The Independent

Extremists flocking to social media minnows is bad news

- ADAM HADLEY

Barely a day goes by when social media is not in the firing line from activists and advertiser­s over hate speech and racist rhetoric.

The controvers­y goes to the heart of the debate about the extent to which social media platforms should become the arbiter of content decisions and whether internet companies should be solely responsibl­e for

dealing with abhorrent content posted by users. Facebook and Twitter are both doing more than ever to reduce “online harms” – certainly much more than is legally mandated – but work carried out by Tech Against Terrorism shows that the majority of activity by terrorists and violent extremists has now shifted to the smaller, newer messaging apps, and niche social networks.

We need to acknowledg­e that, for all the understand­able focus on the bigger platforms, it is the minnows who are now predominan­tly used by Isis, Al-Qaeda and extreme far-right groups due to the limited resources many of these platforms have to eliminate terrorist content. The extremist and violent far-right rapidly adapts its tactics to suit new technology as the response of big tech improves. Facebook is a window through which billions view the online world. But smaller social media platforms are the internet’s back door.

Tech Against Terrorism actively monitors more than 500 extremist channels spread over 20 different smaller content platforms and messaging apps. Our research shows a dramatic increase in many terms related to the extreme far-right such as “accelerati­onism”. Accelerati­onism holds that capitalist government­s are hurtling towards imminent collapse, a prospect that the violent, extremist far-right wish to expedite, in order to forge a new, racially segregated world order. For them, a welter of violence and conflict is not merely an end in itself, but a step closer to the creation of an “ethnostate” founded upon white supremacy.

How should we respond to this growing threat in a way that doesn’t make the situation worse? We can start by recognisin­g that the internet didn’t invent terrorism or violent extremism. Osama bin Laden didn’t have a smartphone, and the IRA did not have a Twitter account. In fact, most terrorists rely on generating publicity from mainstream media. Government­s who demand that social media platforms act more quickly to remove illegal content are entitled to do so, but it would be a serious mistake to assume that will positively change the underlying behaviour of those who create terrorist content in the first place.

The most effective way to fight extremism, in all its forms, is to create an environmen­t where extreme political discourse can be challenged openly, not pushed undergroun­d and valorised. Social media platforms are often accused of providing platforms for violent extremists. But the internet reflects views. It doesn’t create them. When larger platforms remove or suppress controvers­ial views, often at the behest of government­s, the people who espouse these views are often pushed on to smaller platforms – some of which are specifical­ly created to allow for the extreme discourse removed by big tech competitor­s.

Government­s should recognise that terrorism is a societal problem and treat it accordingl­y. None of this is easy. Violent extremists pose a challenge to liberal democracie­s, where freedom of expression is cherished and protected, but hate speech and incitement to violence are already criminal offences. Government­s try to balance the right of citizens to say what they want against their duty to protect the public from violent extremists. Sometimes they get that calculatio­n wrong. Under existing legislatio­n aimed primarily at violent Islamist extremism, possession of terrorist propaganda, including certain books, is potentiall­y criminal. So too is viewing certain material online.

Part of the challenge smaller companies face is understand­ing the scale and complexity of the threat. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, many have limited resources. A requiremen­t to take down content within an hour

For all the understand­able focus on the bigger platforms, it is the minnows who are now predominan­tly used by Isis, Al-Qaeda and extreme far-right groups

sounds sensible in principle but doesn’t work in practice. Forcing social media platforms to vet content before it is even posted would be equally impractica­l. Imagine having to wait 24 hours before your tweet appears online? Or a week before your family photo album appears on your Facebook profile? On the contrary, overburden­ing smaller platforms risks compromisi­ng their ability to compete and innovate, making them even more vulnerable to exploitati­on.

The most effective way to prevent terrorists’ exploitati­on of smaller social media companies, while ensuring online competitio­n thrives, is to provide them with the practical tools to make their platforms more secure. Tech Against Terrorism mentors smaller platforms to help them deal with the threat and spot and remove content quickly and efficientl­y. But government­s also need to work closely with the tech industry to tackle the violent far right.

They could start by acting more decisively to identity and outlaw these groups. Only a handful are currently designated as terrorist organisati­ons by western government­s, including neo-Nazi group National Action, Blood & Honour in Canada, and the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), which is proscribed in the US. Designatin­g far-right organisati­ons as terrorist groups would help the smaller platforms that are most vulnerable to extreme far-right exploitati­on by giving them the legal protection they need to remove content unchalleng­ed.

From our work with the tech industry, we know that there is willingnes­s to work with government­s to help defeat violent extremism in all its forms. But ideologies that are rooted in the real world can’t be defeated online.

 ?? (Getty) ?? Newer platforms don’t have the resources to eliminate terrorist content
(Getty) Newer platforms don’t have the resources to eliminate terrorist content

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