categorized into one of the 11 ideologies such as neo-confederate, white nationalist, alt-right, anti-government\/militia, and neo-nazi. The organizations are slotted into one of the specific categories based on their online profiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo classify each group or event, I evaluated the text and emojis used the group name and description, as well as text and symbols found in the group cover photo, and the public content if viewable (discussion comments, photos, and so on.),\u201d Squire explains on her website.<\/p>\n

For instance, a table on Squire\u2019s website associates the keywords confederate, rebel, confederate flag, secession and dixie with the category \u201cneo-confederate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is the infomation used to get people fired?<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Squire\u2019s research on far-right groups was the focus of a recent article<\/a> published by the technology magazine WIRED<\/em>. In that article, the author hints that those who Squire has shared her data with have used the information to make public the identities of members associated with far-right groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cSquire often feeds data to the [Southern Poverty Law Center], whose analysts might use it to provide information to police or to reveal white supremacists to their employers, seeking to get them fired,\u201d the article noted.<\/p>\n

Another tidbit in the article mentions Squire sharing names with a \u201cleft-wing activist\u201d who could possibly use them to post \u201cidentities and photos online, for the public to do with what it would.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about others using her dataset to get individuals fired or to share personal information, Squire told The College Fix<\/em> she\u2019s unaware of anyone who\u2019s lost their job because of her research.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, she said the WIRED<\/em> article was \u201ccareful\u201d in its phrasing and did not actually mention any \u201creal action\u201d of data being used to get individuals fired.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe WIRED<\/em> article uses very particular wording that is designed to make my work look like it has had real world consequences and is therefore interesting,\u201d Squire said.<\/p>\n

She said that individuals\u2019 personal information was never shared online, and that she has no proof of others using her information to contact employers about firing members of far-right groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bar for contacting an employer about a violent, racist employee is obviously high, both for me and for the people I work with,\u201d Squire said.<\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0Duke hosts \u2018Confronting White Fragility\u2019 workshop<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Shutterstock<\/p>\n

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