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Old 03-18-2019, 06:35 AM
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Arrow Eye on Extremism March 18, 2019

Eye on Extremism
March 18, 2019
RE: info@counterextremism.com


NBC Nightly News: Terror Live-Streamed

“CEP CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace discusses the unwillingness of social media companies to effectively respond to the proliferation of radicalizing and violent extremist content on their platforms. "Right now they claim they are surprised by this -- there is no surprise. They have known this is a problem, they have had the ability to stop it and they haven't deployed the technology to do it.”

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Military Now Preparing To Leave As Many As 1,000 Troops In Syria

“The U.S. military is crafting plans to keep nearly 1,000 forces in Syria, U.S. officials said, a shift that comes three months after President Trump ordered a complete withdrawal and is far more than the White House originally intended. Protracted administration talks with Turkey, European allies and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters have so far failed to secure an agreement to create a safe zone in northeastern Syria, part of Mr. Trump’s plan for leaving Syria. The U.S. now plans to keep working with Kurdish fighters in Syria, despite Turkish threats to cross the border and attack the Kurds, the U.S. officials said. The proposal could keep as many as 1,000 American forces, spread from the north of Syria to the south, they said. Once the last bastion of Islamic State is seized, the U.S. expects to shift its focus toward withdrawing hundreds of American forces, in keeping with what Mr. Trump originally ordered. The evolving discussions represent a decisive shift away from Mr. Trump’s December directive to get all Americans out of Syria, a country he recently said was little more than “sand and death.” His original decision to withdraw all of the more-than-2,000 U.S. troops from Syria triggered the resignation of Pentagon chief Jim Mattis and drew widespread concern that America was leaving the fight against Islamic State before it was really over.”

The Boston Globe Editorial: New Zealand Mosque Attack Should Be A Wake Up Call For Big Tech

“It’s no longer possible to brush off such events as isolated incidents or to minimize the role of social media companies in enabling them. Tech companies can’t be allowed to shrug off the violence and social division abetted by their products as if it all would have happened anyway— as if they’re as blameless as the phone company when crooks make a phone call. "The global network of white nationalist extremism depends on the framework of social media," said David Ibsen, executive director of the Counter Extremism Project. "The inaction of social media platforms in addressing this problem serves to perpetuate it.”

USA Today: New Zealand Mosque Shootings: Are Social Media Companies Unwitting Accomplices?

“Tough questions are being asked about the role of social media in the wake of the horrific shooting that took the lives of at least 49 people at two New Zealand mosques. "'The attack on New Zealand Muslims today is a shocking and disgraceful act of terror," said David Ibsen, executive director of the non-profit, non-partisan Counter Extremism Project (CEP) global policy organization. Tech companies are also deploying artificial intelligence and machine learning to get at the problem. But Hany Farid, a professor of digital forensics at UC Berkeley and an advisor to the CEP, thinks such systems have a long way to go. "Despite (Mark) Zuckerberg’s promises that AI will save us, these systems are not nearly good enough to contend with the enormous volume of content uploaded every day," he says. "The reality, Farid adds, is that "Facebook and others have grown to their current monstrous scale without putting guard rails in place to deal with what was predictable harm. Now they have the unbearably difficult problem of going back and trying to retrofit a system to deal with what is a spectacular array of troubling content, from child sexual abuse, terrorism, hate speech, the sale of illegal and deadly drugs, mis-information, and on and on.”

Al Jazeera: Syrian Fighters Say 'Thousands' Still Inside Last ISIL Pocket

“A US-backed militia in Syria said thousands of people are still believed to be inside the last ISIL enclave as it sought to flush out fighters with air attacks and shelling. Tens of thousands of dishevelled women, children and men have streamed out of a small pocket in the village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border in recent weeks - and they still keep coming. The huge numbers have flummoxed the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and slowed down its offensive aimed at dealing a knock-out blow to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS). At an SDF outpost inside Baghouz on Sunday, white smoke rose above the enclave as the sound of air attacks and shelling rang out. A large blaze ravaged the makeshift encampment where holdout ISIL fighters are making a last stand.”

Forbes: Facebook Hit By 'Explosive' New Allegations As Criminal Prosecutions Loom

“The worst week in Facebook's history showed no signs of letting up this weekend, with fresh accusations in the Observer of an executive-level cover-up of Cambridge Analytica's data harvesting. The crux of the allegations, described by the newspaper as “explosive”, is that one Facebook board member (at least) was aware of the true and ongoing purpose of the contentious data harvesting almost two-years before the company claimed to have learned the facts from the press. Separately, on Friday the academic behind the scheme, Aleksandr Kogan, sued the social media giant for defamation, for faking ignorance and for using him as a scapegoat when they were aware of events all along - claims that will be boosted by the fresh allegations. According to NBC News, Kogan "had been waiting on investigations by the Department of Justice, the Security and Exchange Commission and the Federal Election Commission of the Cambridge Analytica scandal to wrap up before filing, but the statute of limitations 'forced our hand'.”

United States

The Washington Post: New Zealand Attack Exposes How Little The U.S. And Its Allies Share Intelligence On Domestic Terrorism Threats

“The United States and its closest allies have spent nearly two decades building an elaborate system to share intelligence about international terrorist groups, and it has become a key pillar of a global effort to thwart attacks. But there’s no comparable arrangement for sharing intelligence about domestic terrorist organizations, including right-wing extremists like the one suspected in the killing of 50 worshipers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, according to current and former national security officials and counterterrorism experts. Governments generally see nationalist extremist groups as a problem for domestic law enforcement and security agencies to confront. In the United States, that responsibility falls principally to the FBI. But increasingly, nationalist groups in different countries are drawing inspiration from each other, uniting in common cause via social media, experts said. Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the 28-year-old suspected gunman in Christchurch, posted a manifesto full of rage on Twitter in which he cited other right-wing extremists as his inspiration, among them Dylann Roof, who killed nine black churchgoers in Charleston, S.C., in 2015. Tarrant also had white supremacist slogans scrawled on weapons, according to video he took.”

The New York Times: Confronting Philosophy’s Anti-Semitism

“We commonly assume that anti-Semitism and related attitudes are a product of ignorance and fear, or fanatical beliefs, or some other irrational force. But it is by now well known that some of the most accomplished thinkers in modern societies have defended anti-Semitic views. For instance, several of the major Enlightenment philosophers — including Hume, Voltaire and Kant — developed elaborate justifications for anti-Semitic views. One common thread running through the work of these philosophers is an attempt to diminish the influence of Judaism or the Jewish people on European history. In “The Philosophical Bases of Modern Racism,” the historian of philosophy Richard H. Popkin wrote: “David Hume apparently accepted a polygenetic view of man’s origin, since in his ‘Natural History of Religion’ he made no effort to trace a linear development of man from the ancient Jews to the modern world, and presented practically no historical connection between Judaism and Christianity (which he saw more as emerging from pagan polytheism).”

