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Facebook is a platform for conspiracy theories and dangerous organizing at critical moments, like the more than 650,000 posts opposing President Biden’s victory between the 2020 general election and the January 6 riot. It has become a hotbed of.Some users have dispersed following the latter and subsequent indictments, but new reports It was first published wired We identified approximately 200 groups and profiles across the platform organizing militia activities across the country, indicating a resurgence.
This research technology transparency projectfound that these groups have ties to organizations such as the Three Percenters Militia Network, which is referred to as an “armed militia group” on Meta’s 2021 Dangerous Individuals and Organizations List. However, groups such as the Free American Army encourage users to join local militias or Three Percenters without repercussions (Meta has since deleted his Free American Army group) ) wired asked about that, calling Facebook a “hostile space” that requires regular investment to keep it safe).
Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, has observed hundreds of these groups and people since 2021 and has seen an increase in the seriousness and focus on organizing over the previous year. “Many of these groups are no longer fragmented clusters of local militias, but are now coalitions between multiple militia groups, many of which are led by Three Percenters.” said Paul. wired. “Facebook remains the number one place for extremist and militia movements to cast a wide net and lure users into more private chats, where they can plan and coordinate with impunity.”
The Tech Transparency Project found that users were looking for “active patriots” to discuss anti-government ideology, attend meetings, and undergo combat training. The latter lends itself to the common themes of confronting enemies or preparing to go to war, such as drag queens, pro-Palestinian college students, and the government itself.
Take a recent post by the administrator of a group called Pennsylvania Light Foot, which has over 1,000 members. “Given the violence and uncertainty in the world, staffing shortages due to COVID-19, social unrest, and the potential for terrorist attacks and natural disasters, our aim is to protect people, whether they are robbers on the street or on their lawns. It’s about equipping our members with the ability to protect themselves, even if they’re foreign soldiers.” These sentiments are echoed by other extremist organizers on Facebook.
Meta has attempted to create at least superficial action and transparency. In 2019, it established an oversight committee as an independent review body for content moderation. The group points to Facebook’s role in dangerous election rhetoric, including in incidents outside the United States, but critics argue that Facebook does not have enough influence. now, washington post report Retrenchments by the Oversight Board may be imminent.
On August 14th, Meta will shut down CrowdTangle, which it acquired in 2016. The tool, which allows journalists and academics to see how conspiracy theories and misinformation have moved on Facebook and its sister site Instagram, has often highlighted the platform’s shortcomings. The company is trying to replace this with a meta content library, but it appears to have less detail and is not available to commercial news outlets.