Thread: We have some concerns about an article published by @WiredUK and are resharing it here mainly because we assume that it has already been read by a large number of people 1/ https://www.wired.co.uk/article/islamic-state-terrorism-facebook

The article describes Islamic State (IS) affiliated networks that are “going viral” on Facebook. Although no conclusive number of accounts linked to these networks is given, the highest number cited for one of the networks is 90 accounts. 2/

Whilst this is clearly a problem, it hardly constitutes virality on a platform with billions of users. It is also unclear whether the author reported any of the content identified in addition to now publicising it. 3/

The article also describes the method used by these networks to circumvent Facebook’s moderation systems. This would have been crucial information if shared with Facebook confidentially, but now constitutes a “how-to” guide on how to upload terrorist content to the site. 4/

Given that terrorists often share articles between themselves on messaging platforms, this article risks aiding terrorists and undoing Facebook's counterterrorism efforts. 5/

It is well-known that mainstream media on occasion has helped disseminate terrorist propaganda, and that researchers occasionally sensationalise the identification of a relatively small amount of terrorist content on a platform used by billions of users. 6/

In sum, whilst reporting and research on terrorist use of the internet is vital, the publication of this article in its current form risks having adverse impact and benefit the terrorist groups we are trying to counter. END