Syria

Reuters: Battle Rages For Last Islamic State Syria Enclave

“Falling bombs raised smoke over Islamic State’s last enclave in east Syria on Sunday, obscuring the huddle of vehicles and makeshift shelters to which the group’s self-declared “caliphate” has been reduced. Air strikes and artillery began hitting the area and smoke billowed overhead late in the afternoon as U.S.-backed forces resumed their weeks-long attack, a Reuters reporter said. After dark, a Kurdish TV channel broadcast live footage showing fires raging and the swift glow of rockets pounding into the enclave accompanied by the sound of intense gunfire. During an earlier lull in fighting, tiny figures of people still inside were clearly visible walking among hundreds of trucks, cars and minibuses clustered around a few concrete buildings by the bank of the Euphrates. It is all that remains to Islamic State in the heartland of the territory it seized in 2014, taking advantage of chaos in Iraq and Syria to grab about a third of both countries and eradicating the border between them. However, the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still at large and regional officials believe it will remain a threat after it has lost all its land. The enclave is in Baghouz, a handful of hamlets in farmland next to the river along the Iraqi border.”

Reuters: Over 60,000 People, Mostly Civilians, Have Fled From Last IS Syria Enclave-SDF

“The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday over 60,000 people, mostly civilians, had flooded out of Islamic State's last enclave in eastern Syria since a final assault to capture it began over two months ago. SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel told journalists that 29,600 people, the majority of whom were families of fighters of the militant group, had surrendered since the U.S.-backed forces led by the Kurdish YPG laid siege to the town of Baghouz and its hinterland on the Euphrates River. Among them were 5,000 militants, the SDF said. Another 34,000 civilians were evacuated from Baghouz, the last shred of territory held by the jihadists who have been driven from roughly one third of Iraq and Syria over the past four years, Gabriel said. Former residents from the region say many of the civilians who came out of the Baghouz area in recent weeks were Iraqi Sunnis with close tribal ties on the other side of the border in Deir al-Zor, a Sunni heartland. They sought sanctuary in Syria for fear of revenge attacks by the Iraqi Hashd al Shaabi, the Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias in Iraq who swept through their areas when the militants lost control.”

Iran

The National: Iran Is A Threat To UK And Europe, US Counter-Terror Chief Says

“The US is calling on the UK and European states to take a tougher stance to hold Iran accountable for its terror-linked activities. Tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated last year following the US imposition of economic sanctions and its decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Nathan Sales, the US ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counter-terrorism, said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that the UK will likely be targeted next as it is a “fertile ground” for Iran’s terror campaign. “If there are no costs, Iran is going to keep at it. So it's incumbent on us to impose those costs so that we can deter future acts of terrorism,” he said. The US official blamed Iran for a recent foiled bomb attack that targeted a political opposition rally in Paris and an alleged plot to murder an exiled political leader in Denmark. “Terrorism is fundamental to the Iranian regime raison d’etre. They regard the export of their revolution as absolutely fundamental and central to the regime’s identity,” he said. Mr Sales hailed the expulsion of Iranian ambassadors from European states in the early 1990s following a bomb attack by stating the move is likely to be effective if similar steps are taken now. He expressed concern at the number of attempted terror plots that Tehran has allegedly carried out in Europe.”

Al Arabiya: Why Hasn’t Iran Instructed The Houthis To Implement The Stockholm Agreement?

“Last December, Yemen’s government and Houthi rebels signed a UN deal in Sweden known as the Stockholm Agreement. The deal called for the withdrawal of troops on both sides from the major port city of Hodeidah in order to admit humanitarian aid to Yemenis afflicted by famine due to four years of civil war. But the Houthis have since failed to uphold their end of the agreement on the pullout. I discussed the deal with several European ministers on the margins of the ministerial meetings for the inaugural Arab-European summit, which recently convened in Egypt’s Sharm al-Sheikh. They revealed that Iran played a hand in the success of the peace consultations, directing the Houthis to accept the agreement. I asked that if this is the case, then why hasn’t Iran – the country that sponsors the Houthi militias in Yemen – instructed the Houthis to implement these agreements? They answered that due to a shift in the region’s balance of powers and the pressure resulting from US sanctions on Iran, the mullahs’ regime decided not to cooperate regarding the Yemeni affair.”

Iraq

Bloomberg: Iraq’s Feckless Government Is Enabling An Islamic State Revival

“Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi holds the world responsible for rebuilding Iraqi cities destroyed in the war to liberate them from Islamic State’s control. Noting the great sacrifice in blood by Iraqi forces in that war, Abdul Mahdi told a press conference this week, “The world has to repay the favor in terms of the security, stability and stopping the movement of displacement to other countries. The world has to repay the favor to Iraq to rebuild its areas.” Abdul Mahdi is right. The world does have a direct interest in putting Iraq together again: the longer war-ravaged cities like Mosul remain in ruins, the more bitter their populations will become, and the more susceptible to the ideology of resentment and revenge peddled by terrorist groups. A revival of IS and al-Qaeda in Iraq would endanger us all. But here’s the problem: the world can’t help Iraq when Abdul Mahdi is so obviously uninterested in helping his own countrymen. His government’s desultory reconstruction efforts are evident in western Mosul, which suffered the greatest damage during the war. Nearly two years after its liberation, large parts of Iraq’s second-largest city remain almost exactly as they were when IS forces were ejected—in ruin. Estimates of Mosul’s reconstruction cost range from $1 billion to $2 billion.”

Iraqi News: Iraqi Security Forces Arrest Islamic State Warlord Near Jordan Borders

“Iraqi security forces arrested on Sunday an Islamic State warlord while trying to flee the country into neighboring Jordan, a security source said. Speaking to the Iraqi Almaalomah news website, the source said that the Islamic State leader “is wanted by Iraqi judiciary on charges of targeting security forces and citizens.” “The IS terrorist was apprehended while trying to escape into Jordan via the Trebil crossing on the Iraqi-Jordanian border,” the source said, adding that the arrest was made pursuant to accurate intelligence reports. The Islamic State group appeared on the international scene in 2014 when it seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, declaring the establishment of an Islamic “caliphate” from Mosul city. Later on, the group has become notorious for its brutality, including mass killings, abductions and beheadings, prompting the U.S. to lead an international coalition to destroy it.”

