Extremist content online: Finding ISIS propaganda on Facebook

Hossam al-Haddad

The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) provides a weekly report on the methods extremists use to exploit the internet and social media platforms to recruit followers and incite violence. Last week, researchers found links on multiple platforms, including Facebook, for an ISIS video entitled “Epic Makers 2” that included executions and footage of IED attacks against Egyptian army personnel. CEP researchers have also discovered more than eight gigabytes of ISIS propaganda videos on the Internet Archive, while a pro-ISIS tech has warned its users of Facebook data breaches.

Meanwhile, a new neo-Nazi video game was released on a far-right website on April 20, the anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s birthday. Additionally, a website dedicated to publishing the works of neo-Nazi James Mason has created a post supporting acts of terror and violence by lone wolves. Also, a website dedicated to sharing plans for 3D printed firearms, suppressors and accessories has been shared by as many as five white supremacy channels on Telegram.

Additionally, after Derek Chauvin’s conviction, white supremacist and far-right Telegram channels spread messages of support for the former police officer and expressed the hope that Chauvin’s conviction would lead more white people, including police officers, to embrace white supremacist beliefs and to turn against the government.

Finally, dozens of white supremacist and neo-Nazi channels celebrated the Oklahoma City bombing anniversary by sharing videos and propaganda photos celebrating Timothy McVeigh and encouraging additional acts of violence.

ISIS propaganda video

CEP researchers continued to find links to ISIS’s “Epic Makers 2” video, which was originally released on April 17. The video, from the self-proclaimed province in Sinai that pledged allegiance to ISIS contains sermons encouraging ISIS fighters and shows fighting between ISIS and the Egyptian army. The video also shows attacks with improvised explosive devices on Egyptian soldiers and an attack on a tribal forces checkpoint. The video also includes footage of ISIS executing a Christian Egyptian man and executing two men who belong to a tribal militia in Sinai.

The video has been shared on Telegram, Hoop, and RocketChat, and it was also posted on the decentralized site Siasky.net, the Internet Archive, and two different NextCloud cloud service sites belonging to two pro-ISIS propaganda groups. A clip of the video, which included fighting and blood, was posted on Facebook, where it was online for four days after it was uploaded by an ISIS-affiliated account. Two pro-ISIS propaganda websites also shared the video.

ISIS content found in Internet Archive

In the week of April 18-24, CEP researchers identified more than 8 GB of ISIS propaganda videos and other content on the Internet Archive. The videos were uploaded in four different folders, each of about 2 GB. Two volumes, with 45 views, were uploaded on January 26, and the other two, uploaded on February 5, received 21 views. The content was not removed after CEP reported it to the Internet Archive.

Pro-ISIS tech group warns its followers about Facebook breaches

On April 21, CEP researchers identified a post on PasteThis to the bulletin board platform of the pro-ISIS tech group Qimam Online that warns of Facebook data breaches. The post contained information to verify whether the user’s personal information was revealed in the Facebook data leak.

Launch of neo-Nazi video game

A new neo-Nazi video game was released on a far-right website on April 20, in memory of Adolf Hitler’s birthday. The main character is a British Gestapo agent in fictional occupied London. The game’s creator announced it on Gab, 8kun, and a dark web image board that encourages white supremacist violence. Extremist games allow groups and individuals to promote and spread ideology, encourage the dehumanization of their opponents, portray violence as positive, and increase propaganda.

Neo-Nazi website

On April 21, a website dedicated to publishing the works of neo-Nazi James Mason published a post supporting acts of terror and lone wolf violence. The post, initially on 8chan, argued that acts of terror were often successful in wars against opponents of a stronger state and influenced or altered the decisions made by ethnic groups targeted with violence. In support of the brilliant substitution theory in a manner similar to El Paso shooter Patrick Crusius, the publication advocated the use of violence against immigrants to the United States to prevent future immigration. The site claims to have over 10,000 visitors per month.

While the website indicates that it is not affiliated with Mason’s Atomwaffen (AWD) or the National Socialist Order (NSO), the site lists several AWD members as contributors and at least one member of the latter as a contributor, in addition to NSO spreading propaganda. The site also encourages financial support for incarcerated AWD members. The website uses Epik as its registrar and Cloudflare as its name server. On April 23, the British government added AWD and NSO to the list of banned terrorist organizations.