On Monday 29 September, in collaboration with Maastricht Young Academy (MYA) and InScience Film Festival, we present the documentary Hacking Hate. In it, award-winning Swedish journalist My Vingren infiltrates a far-right online community and reveals how major technology companies profit from hate-mongers. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by Dr Katleen Gabriels, moral and technology philosopher. This discussion will be held in English.

Panellists are:

• Dr Pablo del Hierro, associate professor of history at Maastricht University, specialised in right-wing movements and neo-fascism
• Dr Ofra Klein, assistant professor in mediatisation and digitalisation at Erasmus University Rotterdam, specialised in radical right and online political mobilisation
• Sigrid Raets, PhD candidate at Ghent University and Hannah Arendt Institute, specialised in criminology and radicalisation

With the purchase of a ticket, you will receive a free drink token.

About MYA
MYA is a group of early-career researchers who have come together with the aim of providing an independent – and if necessary, critical – platform within Maastricht University. At Lumière, we enjoy collaborating with MYA to explore and discuss various (current) topics through film.

My Vingren is known for her deep investigative work. In Hacking Hate, she takes her methods further than ever, creating a fake profile to infiltrate far-right online communities. As she pieces together how these networks radicalize people, she also reveals the role of social media companies, which allow hate speech to spread while profiting from user engagement. But embedding herself in this world comes at a cost.

A gripping and urgent documentary that exposes the dangers of unchecked digital propaganda. (Source: InScience Film Festival)