Asharq Al-Awsat: Iraq Opens First ISIS Mass Grave In Yazidi Region

“Iraqi authorities on Friday opened a first mass grave containing victims of the ISIS group in the Yazidi stronghold of Sinjar, where militants brutally targeted the minority. Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, a Yazidi who escaped ISIS and became an outspoken advocate for her community, attended the ceremony in her home village of Kojo to mark the start of exhumations. The United Nations, which is assisting with the forensic work, says the first opening of a mass grave in the region will help to shed light on the fate those inhabitants killed by ISIS. Hundreds of men and women from the village are believed to have been executed by the militants when they took over the area in 2014. The Yazidi people were targeted by the ISIS militants who swept across northern Iraq in 2014 and seized their bastion of Sinjar near the border with Syria. ISIS militants slaughtered thousands of Yazidi men and boys, then abducted women and girls to be abused as sex slaves. The Kurdish-speaking Yazidis follow an ancient religion rooted in Zoroastrianism, but ISIS considers them to be “apostates”. The United Nations has said ISIS' actions could amount to genocide, and is investigating the group's atrocities across Iraq.”

Gulf News: A Daesh Comeback Hangs Over Iraq

“There are strong indications that the Daesh terrorist group may be staging a comeback in Iraq, emerging stronger in terms of the number of fighters and attacks. The potential comeback of the terrorist group, which was defeated two years ago, is attributed to several reasons, most notably the growing tension between the United States and Iran. Recently, Washington has ramped up its economic and political embargo on Tehran, which retaliated with military manoeuvres in the Gulf waters, in what is seen as important political messages by Iran to the US and Gulf neighbours. Despite this escalation, Washington never talked about military confrontation with Tehran, in all the measures taken so far. The US repeatedly said that Iran should change its behaviour towards its own people, as well as its approach towards its neighbours and the entire region. Washington frequently called on Tehran to halt intervention in others’ affairs through its militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, the Arab Maghreb and Africa. So what is the relationship between Iran and Daesh? This is a logical question since Iran has organisations and militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and other countries.”

Afghanistan

The New York Times: Taliban Capture About 150 Afghan Soldiers After Chase Into Turkmenistan

“The Taliban carried out the biggest known capture of Afghan soldiers of the war, taking 150 prisoners after they chased units into neighboring Turkmenistan and that country forced them back, Afghan officials said on Sunday. The operation took place in the northwestern Afghan province of Badghis, and brought to 190 the number of soldiers captured by insurgents in the hotly contested district of Murghab — with 16 more soldiers killed — in less than a week. Last Monday, an entire Afghan Army company was killed or captured there. By Saturday, its defenders said the district had fallen mostly into Taliban control, though Afghan forces were still holding the district’s government center. The latest capture was perhaps the biggest setback for the Afghan security forces since a Taliban offensive in August in the southeastern city of Ghazni killed as many as 200 soldiers and police officers, but few prisoners were taken then. The biggest recent capture of soldiers by the Taliban was about 50 who surrendered after a siege of their base, known as Chinese Camp, in Faryab Province, also in August. Mirza Mohammad Yarmand, a military analyst and retired general, expressed alarm at the losses. “I have not seen or heard of such a big loss in the Afghan Army in recent years,” Mr. Yarmand said.”

The Washington Post: The U.S. Needs More From The Taliban Than A Cease-Fire And Talks

“The Trump administration has now conducted five rounds of negotiations with the Taliban, including a grueling 16-day round that ended Tuesday in Qatar. Both sides are claiming progress, but details have been scant — including, it turns out, for the Afghan government, which has been excluded from the talks. That prompted an undiplomatic outburst Thursday by the national security adviser to President Ashraf Ghani, who told reporters in Washington that the U.S. administration is “ostracizing and alienating a very trusted ally.” A negotiated peace in Afghanistan is much to be wished for. But judging from what has been reported from Qatar, the Afghan government is right to be concerned — as are Americans who don’t favor throwing away all that the U.S. Afghan mission has accomplished since 2001, at enormous cost. According to administration envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, the talks are focusing on two issues: preventing al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base for attacks, and a withdrawal timeline for U.S. troops. Mr. Khalilzad tweeted that an accord would need to include two other elements: “intra-Afghan dialogue and a comprehensive ceasefire.” But he said talks including the Taliban and Afghan government would begin only after the “agreement in draft” on the U.S. withdrawal and terrorism “is finalized.”

Associated Press: Taliban Kill 22 Afghan Forces In Attack On Checkpoints

“An overnight Taliban assault on checkpoints in northern Afghanistan killed 22 troops, after some 100 Afghan forces fled heavy fighting in the country’s west last week and tried to cross into neighboring Turkmenistan, officials said Sunday. The two battles mark the latest setbacks for the country’s battered security forces, who come under daily attack and have suffered staggering casualties in recent years. The attacks have continued even as the Taliban have been holding direct negotiations with the United States aimed at ending the 17-year war. Mohammad Tahir Rahmani, head of provincial council in the northern Faryab province, said the insurgents launched the attack late Saturday against checkpoints manned by police and pro-government militias in Qaisar district, setting off a fierce gunbattle that lasted into Sunday morning. The army sent in reinforcements, who were among those killed. He said another 20 Afghan forces were wounded in the attack. “The Taliban have gained control of more areas in the district” after stepping up attacks in recent weeks, Rahmani said, adding that troops reinforcements have arrived from the capital Provincial police spokesman Karim Yuresh confirmed that a large number of Taliban launched attacks in Faryab, but he could not immediately provide more details.”

Radio Free Europe: Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Killing Afghan Tv Journalist

“An affiliate of the Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the killing on March 15 of an Afghan TV journalist in the eastern province of Khost. The group did not say in its March 17 statement why it targeted Sultan Mahmoud Khirkhwa, a 60-year-old reporter who was shot in the head by gunmen in the provincial capital of Khost. Khirkhwa worked for the private television station Zaman. The men who attacked him were reportedly shot dead. He was the fourth journalist to be killed in Afghanistan this year. The killing follows that of Afghan TV journalist Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, who was killed in a car bomb blast in the southern province of Helmand last week. A regional group, the Journalists' Safety Committee, issued an appeal on March 16 calling for the government to do more to protect journalists in Afghanistan. Afghanistan was the deadliest country for journalists worldwide last year, with at least 13 of them killed in relation to their work, according to the New York- based Committee to Protect Journalists.”

