Ben Collins
Ben Collins covers disinformation, extremism and the internet for NBC News.
Ben Collins covers disinformation, extremism and the internet for NBC News.
Latest from Ben Collins
Critical race theory battle invades school boards — with help from conservative groups
In towns nationwide, well-connected conservative activists, and Fox News, have ramped up the tension in fights over race and equity in schools.
Pro-Trump web forums are abuzz with directions to forge Covid vaccine cards
Vaccination card fraud is percolating online, leading the CDC to ask states to remove online versions.
There are hundreds of posts about plans to attack the Capitol. Why hasn't this evidence been used in court?
The feds have presented no evidence any of the people charged in the Jan. 6 riot planned to attack the Capitol. But these posts gave detailed plans.
Apple reinstates Parler app, stands by initial ban
Parler, the conservative-oriented social media website that was banned from Apple’s App Store after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, has been reinstated.
U.S. Capitol Police officer dies after attacker rammed car into checkpoint; suspect also dead
The slain officer, William Evans, was an 18-year-veteran of the force and a member of the Capitol Division’s First Responder’s Unit.
D.C. police, FBI on alert ahead of QAnon’s 'true Inauguration Day'
Law enforcement agencies around Washington are adding extra security out of concern about a coming date — March 4 — that has swirled online among QAnon supporters.
Canada labels far-right Proud Boys a terrorist entity
The group was active in last month's U.S. Capitol riots, and it took part in the 2017 Unite the Right rally.
Twitter launches 'Birdwatch,' a forum to combat misinformation
Twitter said it hopes to build a community of "Birdwatchers" that can eventually help moderate and label tweets in its main product.
Some QAnon followers lose hope after inauguration
"I don't think this is supposed to happen," one QAnon follower posted as Joe Biden was sworn in.
Increasingly militant 'Parler refugees' and anxious QAnon adherents prep for doomsday
QAnon followers have become more divorced from reality since the Capitol riots as some are targeted by extremists who try to radicalize them further.
Online far-right movements fracture in wake of Capitol riot
According to researchers who study the real-life effects of the QAnon movement, the false belief in a secret plan for Jan. 20 is irking militant pro-Trump and anti-government groups.
