News and Media

Press Releases

29
May
Press Release

CEP to Release New Resources Detailing Links Between Extremism & Online Radicalization

Earlier this year, CEP highlighted the online presence of dangerous extremist propagandists and notorious extremist content with links to violence in its Extremism Spotlight series. Continuing to allow this material to remain online to radicalize followers and incite violence is inexplicable, especially in light of Google-owned YouTube’s decision in November 2017 to remove notorious al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki from its platform in a “ watershed moment .”
23
May
Press Release

Tech & Terrorism: Facebook Spin Machine Goes Into Overdrive

Earlier this month, an Associated Press investigation exposed whistleblower claims made to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleging that Facebook mislead the public about its 99 percent extremist content removal rate. The whistleblower claims that the removal rate was, in reality, just 38 percent. Since then and as expected, Facebook has launched a public relations campaign to try and repair the company’s reputation by reverting to muddled and misleading messaging concerning the efficacy of its artificial intelligence (A.I.) program and its ability to detect and block images and videos that are impermissible on its platform.
22
May
Press Release

CEP’s Dr. Hany Farid: “Blame has to be with the Social Media Companies that are Designed to Promote” Fake News

CEP today released the f ifth of a nine-part video series featuring CEP Senior Adviser Dr. Hany Farid, titled "Fake News." Dr. Farid asserts that the blame for the proliferation of fake news online has to be shouldered squarely by tech companies like Google-owned YouTube. Their algorithms, designed to entice as many clicks as possible from the end user, sensationalize and exacerbate the spread of outrageous content.
22
May
Press Release

John Walker Lindh’s Release Raises an Opportunity & Risk

Tomorrow marks the release of John Walker Lindh , an American captured in Afghanistan while fighting for the Taliban just after the September 11 terrorist attacks. CEP has warned of the societal crisis facing America as more jihadist convicts like Lindh are released back into society over the next decade. In CEP’s December 2018 report, “ When Terrorists Come Home: The Need for Rehabilitating and Reintegrating America’s Convicted Jihadists, ” Parallel Networks founder Mitchell Silber presented potential solutions to reduce terrorists’ rate of recidivism back into violence and extremism once released.
20
May
Press Release

Extremist Content Online: Atomwaffen Division Continues Uploads on YouTube

CEP reports weekly on the methods used by extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms to recruit followers and incite violence. This week’s edition finds that several tech companies, including Google-owned YouTube, have failed to stop the reupload of content from the white supremacist group Atomwaffen Division.
20
May
Press Release

Zuckerberg’s 99 Percent Myth: Extremist Content Removal Claims False & Misleading

Since 2017, Facebook has announced to the public, shareholders and the U.S. Congress that it removes “99 percent” of Al Qaeda and ISIS-related content from its platforms. However, a recent Associated Press investigation into Whistleblower claims to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleges that Facebook’s extremist content removal rate was just 38 percent, not 99 percent. This disconnect calls into question once again the company’s credibility and its commitment to removing dangerous content from its platform.
17
May
Press Release

Facebook’s Belated Response to Christchurch Massacre Mirrors Previous Reactive Policy Changes

A day ahead of the launch of the Christchurch Call to Action in Paris, a voluntary commitment by governments and tech companies to combat online extremism, Facebook announced new policies concerning the misuse of Facebook Live. Facebook’s attempt to garner positive headlines in the aftermath of a preventable tragedy while forestalling efforts by lawmakers to implement sensible and much-needed regulation is indicative of the company’s cynical and reactive response to misuse on its platforms.
16
May
Press Release

CEP’s Dr. Hany Farid: Tech Companies Have Failed “To Recognize Abuses on Their Platform”

CEP today released the fourth of a nine-part video series featuring CEP Senior Adviser Dr. Hany Farid. In this week’s video, titled “Misuse ,” Dr. Farid states that tech companies have time and again failed to recognize misuses of their platform by online extremists and have failed to respond quickly or install safeguards to prevent said misuse from happening again.
15
May
Press Release

Christchurch Call Must Be Backed by Laws and Regulations to Force Tech to Eliminate Extremism and Terrorism Online

CEP Executive Director David Ibsen issued a statement today supporting the 'Christchurch Call,' but cautioning that a voluntary approach is not enough when it comes to removing terrorist content and hate speech from social media. The statement read in part: “We have seen that allowing the tech industry to self-regulate does not work and it cannot be trusted to voluntarily enforce such important measures to ensure public safety and security. The Christchurch Call must be part of a broader effort to enact legislative and regulatory measures.”
13
May
Press Release

Whistleblower Finds Facebook Deceived Public on Claims of Extremist Content Removal

According to a whistleblower’s complaint to the S ecurities and Exchange Commission, Facebook has been misleading the public and its shareholders about the efficacy of its content moderation efforts. CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in April t hat Facebook was “[taking] down 99 percent of the Al Qaeda and ISIS-related content in our system before someone, a human even flags it to us.” However, the whistleblower alleges Facebook’s extremist content removal rate was just 38 percent, not 99 percent.