Pakistan

France 24: Pakistan's Crackdown On Militants Fails To Convince Sceptics

“At a mosque on a quiet Islamabad street, any reference to the UN-listed terror group which runs it has been removed as Pakistan -- once again -- comes under pressure to demonstrate its sincerity about eliminating militancy. The first wave of militant detentions was announced by Islamabad on March 5, as tensions were still cooling between India and Pakistan after their latest confrontation over the disputed Kashmir region. New Delhi has long accused Islamabad of harbouring militant groups, which it says are used by Pakistan intelligence agencies to attack India. The February 14 suicide blast in Indian-administered Kashmir -- claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed -- is the latest example, and the attack which ignited the recent crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Since March 5, Pakistani authorities have arrested hundreds of suspected Islamist militants and shuttered more than 700 madrassas, mosques, and clinics linked to banned groups. Mosques like the Al-Quba mosque visited by AFP in Islamabad -- which is run by Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), seen by the UN as a charity front for an anti-India militant group -- have had all signs announcing their links to such organisations removed. Instead, a green sign clinging to a post proclaims the new management of the premises by the “Government of Pakistan.”

Yemen

Reuters: Yemen's Houthis Say Ready To Strike Riyadh, Abu Dhabi If Coalition Moves On Hodeidah

“Yemen’s Houthi group said they were building their ballistic capabilities and their forces stand ready to strike Riyadh and Abu Dhabi if implementation of a U.N. peace deal in the port city of Hodeidah is breached. A spokesman of the Houthi forces said the group has a “stockpile of missiles” and the group can hit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the two Gulf states leading the coalition backing the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, whenever the military command decides on the timing. “We have intelligence asserting that the enemy is preparing for an escalation in Hodeidah and we are following their movements closely. Our forces stand ready for any requested and adequate measure,” colonel Yahya Sarea, a spokesman of the Houthi forces, was quoted as saying by the group-controlled state news agency SABA late on Saturday.”

Asharq Al-Awsat: Yemeni President Stresses Need To End Houthi Insurgency

“The Yemeni government, headed by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, said Houthis threats to fire ballistic missiles against neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates present damming proof on an underlying Iranian agenda for destabilizing the region. Houthi militias in Yemen are largely armed and funded by Iran. Hadi, meeting with senior advisors and officials in Riyadh, reaffirmed that the government’s final objective is to bridge the divide tearing the country apart and end the armed insurgency. He also stressed the need to fight back against the establishment of a Hezbollah-inspired force in Yemen. The president also reiterated the need for finding a political solution which is aligned with the Gulf initiative, outcomes of national dialogue and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Iran, for many years, has used its proxy militia, Hezbollah, in Lebanon to expand its influence in the region. Ongoing Houthi threats equate an official rejection and denote the loss of all political efforts to resolve the crisis in Yemen, government spokesman Rajeh Badi told Asharq Al-Awsat. ”Such statements confirm that, for Houthis, the military option is the only viable one. And that vows made for peace by the group’s leader are merely to gain time,” Badi said.”

Saudi Arabia

The Washington Post: Born Into Al-Qaida: Hamza Bin Laden’s Rise To Prominence

“Years after the death of his father at the hands of a U.S. Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan, Hamza bin Laden now finds himself in the crosshairs of world powers. In rapid succession in recent weeks, the U.S. put a bounty of up to $1 million on him; the U.N. Security Council named him to a global sanctions list, sparking a new Interpol notice for his arrest; and his home country of Saudi Arabia revealed it had revoked his citizenship. Those measures suggest that international officials believe the now 30-year-old militant is an increasingly serious threat. He is not the head of al-Qaida but he has risen in prominence within the terror network his father founded, and the group may be grooming him to stand as a leader for a young generation of militants. “Hamza was destined to be in his father’s footsteps,” said Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent focused on counterterrorism who investigated al-Qaida’s attack on the USS Cole. “He is poised to have a senior leadership role in al-Qaida.” “There is probably other intelligence that indicates something’s happening and that’s what put this thing on the front burner,” he said. Much remains unknown about Hamza bin Laden — particularly, the key question of where he is — but his life has mirrored al-Qaida’s path, moving quietly and steadily forward, outlasting its offshoot and rival, the Islamic State group.”

Lebanon

Radio Farda: Hook Says Pressures On Iran Made Lebanese Hezbollah Call For Donations

“Brian Hook, the State Department's special representative on Iran, says the U.S. campaign of economic pressure on Iran has had “a lot of progress” to the extent that Tehran has decreased its military budget and its client, the Lebanese Hezbollah is making public appeals for donations. Speaking in an interview with Alhurra television on March 15, Hook said, “What you can expect to see as the result of our sanctions on Iran is further denying the regime of its revenues. I think you have recently seen Iran's best client, the Lebanese Hezbollah, making public appeal for donations. This is I think a consequence of our sanctions,” adding that “You know that the Iranian regime has decreased the budget for its defense and for the IRGC. We certainly are making a lot of progress in our campaign of economic pressures on Iran.” Asked whether Iran had any success in evading US sanctions, Hook said, he did not think Iranians made progress in evading U.S. sanctions. “We know that our campaign of maximum economic pressure is having a significant effect on the Iranian regime. We are denying the regime billions and billions of dollars partly through our oil and financial sanctions, and also we are closing a lot of loopholes,” he said.”

The National: Mike Pompeo’s Lebanon Visit Will Tackle Hezbollah Sanctions And Israeli Maritime Dispute

“On his first trip to Beirut this week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be walking a fine line between continuing support for Lebanon’s institutions while waving the threat of sanctions if evidence emerges that their funds are being diverted to militant group Hezbollah. Mr Pompeo, who leaves on Tuesday for a four-day-trip to the Middle East, is expected to arrive in Lebanon on Saturday after visiting Kuwait and Israel. His predecessor Rex Tillerson was criticised when he visited Beirut early last year where he was seen to be kept waiting by the Lebanese President Michel Aoun. But, with a new government in Lebanon, and with both US diplomats David Satterfield and David Hale visiting Beirut in the last two months to prepare for this visit, Mr Pompeo is expected to receive a prominent reception. His meetings are scheduled to include President Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Speaker of the House Nabih Berri and his counterpart Gebran Bassil. A senior US official briefing reporters said Mr Pompeo will be discussing the “illicit activities and threatening behaviours” of Iran and Hezbollah.”

