Tamar Mitts

I am an Assistant Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs and a Faculty Member at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, the Institute of Global Politics, and the Data Science Institute at Columbia University. My research addresses emerging challenges at the intersection of technology and security, where I study how militant and hate groups use digital platforms for mobilization and recruitment, how state and non-state actors shape public opinion by manipulating media content, and how technology companies address growing trust and safety issues on their platforms.

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My new book, Safe Havens for Hate: The Challenge of Moderating Online Extremism (forthcoming, Princeton University Press), offers a novel account of how content moderation shapes the activity of harmful content producers, by offering a deep dive into networks of extremist organizations on a wide range of social media platforms. Drawing on rich data on the activity of over a hundred militant and hate organizations, the book shows that different moderation standards across platforms create “safe havens” that allow these actors to organize, launch campaigns, and mobilize supporters.​

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My other work has been published, or is forthcoming, in top journals including the American Political Science Review, International Organization, PNAS, Journal of Politics, and Perspectives on Politics, among other outlets.