Calgary professor investigates role social media, AI plays in hate crimes

A Mount Royal University professor is researching the correlation between hate crimes and social media as hate rises in Canada.

A Calgary professor is investigating the correlation of rising hate crimes and the use of new technologies as advocates call for new prevention measures from the federal government.

Mount Royal University criminology professor Kelly Sundberg is working on a project that compiles public data on terrorist attacks, foiled plots and ideological violence to examine why hate crimes are increasing in Canada.

“There’s a timeline with social media there’s it and then as we see the acceleration there’s also a timeline with the introduction of artificial intelligence,” Sundberg said.

The creation of his Algorithmic Immersion Radicalisation Dashboard comes as Calgary police are investigating a potential hate crime targeting a local Muslim group.

The University of Calgary’s Muslim Students Association (MSA) received an email threatening to wipe them out.

“To have us slaughtered if we don’t leave Alberta in Canada now as you can imagine that was something that we took very seriously because it was a direct threat and they they mentioned that it would happen soon,” said MSA President Aitazaz Shah.

“(Over the) past couple years (there) has been a huge rise in Islamophobia,” he added, saying they took this recent threat seriously and reported it to police immediately.

Calgary police say they do not believe there is an immediate risk from the online threat, but its hate crimes unit is investigating.

The MSA says campus security patrols are being increased especially during times of worship.

Advocates want more hate crime prevention measures nationally

Hate crimes have been rising in Canada, including a spike in anti-Jewish hate crimes and acts of intimidation since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023.

The Senate Committee on Human Rights has been investigating the issue, including hearing several first-hand accounts of people being fearful in their communities.

“(People) fear for their safety in communities, walking on street, going to synagogue, attending school,” said Kristopher Wells, a Canadian senator from Alberta.

The committee released its report on antisemitism Tuesday with 22 recommendations aimed at reducing hate. Those recommendations include creating a federal taskforce and increased education programs.

“Hate has no place in Canada, regardless of the community it attacks,” Wells said.

Sundberg says data compiled in his suggests a strong relationship between social media use and antisemitism — something that historically preludes other forms of hate.

“Antisemitism often is referred to as the canary coal mine. When we allow these technologies to organically grow without any guard rails, and one of the outcomes is terrorism, one of the other outcomes is school shootings one of the other outcomes is hatred towards the communities.”

Sundberg says early data is promising from Australia which banned social media for teens under 16 a few weeks ago.

The Senate Human Rights Committee is also calling for Prime Minister Mark Carney to restore two envoys which ended a couple of years ago, one fighting antisemitism and another fighting Islamophobia.