Middle East

The New York Times: West Bank Attack Raises Tensions Ahead Of Israeli Elections

“An assailant believed to be Palestinian carried out a stabbing and shooting attack in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, killing an Israeli soldier and ratcheting up tensions ahead of Israeli elections. The attack came amid a heated campaign for the April 9 ballot in which a former general leading a new, centrist party is challenging the longtime incumbent, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over who can provide Israelis with better security. The situation was already volatile. On Friday, a fragile calm was restored after two rockets from Gaza were fired at Tel Aviv the night before, without causing harm. Israel retaliated swiftly, with strikes at what it said were military sites and compounds belonging to Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza. The Israeli military said that one of the sites it struck in Gaza was the headquarters for coordinating Hamas activities in the West Bank, where the group has been seeking to foment violence. The soldier killed on Sunday was identified as Staff Sgt. Gal Keidan, 19. Another soldier and a civilian were seriously wounded. As of Sunday evening, the assailant was still at large. Hamas praised the attack as a “courageous and daring operation,” without claiming responsibility for it.”

The Jerusalem Post: IRGC Commander: All Of Israel Within Reach Of Hezbollah's Missiles

“All of Israel is within range of Hezbollah’s missiles, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari said in an interview with Iranian media on Sunday. “The current status quo and the current capabilities of the Resistance Front of the Islamic Revolution are all the unique accomplishments of the Islamic Revolution which cannot be verbally described and they rather should be sensed,” he said in an interview with the Persian-language Soroush Magazine. “While they once dreamed of their territorial expansion from the Nile River to the Euphrates River, and they were after realizing this wish in the past 50 years, today you can see that they have been unable to expand their land even for an inch; they even have lost some of the territories they had already occupied and are under full siege from all around their borders,” he continued.”

Egypt

Egypt Today: 4 Egyptians Killed In NZ Mosque Shootings; Arab Victims Rise To 11

“Egypt announced four nationals are among the victims of the deadly mass shootings at two mosques in that claimed lives of 49 people and injured 20 others in New Zealand, raising the number of Arab victims to 11 people. New Zealand’s authorities notified the Egyptian embassy that four Egyptian expatriates were killed in the shootings, Egyptian ambassador Tareq al-Wiseimy told the Egyptian Ministry of Migration on Saturday. The dead bodies of the Egyptian nationals will be sent back home on Tuesday, he added, noting that embassy had contacted the victims’ relatives. The Egyptian victims include Munir Suleiman (68 years), Ahmed Hamal al-Din Abdul Ghani (68 years), Ashraf Morsi, and Ashraf Al-Masri, according to a statement from the Ministry of Migration on Saturday. ”Nationalities of some injured people have not identified yet as the New Zealand authorities cares firstly about their health,” the ambassador was quoted as saying by the statement. During Friday prayer, a video broadcast of the shooting went viral on social media platforms, showing a gunman, who was later identified as Australian citizen Brenton Tarrant (28), opening fire randomly at worshippers inside Al Noor Mosque in the city of Christchurch, killing dozens; and then he went to another mosque to kill more Muslim worshippers.”

Libya

Xinhua: Libyan Army Frees Hostages In Southern Libya, Kills Militants: Spokesman

“Libya's eastern-based army said it freed hostages in southern Libya while killing and capturing a number of militants on Sunday. “A combat mission killed three mercenaries, captured two others, and freed a number of hostages,” said Miloud Al-Zwai, spokesman of the army's special forces. The militants are involved in crimes of murder and armed robbery in the region, the spokesman added. The army, commanded by Khalifa Haftar, has managed to control most of southern Libya since the launch of an anti-crime operation in mid-January. Libya has been suffering escalating violence and chaos since the fall of late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. Haftar's army is allied with the eastern-based government, as the North African country is politically divided between eastern and western governments.”

Nigeria

African Daily Voice: Nigeria Confirms Death Of 55 Boko Haram Activists In A Multilateral Operation

“Fifty-five Boko Haram militants have been killed in the past two days in a joint operation by Nigerian, Chadian, Cameroonian, Beninese and Niger forces, the Nigerian army said on Thursday. Joint multinational security forces also seized large-caliber ammunition in the Lake Chad Basin, said Timothy Antigha, a Nigerian army officer and spokesman for the multinational forces. The operation against terrorists took place in Tumbun Rego, a major haunt of terrorists in Lake Chad, Antigha said. The bodies of 33 neutralized terrorists were found in Tumbun Rego, while another 22 were killed in a separate operation in Arege, a Nigerian border town known as another Boko Haram hideout near Lake Chad. Antigha said the operation would be intensified through attacks, ambushes and fighting to drive the terrorists out of their last bastion of Lake Chad. Last December, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and his counterparts from the Lake Chad Basin Commission re-committed to ending the Boko Haram insurgency, declaring “the final battle.”

The Punch Nigeria: 10 Killed In Fresh Attack On Southern Kaduna Village

“Gunmen on Saturday attacked Nandu-Gbok village in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing 10 persons. Sanga is a border town with Nasarawa and Plateau States and home to the Deputy Governor-elect, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe. More than 30 houses were razed in the latest attack which was confirmed by the member representing the area in the National Assembly as well as the PDP deputy governorship candidate in the just concluded election, Marshal Katung. A statement signed by Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, also confirmed the attack and begged for calm. The attack is coming on the heels of several attacks on the people of Kajuru Local Government Area of the state. All the attacks are in the Southern part of the state. It was learnt that the attack on Nandu-Gbok was launched by yet to be identified gunmen at 4am on Saturday. A source told our correspondent that bandits invaded the village on Saturday, shooting indiscriminately at everyone. “The heavy gunshots led to confusion as residents ran Helter skelter into the bush for safety. “They set houses ablaze. Ten people were killed, some people were burnt to death, many others were injured, some people are still missing,” the source said.”

Africa

AFP: Several Killed As Gunmen Storm Mali Army Base

“Suspected jihadists killed 21 Malian soldiers in a raid on an army camp in central Mali on Sunday, military sources said, after a dawn attack that the armed forces believe was led by a deserter. Driving cars and motorbikes, the attackers stormed Dioura army camp in Mali's central the Mopti region, in the latest assault on the military as the country grapples with the spread of jihadist groups and instability. "The provisional toll is 21 bodies discovered," said a military source, in figures also confirmed by a local legislator. The attack was carried out "by terrorist groups under the command of Ba Ag Moussa, a deserter army colonel", according to the Malian armed forces. A second military source said there was "a lot of damage". "Our men responded. I saw at least four bodies on the ground," he said.”

