A/HRC/42/58 20. In her presentation, Ms. Jesse Daniels illustrated how the rise of the popular Internet since the mid-1990s has facilitated the globally networked spread of white supremacy. The confluence of global linkages facilitated by information and communication technologies means that true believers in white supremacy can connect a white identity across national boundaries. The recent massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand, for which the shooter drew inspiration from white extremist terrorism attacks in other parts of the world, illustrated how the connections between perpetrators of those attacks span continents and highlighted how the Internet and social media facilitate the spread of white supremacist ideology and violence. 21. Ms. Daniels further insisted on the importance of distinguishing between different dynamics in the spread of hateful ideology online, namely the dynamic of being inspired to violent action, the dynamic of being recruited into a social movement organization, and the dynamic of encountering white supremacist content online. Though it may not lead to violence, the latter dynamics encourages the mainstreaming of white supremacy into national politics. According to her, all three dynamics are equally concerning. 22. Ms. Daniels described two main transition phases in the spread of white supremacy rhetoric through the new information and communication technologies. First, the mid- and late-1990s were marked by the transition from the print-only era, characterised by the “oneto-many” paradigm of broadcast news and print media with its gatekeepers, to the early Internet, characterised by the “many-to-many” media paradigm without gatekeepers. Ms. Daniels observed that white supremacists had demonstrated a great ability at exploiting this paradigm shift to further their ideological goals. The early Internet era facilitated the global networking of white supremacists, but also eased the broadcasting and dissemination of their hateful rhetoric, notably through the development of what she called “cloaked sites,” i.e. websites that intentionally disguise authorship in order to conceal a political agenda. 23. She further explained that the second transition phase begun in 2008 with the emergence of social media platforms operating algorithmically. On each of these platforms, white supremacists have found opportunistic ways to exploit them to spread conspiracy theories and racist propaganda. By creating a reverberating feedback loop that systematically spreads white supremacy propaganda through social media, algorithms have become a key feature of the way racism spreads online. In addition, the social media platforms have made easier targeted abuse online by white supremacists. Because the platform puts the burden on the user who is being harassed to block people, it creates a differential cost to the victims relative to the perpetrators. 24. Ms. Daniels discussed the central role of US-based tech industry in facilitating the spread of the hateful ideology. There are currently five undisputed rulers of the ICT industry that are all based in the United States: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google/Alphabet and Microsoft. Grounded in Barlow’s “cyberlibertarianism,” the dominant view in this industrial sector is that freedom of speech is absolute. This echoes the prevailing view in the US towards white supremacy online. There is also a strong belief in colour-blindness, which is the belief that there is no racism operating in algorithms, platforms or tech companies. This shows a general lack of awareness about both the history and contemporary reality of racial inequality in the US in an industrial sector dominated by White men and in which the inequalities of race, class and gender that prevailed in the industry’s social context were reinscribed. She stressed that this industry exerts an outsized influence over the rest of the world and, therefore, the disregard on the part of the United States dramatically reduces the likelihood that nations who wish to regulate white supremacy online will be able to do so. She added that the United States also undermines international efforts by operating as a “safe heaven” for white supremacy online as well as primary creator of this content available globally. 25. She highlighted several features of the economics of the global spread of the Far Right. One important element is the “dark money” that refers to funds raised for the purpose of influencing elections by non-profit organizations that are not required to disclose the identities of their donors and, therefore, that are difficult to trace. Billionaires have allegedly used this avenue to fund the promotion of the far-right agenda. Some studies show that cryptocurrencies are being used by the alt right. Ms. Daniels also pointed out the 23