(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the methods used by extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread propaganda and incite violence. Last week, CEP researchers located 20 TikTok accounts showcasing antisemitic, anti-Muslim, and pro-Nazi content. Despite being reported to TikTok on April 25, these accounts were still live as of April 29.
Also last week, users on extreme right Telegram channels mocked the British government’s decision to proscribe the online neo-Nazi Terrorgram network, with one channel encouraging violence by lone actors. Additionally, the pro-ISIS group Al Jauhar Media Center solicited donations via the cryptocurrency Monero on April 23, approximately two weeks after it released a web magazine with content celebrating the Moscow concert hall attack and criticizing the Chinese government for its treatment of Uyghurs.
On PasteThis.To and RocketChat, the pro-ISIS Qimam Electronic Foundation (QEF) shared tips for detecting smartphone surveillance and hacking, offering advice on apps to increase privacy. Finally, a user on Twitter/X announced that they were recruiting 14-17-year-old males to join a “youth chapter” of the white supremacist Active Club movement in Massachusetts.
Antisemitic, Anti-Muslim, and Content Glorifying Violence Located on TikTok
In a sample of content located on April 25, CEP researchers found 20 TikTok accounts that posted antisemitic, anti-Muslim, and pro-Nazi content, as well as posts that glorified the perpetrators of acts of terrorism. Fifteen accounts celebrated or promoted individuals who committed violent acts, including the 2019 Christchurch terrorist, the 2011 Oslo attacker, the 2022 Buffalo shooter, the 2022 Bratislava attacker, and the man who killed six people and wounded five others at a Quebec City mosque in 2017.
One account, with over 3,700 followers, posted a large quantity of antisemitic videos, used an antisemitic slur in the profile name, and called for the “complete annihilation of” Jews. Another account, with over 1,100 followers, posted a video of the Australian neo-Nazi Jacob Hersant promoting white supremacism and fascism, which received over 21,500 views in the two and a half months it was on TikTok. Several other accounts promoted the Order of Nine Angles, the Atomwaffen Division, the Nordic Resistance Movement, and the Goyim Defense League.
The 20 accounts had an average of 659 followers, with accounts ranging between 16 and 3,742 followers. Six accounts had over 1,000 followers.
CEP reported the accounts to TikTok on April 25. They were not removed by April 29.
“TikTok’s failure to promptly remove antisemitic, anti-Muslim, pro-Nazi, and violence-glorifying content is negligent and helps spread online hate to a large audience. It is especially alarming that accounts that glorify white supremacist mass shooters were not removed in the four days after CEP reported them,” said CEP researcher Joshua Fisher-Birch. “It is imperative that TikTok takes measures to address the spread of this violent extremist content, including implementing more robust and timely content moderation mechanisms.”
