Platform Criticized for Recalcitrance & Inability to Moderate Content Online

August marks the first anniversary of the tragic events in Charlottesville – and despite all the uproar that followed, Facebook’s promises to take more action against hate groups have rung hollow. The Guardian reports that the same actors involved in the original “Unite The Right” rally have now “managed to return to the major internet platforms – if they ever left in the first place.” In one instance, the rally’s original organizer Jason Kessler was found to be using Facebook to plan Unite the Right 2, and his page was taken down only after the news outlet reported it to Facebook.  It was the same story for white supremacy group League of the South, which created 13 Facebook pages that were taken down only after they were alerted.

For many, Facebook’s antics seem all too familiar. It’s this very content that landed a far-right extremist in prison after he advocated for violence and threatened non-whites on his social channels, including Facebook. And in July, two members of neo-Nazi group National Action – which has garnered considerable attention on social media – were convicted of a murder plot. Several months earlier, the company faced criticism from members of the UK Parliament for allowing National Action propaganda, even after it was flagged, to stay on the platform.   

Examples of extremist content are still readily found on Facebook. A National Action propaganda video shows one of the group’s anti-refugee demonstrations in York. Footage of the demonstration is followed by text that states, among other things, “The authorities have failed us, our enemies are many, but we will struggle until the bitter end.” Another, from the Neo-Nazi group Scottish Dawn, alleges a conspiracy by European governments to allow refugees to enter, and urges people to “resist the invasion” and “support the resistance.” Scottish Dawn was outlawed by the British government in September 2017 after authorities alleged that the group was another name for National Action, which was previously banned in December 2016.

To read more about this issue and see the aforementioned examples, as well as other examples of extremist content, please see the background below.

EXTREMIST FACEBOOK CONTENT

1. Neo-Nazi National Action (UK) Video With Over 400 Views

• Located on Facebook: July 25, 2018
• Time on Facebook: Approximately one month
• Views: 426, 52 likes/reacts and seven shares
• URL: Link
• Description: A National Action propaganda video that shows one of the group’s anti-refugee demonstrations in York. Footage of the demonstration is followed by text that states, among other things, “The authorities have failed us, our enemies are many, but we will struggle until the bitter end.” The video concludes with a call for monetary donations and gives an email address, [email protected] (it is unclear if it is currently active).

2. Propaganda Video From Banned British Neo-Nazi Group Scottish Dawn

• Located on Facebook: July 18, 2018
• Time on Facebook: approximately one year
• Views: 2,275, 19 likes/reacts and 63 shares
• URL: Link 
• Description: A propaganda video from the banned British neo-Nazi group Scottish Dawn. The video alleges a conspiracy by European governments to allow refugees to enter, and urges people to “resist the invasion” and “support the resistance.” Scottish Dawn was outlawed by the British government in September 2017. Authorities alleged that the group was another name for National Action, a neo-Nazi group banned by the British government in December 2016.

3. ISIS Video That Includes Multiple Executions On Facebook For Three Months

• Located on Facebook: August 1, 2018
• Time on Facebook: Approximately three months
• Views: 104, 3 likes/reacts and no shares
• URL: Link
• Description: A pro-ISIS video made by the Indonesian pro-ISIS group KDI Media. The video includes extensive footage taken from early ISIS videos in approximately 2014 and 2015, and includes multiple scenes of IED attacks, beheadings and shootings. The video also includes footage from “Although the Disbelievers Dislike it,” released in November 2014, which showed the severed head of ISIS hostage Peter (Abdul-Rahman) Kassig by Mohammad Emwazi. The video was recognized as violent by Facebook and was obscured with a privacy screen, requiring an extra click to view.

4. Pro-ISIS Video With Several Execution Photos

• Located on Facebook: August 1, 2018
• Time on Facebook: Approximately two weeks
• Views: 13 and six likes/reacts
• URL: Link
• Description: A pro-ISIS fan video made by the Indonesian group Gen 5.54 (Generation 5.54). The video is a collage of still images taken from ISIS propaganda releases, and includes firearm executions committed by children and beheadings.

5. ISIS Video Showing The Amputation Of A Hand On Facebook For Four Days With Over 2,200 Views

• Located on Facebook: August 1, 2018
• Time on Facebook: Four days
• Views: 2,200 views, 46 likes/reacts and 39 shares
• URL: Link
• Description: A one-minute clip that shows a hand amputation taken from a longer ISIS video, “Amputate Their Hands in Recompense for What They Committed,” originally released in November 2015.

BACKGROUND

A Year After Charlottesville, Social Media Sites Like Facebook And Twitter Remain Platforms On Which White Supremacists Can Broadcast Their Alt-Right Messaging. “But a year later, as the remnants of the alt-right prepare for an anniversary rally in Washington DC and, pending a court case, Charlottesville, many of the players involved in the first Unite the Right event have managed to return to the major internet platforms – if they ever left in the first place. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter remain platforms for violent white supremacists to broadcast their messages.” (Julia Carrie Wong, “A Year After Charlottesville, Why Can’t Big Tech Delete White Supremacists?” The Guardian, 7/25/18)

A White Supremacist Was Sentenced In Federal Court July 11. “A man authorities describe as a white supremacist was sentenced Wednesday (7/11) in federal court. A spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office says Benjamin McDowell was sentenced to close to three years in prison.” (Josh Berry, “Federal Judge Sentences White Supremacist Who Wanted To Carry Out An Attack In The Spirit Of Dylann Roof,” ABC, 7/11/18)

The Man’s Facebook Posts Flagged Him To Authorities. “Benjamin Thomas Samuel McDowell, 29, became known to federal agents after a series of Facebook posts were flagged in which he made threats and professed violent white supremacist ideologies, said Special Agent Grant Lowe of the FBI’s office in Columbia.” (Mary Emily O’Hara, “FBI Arrests Man Who Allegedly Planned Dylann Roof-Style Attack,” NBC, 2/16/17)

Two Men From Neo-Nazi Group National Action Were Convicted Of A Murder Plot. “Robbie Mullen provided information that led to Christopher Lythgoe, 32, from Warrington, and Matthew Hankinson, 24, from Merseyside, both being found guilty on Wednesday of belonging to National Action, a small extremist group that was declared illegal in 2016 after its members expressed support for Thomas Mair, the murderer of Labour MP Jo Cox.” (Patrick Smith, “A Whistleblower Helped Convict Two Members Of A Neo-Nazi Terror Group,” BuzzFeed News, 7/18/18)

Facebook Was Criticized For Allowing Propaganda From National Action To Stay On Its Platform. “[Yvette] Cooper described how, over the course of eight months, she repeatedly checked whether a propaganda video from far-right organisation National Action had been taken down, after Google agreed that it violated its policies. She found that it remained on the platform for more than half a year. ‘It took eight months of the chair of the select committee raising it with the most senior people in your organisation to get this down,’ Ms. Cooper said. ‘Even when we raise it and nothing happens, it is hard to believe that enough is being done.’ She said that the video remained on Facebook and Twitter even after it was flagged to Google, saying it was ‘incomprehensible’ the information had not been shared.” (Jane Wakefield, “Facebook Grilled On Britain First Page By MPs,” BBC, 12/19/17)