Parents warned against letting kids browse YouTube as conspiracy theory, pseudo science and fake news videos could ‘lead them into extremism’
PARENTS have been warned against letting kids browse YouTube for conspiracy theories, pseudo-science and fake news videos as it could “lead them into extremism”.
There are fears that by watching such content, youngsters will veer towards “dark corners of the web”, to see – or post – extremist, racist and violent views, says an investigative report.
Ben Elley, an expert on the far right online, told that many people found it thrilling to be radicalised.
He explained they got sucked in as they “really like the idea of radicalising others” and consider their warped views as “heroic”.
Elley said that teens in particular are at risk of being drawn to the far-right – including to the likes of online message board 8Chan, where criminals, extremists and those concerned about privacy are increasingly turning to communicate.
He warned parents that if their kids are watching conspiracy theories and pseudo-science footage on YouTube, these can lead them onto the likes of 8Chan, and extremist far-right parts of the web.
The expert added: “It’s very easy to end up at more extreme beliefs once you’ve seen that stuff.
“You naturally want to go further and find out more, and that’s when you end up in a far-right kind of space quite often.”
VILE WHITE SUPREMACY 'JOKES'
Newshub revealed that, during its investigation, it had seen leaked details of a closed Facebook group where members chat to each other about white supremacy, for example.
One user said: “Ask yourself: What have I done today for White well-being?”
The chat began to focus on Golriz Ghahraman, an Iranian-born New Zealand MP and former UN lawyer.
Their vile messages include ‘jokes’ about hanging her, with one person saying “Get the rope lol”, to which another responded, “She’ll make a fantastic chandelier”.
Newshub said that it had also seen content posted by an American user bragging about being visited by FBI officials.
He had posted to social media about New Zealand’s mosques massacre in Christchurch, which claimed the lives of 50 worshippers in March.
Newshub said that users of 8Chan revere the alleged Christchurch gunman, Australian Brenton Tarrant.
Shortly before the terror attacks, a user of the 8Chan message board website – believed to be Tarrant – posted about their plan to carry out and livestream an attack.
A manifesto was uploaded before the atrocity at two mosques in New Zealand’s South Island, and a video livestream was hosted on Facebook.
According to the Associated Press, authorities in America said that John Earnest, the alleged gunman who killed a woman and wounded three during services at a Southern California synagogue this month, also frequented 8Chan.
In a court appearance last month, Earnest pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder. In a separate case, he has pleaded not guilty to burning a mosque in nearby Escondido.
Prosecutors say Earnest had expressed his "intent to harm Jews" in an online posting, a copy of which was also found on his laptop.
RADICALISED ON 8CHAN
In the posting, a man identified as Earnest said he was inspired by the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh last fall and the shooting at two mosques in New Zealand, according to the affidavit.
A copy of the web posting of the New Zealand massacres suspect Tarrant was found on his laptop and the suspect said he wrote Tarrant's name on the parking lot of the mosque after the fire.
Boasting about being radicalised on one of 8Chan’s chatroom boards, Earnest wrote: "I've only been lurking here for a year and half, yet what I've learned here is priceless. It's been an honour.”
Newshub said that, in its investigation, it found New Zealand-based content that showed a fake “tourist map” of the Christchurch massacres.
The alleged gunman was labelled on it as a “saint”.
Jim Watkins – who owns the US-based NT Technologies, which owns 8Chan – posted that it wasn’t the organisation’s fault that it provided the medium to announce the pending livestream before the horrendous attack in New Zealand.
FACEBOOK: 'COMMITMENT TO SAFETY'
And in a statement to Newshub, Facebook said: “Creating a space where people feel safe to express themselves is absolutely critical to us.
“Our community standards make clear what is and is not allowed on Facebook and we will remove any violating content posted on news feeds, groups, pages or elsewhere when we become aware of it.
“Our commitment to safety is what drives our focus on these important issues and we continue to invest billions of dollars annually to protect the safety and security of people who use our services.”
Officials in France last week spoke with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Paris – where he said that the social networking service is working hard to limit violent extremism and hate speech shared online.
Regulators in France have recommended legally requiring a "duty of care" for big social networks, meaning they should moderate hate speech published on their platforms.
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The Associated Press said that mass shootings are being livestreamed and online mobs are spreading rumours that lead to deadly violence.
Facebook is even inadvertently creating celebratory videos using extremist content and auto-generating business pages for the likes of Islamic State militants and al-Qaida.
But the French regulators acknowledged that their research hasn't addressed violent content shared on private chat groups or encrypted apps, or on groups like 4Chan or 8Chan.
In April, during his two-day trip to New Zealand where he commemorated victims of the Christchurch massacres, Prince William called for the reform of social media.
He said: "We must unite to reform the social technology that allowed hateful propaganda to inspire the murder of innocents."
