How Australia’s far right uses cryptocurrencies to monetise hate online

As cryptocurrencies become mainstream and frictionless, extremists are finding new ways to fundraise

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There have never been more ways to ask for money on the internet. For rightwing extremists looking to monetise hate, that can be a big opportunity - and the earning potential of these digital assets hasn't gone unnoticed in Australia.

Earlier this year, I traced funding networks associated with a sample of Australian channels that share rightwing extremist content on the chat app Telegram, and found links to at least 22 online funding tools. These included donation requests via wallet addresses for cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, monero, ethereum and litecoin.

Ariel Bogle is a researcher and journalist with a focus on technology and extremism. She owns a small amount of ethereum.