More than 200 militia groups and users are using Facebook to organize nationwide, new report says

Facebook is a hotbed of conspiracy theories and dangerous organizing at critical times, such as the more than 650,000 posts opposing President Biden’s victory between the 2020 general election and the January 6 insurrection. Some users dispersed following this and subsequent lawsuits, but a new report first published by Wired shows a resurgence, identifying around 200 groups and profiles across the platform organizing militia activity nationwide.

The research, carried out by the technology Transparency Project, found that these groups had ties to organizations such as the Three Percenters militia network, dubbed by Meta as an “armed militia group” in its 2021 list of dangerous individuals and organizations. Yet groups such as the Free American Army urged users to join their local militia or the Three Percenters without consequence (Meta only removed the Free American Army group after Wired reported, calling Facebook an “adversarial space” that requires regular investment to stay secure).

Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, has observed hundreds of these groups and individuals since 2021 and has seen an increased seriousness and focus on organizing over the past year. “Many of these groups are no longer fractured collections of localized militias but coalitions formed between multiple militias, most with the Three Percenters at the helm,” Paul said. Wired. “Facebook remains the largest gathering place for extremists and militias, allowing them to expand their network and direct users to more private discussions, including on the platform, where they can plan and coordinate with impunity . »

The Tech Transparency Project found that users were looking for “active patriots” to discuss anti-government ideology, attend meetings, and undergo combat training. The latter lends itself to a common theme: preparing to confront, even wage war, against enemies such as drag queens, pro-Palestinian students and the government itself.

Take a recent post from the administrator of a group called Pennsylvania Light Foot, which has more than 1,000 members: “In light of the violence and uncertainty around the world, Covid 19 shortages, civil unrest and the potential for terrorist attacks and natural calamities, we exist to equip our members. Our goal is to give them the ability to defend themselves, whether it’s an attacker on the street or a foreign soldier on our lawn. These sentiments are echoed by other extremist organizers on Facebook.

Meta has attempted to create at least a facade of action and transparency. In 2019, it launched the Oversight Board as an independent body responsible for moderating its content. Although the entity has highlighted Facebook’s role in dangerous election rhetoric, including incidents outside the United States, critics say its impact has not been sufficient. NOW, technology/2024/04/29/meta-oversight-board-layoffs/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:The Washington Post reports;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>The Washington Post reports that layoffs on the Supervisory Board could be imminent.

On August 14, Meta will shut down CrowdTangle, a tool it purchased in 2016 that allowed journalists and academics to see how conspiracy theories and misinformation were circulating on Facebook and its sister site Instagram – often highlighting platform gaps. The company is replacing it with the Meta Content Library, which not only looks less detailed, but is not available to for-profit news organizations.