Gulf Times: Suspected Militants Kill 13 In Northern Mozambique

“At least 13 civilians have died in fresh attacks in Mozambique's volatile northern Cabo Delgado province where militants have terrorised villagers in remote communities for more than a year, local sources said Saturday. One of the latest attacks occurred on Thursday evening on Ulo village in Mocimboa da Praia district in which more than 120 houses were destroyed, the sources said. ‘Two additional attacks were carried out during the early hours of (Friday), on the villages of Nabajo and Maculo, killing a total of 13 villagers,’ a local resident said. Hardline militants have launched several deadly attacks in the Cabo Delgado province in the past year, stoking unrest just as Maputo pushes ahead with gas exploration efforts. Last month, a Mozambican worker was killed and six others were wounded when two road convoys operated by US gas giant Anadarko came under attack in northern Mozambique. They were the first such attacks by militants targeting gas operators in the area. The militants -- reportedly seeking to impose Sharia law in the province -- have terrorised remote communities, killing more than 200 people since October 2017 The militants belong to a group originally known as Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama but commonly referred to by locals and officials as ‘Al-Shabaab.’”

United Kingdom

Reuters: UK Counter-Terrorist Police Probe Attempted Murder As Terrorist Incident

“British counter terrorism police said on Sunday they were investigating an attempted murder which “has hallmarks of a terror event, inspired by the far-right” and a 50-year-old man has been arrested. Counter Terrorism Police South East said it was investigating the non-fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old man on Saturday evening in Stanwell, southern England, following reports of a man “acting aggressively and shouting racist comments whilst carrying a baseball bat and a knife”. “Whilst this investigation is still in its infancy, it has hallmarks of a terror event, inspired by the far-right, and therefore it has been declared a terrorism incident,” Neil Basu, head of counter terrorism policing, said in a statement.”

France

The Washington Post: France Repatriates Five Children Of French Militants Who Joined The Islamic State

“France has repatriated five young children of French-born Islamist extremists who had left to join the Islamic State. The announcement, made late Friday by the Foreign Ministry, followed weeks of controversy over the prospect of allowing French-born fighters to return to France to stand trial. France has suffered the brunt of Europe’s recent struggles with terrorist violence either orchestrated or inspired by the Islamic State, with more than 230 people killed in attacks since 2015. As early as Wednesday, a French deputy interior minister, Laurent Nunez, said that no children would be admitted “for the moment.” The same day, President Emmanuel Macron reiterated the government’s position that children would be admitted on a “case by case basis,” in conjunction with the opinion of international humanitarian aid workers. By Friday, however, the first group of children had been selected. “The decision was taken in view of the situation of these very young and especially vulnerable children,” read a statement from the Foreign Ministry. The statement noted that the unaccompanied children in question are “under individual medical and psychological supervision” and “were handed over to the judicial authorities.” Their remaining family members in France were also contacted, the statement confirmed.”

Foreign Policy: The Inspiration For Terrorism In New Zealand Came From France

“When white nationalists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 chanting “they will not replace us” and “the Jews will not replace us,” few of the assembled extremists knew where those slogans came from. By contrast, Brenton Tarrant, the 28-year-old Australian accused of shooting dead 49 worshipers at two mosques and wounding dozens more in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, was more explicit when it came to his intellectual inspirations. In the 74-page manifesto he posted before the rampage, he praises the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik and draws on his work while noting his admiration for the interwar British fascist leader Oswald Mosley. But French ideas figure most prominently in Tarrant’s thinking. He cites watching “invaders” at a shopping mall during a visit to an eastern French town as the moment of epiphany when he realized he would resort to violence. His manifesto appears to draw on the work of the French anti-immigration writer Renaud Camus, including plagiarizing the title of his book Le grand remplacement (“The Great Replacement”)—a phrase that has become commonplace in European immigration debates and a favorite of far-right politicians across Europe, including the Netherlands’ Geert Wilders and a group of younger far-right activists who call themselves “identitarians.”

Southeast Asia

Al Arabiya: Philippines Hopes Pro-ISIS Group ‘Neutralized’ After De Facto Leader Killed

“The Philippine military believes it may have “neutralized” the remnants of an alliance of pro-ISIS extremists, after the suspected death of the group’s de facto leader during clashes last week. Forensic tests were being carried out to determine if one of four rebels killed on Thursday was Abu Dar, whom security forces believe has led Dawla Islamiya, an alliance of pro-ISIS fighters, foreign and Filipino, drawn from armed groups in the volatile Mindanao region. Four soldiers were also killed during the fighting in Lanao del Sur province, which ISIS claimed responsibility for on the mobile messaging service Telegram. The regional army commander, Colonel Romeo Brawner, told ABS-CBN News that the death of Abu Dar would mean Dawla Islamiya had been “neutralized.” Dawla Islamiya in 2017 occupied southern Marawi City for five months before its core leaders were reported killed by the military in air strikes and street battles, among them Isnilon Hapilon, ISIS’s anointed “emir” in Southeast Asia. Abu Dar was seen in seized video footage sitting beside Hapilon. If confirmed, his death would represent rare progress at a time of heightened alert across the predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao, where a church attack by suspected suicide bombers in January killed 22 people and wounded more than 100, just days after a local referendum on autonomy returned an overwhelming “yes” vote.”

Reuters: China Says 13,000 'Terrorists' Arrested In Xinjiang Since 2014

“Authorities in China have arrested almost 13,000 “terrorists” in Xinjiang since 2014, the government said on Monday, in a policy paper defending its controversial de-radicalisation measures for Muslims in the restive far western region. China has faced growing international opprobrium for setting up facilities that United Nations experts describe as detention centers holding more than one million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims. Beijing says it needs the measures to stem the threat of Islamist militancy, and calls them vocational training centers. Legal authorities have adopted a policy that “strikes the right balance between compassion and severity”, the government said in its white paper. Since 2014, Xinjiang has “destroyed 1,588 violent and terrorist gangs, arrested 12,995 terrorists, seized 2,052 explosive devices, punished 30,645 people for 4,858 illegal religious activities, and confiscated 345,229 copies of illegal religious materials”, it added. Only a small minority of people face strict punishment, such as ringleaders of terror groups, while those influenced by extremist thinking receive education and training to teach them the error of their ways, the paper said. It also gave a breakdown of 30 attacks since 1990, with the last one recorded in December 2016, saying 458 people had died and at least 2,540 were wounded as a consequence of attacks and other unrest.”

