Hacking Hate

Inside the hidden web of hate

Hate speech generates clicks, algorithms feed its visibility, and deep inside closed online groups online, fantasies of violence flourish. Swedish investigative journalist My Vingren has spent more than a decade exposing far-right movements and networks of online hate – infiltrating spaces where journalists rarely gain access

Hacking Hate follows Vingren as she builds a fake identity and slips with alarming ease into the depths of racist online communities. The trail leads to an influencer operating behind several private far-right groups, and the deeper Vingren digs, the stranger the story becomes. Gradually, an international network comes into view, its reach stretching from the Nordic countries to the United States and beyond. As Vingren traces the influencer from the online world into real life, it becomes clear that the darkest corners of the internet may not be as far removed from our everyday lives as we would like to believe.

The documentary also turns its attention to the power wielded by social media giants. Among those speaking out are former Twitter employee Anika Collier Navaroli, who was involved in the decision-making around the suspension of Donald Trump’s Twitter account, and Imran Ahmed, whose organisation researched the spread of hate speech on X,  and was subsequently sued by Elon Musk’s company X.

Running through Vingren’s investigation is a question of power: who wields it online, who benefits from it, and who ultimately bears responsibility? Hacking Hate is a stark reminder of how vulnerable democracy can become as extremist ideas and authoritarian movements spread online – and how quickly hatred spread through a screen can become a force in the real world.