Twitter recently announced that it has suspended 235,000 accounts that it concluded were linked to violent extremist groups such as ISIS which brings a total of 360,000 suspended accounts since mid-2015. The Christian Science Monitor makes the point that “in recent years, Twitter has emerged as a fertile territory for Islamic extremists to spread ideology and inspire lone-wolf attacks. The social media giant’s efforts to crack down on recruitment efforts have likewise become a vital component of the fight against the expansion of violent extremism.”
Some are saying that shutting down accounts is a clear conflict. “We betray our own values [of free speech] when we shut down these sites, especially when we only do it for ISIS and not for home-grown [American] militias of the far-right,” remarks Yasir Kazi, an assistant professor of religious studies at Rhodes College. “When we apply it to Muslim radicals, once again this impression is given that this war is only against Islam. These tactics further enrage our youth and make them feel as if the government is out to get them. If anything, these tactics encourage, rather than discourage, radicalism.”
Social media analyst J.M. Berger says a social media presence of pro-ISIS tweets should be kept in perspective. “The first thing we need to do is recognize how successful we already are. ISIS represents the fringe of the fringe,” J.M. Berger states. According to a study he conducted in 2014, among Twitter’s 288 million users, only 46,000 belonged to ISIS followers which he remarks is a “percentage of a percentage.”