New Zealand

The New York Times: Quick Action, Near Miss And Courage In New Zealand Attacks

“Abdul Aziz was praying with his four sons in the Linwood Mosque when he heard the gunshots. Rather than run from the noise, he ran toward it, grabbed the first thing he could find — a credit card machine — and flung it at the attacker. The man dropped a shotgun, and Mr. Aziz picked it up. “I pulled the trigger, and there was nothing,” he recalled. The gunman ran to his car, where he had other weapons, and Mr. Aziz followed, throwing the shotgun at the vehicle and shattering a window. Mr. Aziz’s actions, which he and others described in interviews, may have prompted the gunman to speed away rather than return to kill more people. Minutes later, two police officers from another town who were in the area rammed the suspect’s car into a curb and took him into custody, ending the worst mass murder in New Zealand’s modern history.”

The Wall Street Journal: ‘People Were Breaking The Windows’

“The sharp cracks of gunfire were so confusing that at first the imam continued his sermon on forgiveness and brotherhood. “For the first seconds, I thought it was fireworks or electricity shocks, except the noise was so intense,” said Asif Shaikh, a 44-year-old who had come to New Zealand from India a year earlier to study business. He had just been talking about cricket with friends in the main prayer room of the Al Noor mosque. It quickly became clear the sound came from bullets ripping through the main prayer hall. Worshipers were falling. Others raced toward the far corners of the room to get away. A heavily armed shooter blocked the main way out for all of them—a long corridor at the front. The floor-to-ceiling windows in the rear were crossed with iron bars for security.”

CBS News: New Zealand Attacks

“CEP President Fran Townsend discusses the attack at two New Zealand mosques and the rise of right-wing violence.”

Technology

Financial Times: New Zealand Terror Attacks Spark Fresh Criticisms Of Big Tech

“Politicians around the world have once again seized on the failings of big tech such as Facebook and YouTube over their inability to contain video footage of Friday’s terror attacks in New Zealand. Facebook has repeatedly been criticised for Facebook Live, its online broadcasting tool, which has been used to stream live graphic and uncensored footage of police shootings and suicides. YouTube has also been scrutinised for its apparent inability to prevent its own algorithms — that recommend content to users — from bringing to the surface extremist videos and other disturbing content. The suspected Christchurch shooter broadcast what appeared to be live footage of the attack using Facebook. After initially removing the footage, both Facebook and YouTube moderators battled throughout the day to stop users uploading thousands of copies online. “You really need to do more @YouTube @Google @facebook @Twitter to stop violent extremism being promoted on your platforms,” said Sajid Javid, the UK’s home secretary, in a tweet on Friday. He was responding to YouTube’s pledge to keep “working vigilantly to remove any violent footage” following the Christchurch attacks. “Take some ownership,” Mr Javid said. “Enough is enough.”

The Guardian: Technology Is Terrorism’s Most Effective Ally. It Delivers A Global Audience

“Terrorism is effective because it always seems near. It always seems new. And it always seems personal. Ever since the first wave of terrorist violence broke across the newly industrialised cities of the west in the late 19th century this has been true. It feels personal because, although statistics may show we are many times more likely to die in a banal domestic accident, we instinctively conclude from an attack on the other side of the street, the city or, in the case of New Zealand, the other side of the world, we might be next. Terrorism always seems near – at least when it happens in an environment resembling our own – because the shocking images on our phones, televisions or newspapers erase the distance between us and the source of danger. It always seems new because although each attack follows a familiar timeline – the first reports amid chaos and confusion, statements by police and politicians, analysis from commentators waking up in successive time zones, the identification of attackers and victims, condolences and flags at half-mast, debates about radicalisation etc – each is unique. In the 1970s, terrorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins famously said that ”terrorism was theatre”. This succinctly captured its spectacular, performative nature.”

The Times: YouTube Channel Urges UK Girls To Become Jihadi Brides

“YouTube has been hosting a pro-Isis hate channel with footage aimed at grooming jihadi brides. The site, which has received almost 6m views, remained online even though the FBI had warned that some of its content had allegedly been used to radicalise Muslim girls as young as 15. Videos on the Light and Knowledge channel feature a “who’s who” of hate preachers, some posing alongside Isis flags. The videos appear to be glorifying and encouraging terrorism, in breach of UK laws. A Sunday Times investigation has uncovered links between the channel, which has been active for more than eight years, and the British extremist cleric Anjem Choudary and his banned al-Muhajiroun group.”

Bloomberg: Social Media Isn't Doing Enough To Prevent Weaponization Of Platforms, CEP CEO Says

“CEP CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace discusses the responsibilities of social media platforms in the aftermath of the of the New Zealand mosque shootings. "Sadly this is not a new problem... What is shocking is that it took the social media companies 17 minutes to take it down and the technology exists, that they claim that they have, to remove any uploads of any video or photographs of this material instantaneously... I think there are some really hard questions that have to be posed to social media companies, because as far as I'm concerned, they have a real responsibility in this action. I am not accusing them of perpetrating these horrible acts, but these platforms have been weaponized, they have known about them being weaponized for a long time and they are not doing enough.”

AFP: New Zealand Massacre Provides Test For Live Video Platforms

“Facebook said it 'quickly' removed a live video from the suspected gunman in twin mosque shootings in Christchurch that killed at least 49 people. But the livestream lasting some 17 minutes, according to some reports, was shared repeatedly on YouTube and Twitter, with some footage still being viewed early Friday. The major internet platforms have pledged to crack down on sharing of violent images and other inappropriate content through automated systems and human monitoring, but critics say it isn't working. "There's no excuse for the content from that livestream to be still circulating on social media now," said Lucinda Creighton, a former government minister in Ireland and an advisor to the Counter Extremism Project, which campaigns to remove violent internet content. The online platforms "say they have their own technologies but we don't know what that is, there is no transparency, and it's obviously not working," she added. The organization has developed technology that would flag certain kinds of violent content and offered it to internet firms, but has been rebuffed.”

Reuters: 17 Minutes Of Carnage: How New Zealand Gunman Broadcast His Killings Online

“A gunman who killed 49 people at two New Zealand mosques live-streamed the attacks on Facebook for 17 minutes using an app designed for extreme sports enthusiasts, with copies still being shared on social media hours later. The live footage of Friday's attacks, New Zealand's worst-ever mass shooting, was first posted to Facebook and has since been shared on Twitter, Alphabet Inc's YouTube and Facebook-owned Whatsapp and Instagram. The shootings in New Zealand show how the services they offer can be exploited by extremist groups, said Lucinda Creighton, senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project. She said the attacks were shown live on Facebook for 17 minutes before being stopped. "Extremists will always look for ways to utilise communications tools to spread hateful ideologies and violence," she said. "Platforms can't prevent that, but much more can be done by platforms to prevent such content from gaining a foothold and spreading."

