Professor of Computer Science Megan Squire offered insight for recent reports by Bloomberg, NPR and New York Public Radio about far-right militia groups and Election Day 2020.
As the 2020 presidential election quickly approaches, several media outlets have turned to Elon Professor of Computer Science Megan Squire for insight on far-right militia groups and potential fallout from Election Day.
In “Americans Are Frantically Buying Military Gear Before the Election,” Bloomberg Politics cites Squire’s research into online extremism to shed light on the use of online forums to discuss combat gear purchases.
For NPR, Squire discussed the risk of political violence related to Election Day 2020 in “Here’s Where The Threat Of Militia Activity Around The Elections Is The Highest.” In the article, Squire was asked about online chatter related to the topic.
“In the conversations that I observe, the heat is higher,” Squire told NPR. “The vitriol is greater.”
Squire was also featured in the New York Public Radio report, “How Zello Became A Recruitment & Organizing Tool For The Far Right.” The report focused on right-wing militia recruitment tactics on the social media app Zello, which is favored by far-right groups. In the piece, Squire discussed the rhetoric used by those groups to justify vigilante activity.