Charlie Winter
Biographic Data
| ID | 3947360 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Charlie Winter |
| GIVEN NAMES | Charlie |
| FAMILY NAME | Winter |
| SIGNATURE | WINTER C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Kings College London |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8992-4346 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 28 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 8 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
The Commercialization of Ransomware: From Spray-and-Prey to Big Game Hunting to the Ransom Bazaar
Ransomware has evolved from opportunistic attacks into a sophisticated financial enterprise sustained by cryptocurrency markets, despite enforcement pressure. Drawing on the analysis of 525 ransomware strains (2013–2025), we identify three eras: Spray-and-Prey (2013–2018; fragmented payment practices), Big Game Hunting (2018–2021; targeting high-value organizations), and Ransom Bazaar (2021–present; financialized, service-oriented extortion). The…
Automating Terror: The Role and Impact of Telegram Bots in the Islamic State's Online Ecosystem
In this article, we use network science to explore the topology of the Islamic State’s “terrorist bot” network on the online social media platform Telegram, empirically identifying its connections to the Islamic State supporter-run groups and channels that operate across the platform, with which these bots form bipartite structures. As part of this, we examine the diverse activities of the bots to determine the extent to which they operate in syn…
The Terrorist Image: Decoding the Islamic State's Photo-Propaganda
The summer of 2014—when the Islamic State seized Mosul, Iraq's second city; captured vast swathes of eastern Syria; and declared itself a latter-day Caliphate—marked a turning point in the history of photography, one that pushed its already contested relationship with reality to its very limits. Uniquely obsessed with narrative, image management and branding, the Islamic State used cameras as weapons in its formative years as a Caliphate. The ten…
Challenges in gaining ethical approval for sensitive digital social science studies
The swift evolution of digital spaces challenges the established norms of ethical research policy. Ineffective ethical review diminishes researchers’ ability to conduct cutting-edge and socially sensitive research, institutions’ ability to engage at the forefront of technology, and the relationship between researcher and committee. In criminology and other disciplines that navigate sensitive research, especially when working with ephemeral data i…
Terrorist Image: Decoding the Islamic State's Photo-Propaganda
The Isis Reader: Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement
In the wake of its "Caliphate" declaration in 2014, the self-described Islamic State has been the focus of countless academic papers, government studies, media commentaries and documentaries. Despite all this attention, persistent myths continue to shape--and misdirect--public understanding and strategic policy decisions. A significant factor in this trend has been a strong disinclination to engage critically with Islamic State's speeches and wri…
Framing war: Visual propaganda, the Islamic State, and the battle for east Mosul
This article explores how propaganda can be used to construct counter-factual visual narratives at times of war. Specifically, it examines how the Islamic State communicated its way through the 100-day-long battle for east Mosul, which was launched by the coalition and its allies in October 2016. Drawing on Jacques Ellul’s 1962 theory of propaganda, it uses qualitative content analysis to decipher the 1,261 media products published online by the …
From Cubs to Lions: A Six Stage Model of Child Socialization into the Islamic State
Using the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) as a case study, we explore the process by which children evolve from novice recruits to fully fledged members of a violent extremist movement. From currently available data, we propose six stages of child socialization to ISIS—Seduction, Schooling, Selection, Subjugation, Specialization, and Stationing. Furthermore, we explore this process in the context of “Community of Practice” (COP) as devel…
From Cubs to Lions: A Six Stage Model of Child Socialization into the Islamic State
Using the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) as a case study, we explore the process by which children evolve from novice recruits to fully fledged members of a violent extremist movement. From currently available data, we propose six stages of child socialization to ISIS—Seduction, Schooling, Selection, Subjugation, Specialization, and Stationing. Furthermore, we explore this process in the context of “Community of Practice” (COP) as devel…
Challenges in gaining ethical approval for sensitive digital social science studies
The swift evolution of digital spaces challenges the established norms of ethical research policy. Ineffective ethical review diminishes researchers’ ability to conduct cutting-edge and socially sensitive research, institutions’ ability to engage at the forefront of technology, and the relationship between researcher and committee. In criminology and other disciplines that navigate sensitive research, especially when working with ephemeral data i…
