How Neo-Nazis are using Instagram to recruit teens in terrifying brainwashing plot
INSTAGRAM is being used by 'Neo-Nazis' to recruit young people, according to a new shocking report.
Campaigners are warning that the photo sharing app is a platform of choice for far-Right extremist groups trying to spread propaganda.
The charity says the groups have moved onto social media to try and recruit people after the pandemic stopped most street recruitment practices.
Its annual report claims to be a comprehensive guide of what the far-Right has been up to in the past year.
Hope Not Hate said Instagram is "inadequate" at policing its platform and blamed the content recommendation algorithm for enabling hate to spread without people even searching for related images or videos specifically.
The far-Right groups British Hand and the National Partisan Movement were mentioned in the charity's report.
These two groups are said to be active in the UK and using Instagram to find new members.
Three teenage boys who are allegedly members of the British Hand are facing trial on terrorism charges.
Hope Not Hate's report also said the groups used Telegram and other forms of social media to communicate.
Gaming, voice chats online and even home-schooling were also listed as ways that dangerous propaganda is spreading.
Nick Lowles, Hope Not Hate’s chief executive, said: “Though we continue to warn about niche platforms like Telegram, a fertile recruitment ground for young neo-Nazis has been Instagram – its inadequate moderation and worrying algorithm recommendations are child protection issues that demand urgent action from the platform.”
We have reached out to Facebook, which owns Instagram, for comment.
A Facebook spokesperson said: "We do not want hate on our platform and we removed a number of accounts belonging to The British Hand and National Partisan Movement before this report was published.
"We’ve banned over 250 white supremacist organisations from Facebook and Instagram, and will continue removing content that praises, supports or represents these groups.
"That includes content containing swastikas and other hate symbols.
"Last year, we removed nearly 1 million pieces of content tied to hate organisations from Instagram and we’re always investing in technology to find and remove it faster."
Instagram – the key facts
Here's what you need to know...
- Instagram is a social network for sharing photos and videos
- It was created back in October 2010 as an iPhone-exclusive app
- A separate version for Android devices was released 18 months later
- The app rose to popularity thanks to its filters system, which lets you quickly edit your photos with cool effects
- When it first launched, users could only post square 1:1 ratio images, but that rule was changed in 2015
- In 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for $1billion in cash and stock
- In 2018, some analysts believe the app is worth closer to $100billion
- In October 2015, Instagram confirmed that more than 40billion photos had been uploaded to the app
- And in 2018, Instagram revealed that more than a billion people were using the app every month
Most read in Phones & Gadgets
In other news, Instagram is working on a version of the app for children under 13.
Instagram will soon start using artificial intelligence to stop adults messaging teenagers that don't follow them.
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And, Google is under fire for harvesting internet data of users browsing in Incognito Mode.
Have you seen any dangerous content on Instagram? Let us know in the comments...
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