In Their Own Words:
We reiterate once again that the brigades will directly target US bases across the region in case the US enemy commits a folly and decides to strike our resistance fighters and their camps [in Iraq].
Mar. 2023Previously, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) outlined Silicon Valley's record 2018 revenues and profits. Among those companies was Amazon, which posted another record-breaking year with $230 billion in sales and $3 billion in fourth quarter profit. Its fast-developing advertising algorithms played no small part in accelerating its astronomic sales. However, last week, it was reported that those algorithms are elevating anti-Semitic conspiracy films as “documentaries” across its proprietary platform, Amazon Prime Video. Experts warn that anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spurred violence in the past and they will spur violence again in the future. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.
“Amazon is only one of many technology stalwarts whose algorithms appear harmless but are quick to evolve to promote increasingly extreme material,” said CEP Executive Director David Ibsen. “Algorithms are designed to promote content that is shocking and sensational to get users to click, making them dangerous when left to adapt on their own without adequate review. Once extremists discover the algorithms’ capabilities, they waste no time in gaming the system to their benefit and to society’s detriment. It is incumbent upon the technology industry to hold itself to the highest standard of transparency and corporate responsibility at a time when stakeholders across society are growing alarmed about technology’s harmful consequences.”
CEP has profiled the efficiency with which Big Tech’s algorithms can open up a world of extremism to a user with just the click of a button. Facebook’s “Recommended Friends” feature facilitates connections between members of the Islamic State wherever they might be in the world. Google’s “Redirect Method Pilot Program” was intended to direct individuals searching for IS videos away to counter-narrative videos, but had little to no success in reducing redirects to IS content. In both cases, the algorithms used by the tech companies actively accelerate extremism by enabling connections that can only be made vis-à-vis the algorithm.
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
In Their Own Words:
We reiterate once again that the brigades will directly target US bases across the region in case the US enemy commits a folly and decides to strike our resistance fighters and their camps [in Iraq].
Mar. 2023Get the latest news on extremism and counter-extremism delivered to your inbox.
I am terribly sad. Throughout my professional and personal life, whenever I was unsure of what to say or think, my friend, the Senator, was always there. He had a unique gift for finding the right words to match any feeling or emotion, often with humor, a smile, and laughter. Now, as I write this without his guidance and kind wisdom, I feel his absence deeply. Having the Senator by my side was one of life's greatest gifts to me, and I know I'm not alone in feeling profoundly touched by him. That was the Senator's great gift—he touched and guided so many of us, either personally or through his example. --Ambassador Mark D. Wallace