Online radicalization as a social phenomenon of a criminal emergency and some ways to fight extremism

Purpose. The article is devoted to the study of the characteristics and vector of promotion into the consciousness of individuals of information, the content of which is associated with the formation of new groups of extremist-minded citizens and their mobilization to commit acts of terrorism, contributing to the generation of fear and panic in society, and as a result, the creation of an atmosphere of social conflict in society . Revealing the criminal nature of the above, the authors focus on the paradigm of the use of new information technologies and the potential of the Internet by extremist ideologists. In the process of conducting their research, the authors were guided by a dialectical approach to understanding some essential aspects of the phenomenon of online radicalization, which are relevant in the context of modern geopolitical realities, the quintessence of which is directed towards the destructive impact on Russian society from a number of states unfriendly to Russia. During the study, general scientific (analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction), special scientific (heuristic and axiological) methods of cognition and the method of content analysis were used. Research results: the publication reflects the most significant conclusions of scientific thought that correspond to the subject field of threats and risks caused by the peculiarities of the Internet architecture and posing a danger to modern society. In addition, the article summarizes foreign experience in terms of clarifying some ways to combat extremism, and also presents the author’s understanding of the definition of «online radicalization». Conclusions and conclusions: the publication materials can be used in the process of self-education of senior officials of internal affairs bodies and for a more in-depth study by teaching staff and researchers of educational organizations of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs system.