Videos published online in which Hamas claims terrorists are committing acts of violence in recent attacks on Israel have spread on AppX and the messaging app Telegram, often staying online for hours or even days. Remaining.
On X, some videos created by Hamas and its military wing, the Qassam Brigades, were shared by some verified accounts and racked up millions of views, according to an NBC News investigation. Hamas videos were also available on Dubai-based Telegram, which had few rules about the content users posted.
Users who post videos to X often say they are reposting official Hamas content about attacks on Israel. On Telegram, the video from the official account of the Qassam Brigades is labeled as first-person footage by terrorists who took part in the attack.
When asked for comment, X sent an automated email saying, “I’m busy right now, please check back later.” Telegrams went unanswered.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said in a post on the app Friday that the company removes “millions of clearly harmful content from our public platforms,” but even some He also said that he believes that even if the content is made public, there is a certain value and responsibility in being a means of distributing war-related content. It is manufactured by a terrorist organization.
“Unlike other apps that algorithmically promote shocking content to unsuspecting people, on Telegram users only receive content that they specifically subscribed to,” he added. “As such, Telegram channels are unlikely to be used to significantly amplify propaganda. Rather, they serve as a unique source of first-hand information for researchers, journalists, and fact-checkers.”
NBC News was unable to find such overtly violent and branded videos on other major technology platforms, although wartime footage remains widely available.
He is the executive director of Tech Against Terrorism, a nonprofit organization that helps technology platforms mitigate branded terrorist content from groups officially designated as terrorist organizations by the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union. Adam Hadley said he was disappointed in the response from technology companies. .
“What we’ve learned over the past week is that a lot of platforms aren’t doing anything,” he said. “And we’re talking about officially branded materials.”
Platforms have long had special rules regarding content created by terrorist organizations. About a decade ago, tech companies began more aggressively reining in their platforms after the Islamic State terrorist group began releasing violent propaganda videos.
Under the leadership of Elon Musk, who bought X last year, the company cut its moderation team that was monitoring the platform for content that violated its policies. The company also changed its definition of an “authenticated” user from someone who is authenticated by the company to someone who pays a monthly fee for a premium subscription.
These users will be prioritized in other users’ feeds and search results, and if you reach enough users, you can monetize your account.
The nonprofit Technology Transparency Project, which aims to establish accountability for tech companies, released a report Thursday highlighting Hamas content on X. The report found four verified accounts that were sharing branded Hamas content purporting to be from the invasion. NBC News has confirmed that all of these videos are still visible on X.
Katie Paul, the organization’s director, said: “This is a particular concern with content like this because you’re essentially paying for algorithmically promoted Hamas videos to rank higher in search. “It will be done,” he said.
The European Commission, the EU’s enforcement agency, warned Company X that allowing terrorist videos to be spread on major websites violates EU regulations. X CEO Linda Yaccarino This was communicated to the EU in an open letter on Wednesday. “We have taken steps to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content.”
“Shortly after news broke about the Hamas attack, X formed a leadership group to assess the situation. “It is increasingly important to raise awareness of the situation in which people live and the situation on the ground, and to exchange ideas openly and freely on issues,” she wrote.
The commission announced Thursday that it is intensifying its investigation into X and may impose a fine.
Telegram has also seen a surge in terrorist and extremist content for a long time. The app is often the first place where footage of terrorist acts or conflict areas is uploaded before being spread to other sites such as X.
Kassam Brigade maintains an active Telegram channel with over 600,000 subscribers. Video purporting to be from last weekend’s invasion is being streamed live on the channel, including footage of Israelis killed and captured.
Yasmine Green, CEO of Jigsaw, a Google-owned organization that designs technology programs to counter social platforms, including programs that automatically flag content from specific terrorist groups, said the Hamas videos were He said he was concerned that it could provoke further violence. They reflect the way ISIS has used videos of violence in recruitment efforts for nearly a decade, she said. This group also mainly used her Telegram and Twitter.
“We are about to see an incredible wave of radicalization,” she says. “Incitement to violence is really worrying. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that in the Hamas case, because we’ve already learned the lesson from the ISIS case that terrible violence can be a recruiting tool for terrorist groups. It is from.”