Framing war: Visual propaganda, the Islamic State, and the battle for east Mosul
This article explores how propaganda can be used to construct counter-factual visual narratives at times of war. Specifically, it examines how the Islamic State communicated its way through the 100-day-long battle for east Mosul, which was launched by the coalition and its allies in October 2016. Drawing on Jacques Ellul’s 1962 theory of propaganda, it uses qualitative content analysis to decipher the 1,261 media products published online by the …
Automating Terror: The Role and Impact of Telegram Bots in the Islamic State's Online Ecosystem
In this article, we use network science to explore the topology of the Islamic State’s “terrorist bot” network on the online social media platform Telegram, empirically identifying its connections to the Islamic State supporter-run groups and channels that operate across the platform, with which these bots form bipartite structures. As part of this, we examine the diverse activities of the bots to determine the extent to which they operate in syn…
From Cubs to Lions: A Six Stage Model of Child Socialization into the Islamic State
Using the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) as a case study, we explore the process by which children evolve from novice recruits to fully fledged members of a violent extremist movement. From currently available data, we propose six stages of child socialization to ISIS—Seduction, Schooling, Selection, Subjugation, Specialization, and Stationing. Furthermore, we explore this process in the context of “Community of Practice” (COP) as devel…
The Isis Reader: Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement
In the wake of its "Caliphate" declaration in 2014, the self-described Islamic State has been the focus of countless academic papers, government studies, media commentaries and documentaries. Despite all this attention, persistent myths continue to shape--and misdirect--public understanding and strategic policy decisions. A significant factor in this trend has been a strong disinclination to engage critically with Islamic State's speeches and wri…
Framing war: Visual propaganda, the Islamic State, and the battle for east Mosul
This article explores how propaganda can be used to construct counter-factual visual narratives at times of war. Specifically, it examines how the Islamic State communicated its way through the 100-day-long battle for east Mosul, which was launched by the coalition and its allies in October 2016. Drawing on Jacques Ellul’s 1962 theory of propaganda, it uses qualitative content analysis to decipher the 1,261 media products published online by the …
The Terrorist Image: Decoding the Islamic State's Photo-Propaganda
The summer of 2014—when the Islamic State seized Mosul, Iraq's second city; captured vast swathes of eastern Syria; and declared itself a latter-day Caliphate—marked a turning point in the history of photography, one that pushed its already contested relationship with reality to its very limits. Uniquely obsessed with narrative, image management and branding, the Islamic State used cameras as weapons in its formative years as a Caliphate. The ten…
Challenges in gaining ethical approval for sensitive digital social science studies
The swift evolution of digital spaces challenges the established norms of ethical research policy. Ineffective ethical review diminishes researchers’ ability to conduct cutting-edge and socially sensitive research, institutions’ ability to engage at the forefront of technology, and the relationship between researcher and committee. In criminology and other disciplines that navigate sensitive research, especially when working with ephemeral data i…
Terrorist Image: Decoding the Islamic State's Photo-Propaganda
Automating Terror: The Role and Impact of Telegram Bots in the Islamic State's Online Ecosystem
In this article, we use network science to explore the topology of the Islamic State’s “terrorist bot” network on the online social media platform Telegram, empirically identifying its connections to the Islamic State supporter-run groups and channels that operate across the platform, with which these bots form bipartite structures. As part of this, we examine the diverse activities of the bots to determine the extent to which they operate in syn…
The Commercialization of Ransomware: From Spray-and-Prey to Big Game Hunting to the Ransom Bazaar
Ransomware has evolved from opportunistic attacks into a sophisticated financial enterprise sustained by cryptocurrency markets, despite enforcement pressure. Drawing on the analysis of 525 ransomware strains (2013–2025), we identify three eras: Spray-and-Prey (2013–2018; fragmented payment practices), Big Game Hunting (2018–2021; targeting high-value organizations), and Ransom Bazaar (2021–present; financialized, service-oriented extortion). The…
Islam (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · History (4 works) · Law (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence (4 works) · Media studies (3 works) · Politics (3 works) · Terrorism (3 works)