CNN: Facebook, YouTube And Twitter Struggle To Deal With New Zealand Shooting Video

“Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are struggling to halt the spread of horrific footage that appears to show a massacre at a mosque in New Zealand as it was taking place. One of the shooters appears to have livestreamed the attack on Facebook (FB). The disturbing video, which has not been verified by CNN, purportedly shows a gunman walking into a mosque and opening fire. Hours after the attack, however, copies of the gruesome video continued to appear on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, raising new questions about the companies' ability to manage harmful content on their platforms. "While Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter all say that they're cooperating and acting in the best interest of citizens to remove this content, they're actually not because they're allowing these videos to reappear all the time," said Lucinda Creighton, a senior adviser at the Counter Extremism Project, an international policy organization.”

Newsweek: Google AI Has Trouble Keeping NZ Massacre Video Off YouTube

“The mosque killings in New Zealand early Friday were broadcast live on social media, and the video has since been deleted more than several 1,000 times. But the sharpest minds and algorithms at Google haven’t completely filtered it from the internet, because the same video keeps popping up elsewhere. Henry Farid is a computer scientist at the University of California-Berkeley’s School of Information who works to eliminate illegal or extremists videos as part of the Counter Extremism Project. "Once content has been determined to be illegal, extremist or a violation of their terms of service, there is absolutely no reason why, within a relatively short period of time, this content can’t be eliminated automatically at the point of upload," Farid said on Bloomberg. "We’ve had the technology to do this for years.”

CNN Business: How 'Hashing' Could Stop Violent Videos From Spreading

“Nearly 18 hours after a terror attack that killed 49 people at a mosque in New Zealand on Friday, footage from the shooting remained live on YouTube and Facebook. "The video is still circulating online," said David Ibsen, the executive director of the Counter-Extremism Project, an organization that maintains a hashing database for terrorist videos. "The technology to prevent this happening is available. Social media firms have made a decision not to invest in adopting it." According to Hany Farid, a professor of computer science at Dartmouth College who has used hashing to combat child pornography, if Facebook were using 'robust' hashing — a method that should be able to detect variations on reuploads — it "should be finding the majority of reposts." Additionally, any variations that fall through the cracks can then be hashed, and added to the same database to prevent further reuploads. "Hashing has the advantage that it works at scale," said Farid.”

Bloomberg: Facebook's Live Streaming Is Criticized After Mosque Shooting

“While platforms including Twitter Inc. and YouTube said they moved fast to scrub any content related to the incident from their sites, people reported it was still widely available hours after being first uploaded to the alleged shooter’s Facebook account. The first-person view of the killings in Christchurch was easily accessible during and after the attack -- as was the suspect’s hate-filled manifesto. Footage was still up on Google’s YouTube almost 12 hours later. "Once content has been determined to be illegal, extremist or a violation of their terms of service, there is absolutely no reason why, within a relatively short period of time, this content can’t be eliminated automatically at the point of upload," said Hany Farid, senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project and a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley. "We’ve had the technology to do this for years.”

The Huffington Post: After New Zealand Massacre, YouTube’s Algorithm Still Promotes Islamophobic Videos

“Just hours after the attack, a search of the term “Muslims” from an incognito browser yielded a list of YouTube’s top-recommended videos, including one with 3.7 million views. The video argued, without evidence, that the majority of Muslims are radicalized. From there, YouTube’s autoplay function took over and recommended another round of videos. One apparently exposes “the truth” about Muslims. Another “destroys Islam.” “It’s an echo chamber,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a content review specialist at the Counter Extremism Project. “The more an idea is repeated, the more it may reinforce a viewer’s belief that it is true.” Typing a question such as “Is immigration bad?” into YouTube may ultimately lead to a rabbit hole of anti-immigrant content, Fisher-Birch explained. The platform’s incentive to promote such videos, he added, is a financial one. The longer people stay hooked on YouTube videos, the more advertising dollars the company rakes in. Fisher-Birch is doubtful that YouTube will take action to slow the spread of fear-mongering extremist content any time soon. “It all comes down to people spending time on the site,” he said. “YouTube’s in this to make money.”

Vice News: How Facebook, Twitter And YouTube Failed To Keep Gruesome Mosque Shooting Video From Going Viral

“In the hours after the massacre played out on Facebook, the video was copied and re-uploaded hundreds of times to Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The tech giants say they are working hard to stop the video being shared, but it's still easily searchable on all platforms more than 12 hours after the attack. Critics say the massacre is the latest failure of tech platforms to deal with the spread of extremist content on their networks. 'It is not actually difficult once you identify a video, you can hash it, and you can prevent any video from being re-uploaded and disseminated online. It rings hollow. I don't believe them, I don't believe that they are really making an effort to remove this horrific content,' Lucinda Creighton, a senior adviser at the Counter Extremism Project, an international policy organization, told VICE News.”

Inside Edition: The Web Of Evil

“CEP Senior Research Analyst Josh Lipowsky discusses social media's role in the New Zealand mosque shootings: "Social media plays a large role in connecting these individuals. Through the Internet and social media they are able to spread their manifestos.”

Breaking News: Creighton Says Social Media Firms Too Slow In Blocking Terror Content

“Facebook, Twitter, Google and YouTube were all criticised for their handling of extremist content on their platforms after video footage of the New Zealand mosque shootings was live streamed and widely shared online. Fifty people died in and after the attacks. Lucinda Creighton, who is senior advisor at the Counter Extremism Project said the platforms could do more. "It's really hard to fathom...I understand why tech companies oppose privacy and data law because it impacts on their revenues and they don't like any change to how their revenue model functions, but this is reputational as well as being morally the right thing to do. They keep dragging their heels and saying there's little they can do...It's hugely frustrating.”

CGTN: NZ Wants Answers From Tech Giants After Mosque Attack Livestream

“New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday said she would be looking for answers from Facebook and other social media firms about how an attack that killed 50 mosque-goers was livestreamed on their platforms. The shootings in New Zealand show how the services tech giants offer can be exploited by extremist groups, said Lucinda Creighton, senior adviser to the Counter Extremism Project. "Extremists will always look for ways to utilize communications tools to spread hateful ideologies and violence," she said. "Platforms can't prevent that, but much more can be done by platforms to prevent such content from gaining a foothold and spreading.”
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