Facebook and its Battle Against Extremism

With the Biden White House releasing its plans for battling domestic terrorism, the latest iteration of terror that is supposed to fill us with fear as shown here:

 

....Facebook has also availed itself of the opportunity to fight against domestic terrorism as shown here:

 

 

As you will see in the later part of this posting, Facebook has taken its responsibility for battling extremism to a new level.

Facebook's Redirect Initiative claims the following:

 

"The Redirect Initiative helps combat violent extremism and dangerous organizations by redirecting hate and violence-related search terms towards resources, education, and outreach groups that can help. This initiative is based on Facebook’s “Get Help” search based modules in combination with the Redirect Method, evolved to fit Facebook and Instagram. 

 

For example, when people search on Facebook for terms related to white supremacy in the US, results are directed to Life After Hate, an organization founded by former violent extremists that provides crisis intervention, education, support groups, and outreach."

 

Facebook has several initiatives that fall under the "counter speech" banner as follows:

 

1.) Extreme Lives

 

2.) Resiliency Initiative

  

3.) Peer to Peer Facebook Global Digital Challenge

  

4.) Online Civil Courage Initiative (OCCI)

 

Now, let's look in detail at two additional initiatives that are specilifally focussed on terrorism:

  

5.)  The Global Internet forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) - GIFCT's aim is to disrupt terrorist abuse and exploitation of digital platforms to maximize the extraordinary benefits of a free, open, and secure internet.   

GIFCT was formally established in July 2017 by four founding companies - Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube - as a program of knowledge-sharing, technical collaboration and shared research.  Today, it is an independent organization capable of sustaining and deepening industry collaboration and capacity in its efforts to prevent terrorists and extremists from abusing and misusing digital platforms.

 

GIFCT has four goals:

 

1.) improve the capacity of technology companies to prevent and respond to abuse of their platforms by terrorists and violent extremists.

 

2.) enable multi-stakeholder engagement around terrorist and violent extremist misuse of the internet.

 

3.) encourage those dedicated to online civil dialogue and empower efforts to direct positive alternatives to the messages of terrorists and violent extremists

 

4.) Advance broad understanding of terrorist and violent extremist operations and their evolution, including the intersection of online and offline activities.

 

Member companies agreed that governments will not be able to remove terrorist content directly from company platforms.

 

6.) Redirect Initiative - Here is a quote from Facebook about this initiative:

"The Redirect Initiative helps combat violent extremism and dangerous organizations by redirecting hate and violence-related search terms towards resources, education, and outreach groups that can help. This initiative is based on Facebook’s “Get Help” search based modules in combination with the Redirect Method, evolved to fit Facebook and Instagram. 

 

For example, when people search on Facebook for terms related to white supremacy in the US, results are directed to Life After Hate, an organization founded by former violent extremists that provides crisis intervention, education, support groups, and outreach.

 

Redirect is disrupting the connection between followers and the violent, extreme content they seek with Facebook claiming that the program has been successful and has expanded its program with organizations in the United States, Australia, Germany, Indonesia and the United Kingdom "to help individuals leave a life of hate so they can live a life of hope." "

  

Here is a "Life After Hate" promotional video:

 

  

Under the Redirect Initiative, Facebook is testing a new alert system by using pop-ups which redirect users to a support page.

 

Here is an example:

 

The "confidential support" link is found here:

 

 

Here is more information from Life After Hate:

 

 

Here is more information on the program:

 

The group is closely linked with ExitUSA as shown here:

 

...and here:

 

This test which is only on Facebook's main platform was being run in the United States as a pilot program and is being used to identify both users who may have been exposed to rule-breaking extremist content and other uses who may have previously been subject to Facebook's enforcement procedures.  

 

Now that we know that Facebook only has our best interests at heart with this new initiative that, coincidentally has been launched within days of the Biden Administration's plans to battle the domestic terror "bogeyman", let's go back in time to the mid-1960s for a quote from Barry Goldwater at the 1964 Republican National Convention:

 

 

Here's the key quote:

  

"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you, also, that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."

 

Take that Facebook.

You must admit that it's reassuring to see that Facebook through its Redirect Initiative is attempting to protect us all from extremist propaganda at the same time as it is censoring any narrative that doesn't follow its own COVID-19/pro-vaccine beliefs. (sarcasm intended)