Social media drift

Social networks have enabled the international development of terrorism, whether in its apology or in recruitment. But who says evolution of networks, says evolutions of the means of communication and their means of use. There is a drift from certain networks and platforms.

To illustrate my remarks, I will take the example of the drama that took place in the city of Halle-sur-Saale in Germany during the year 2019.

A man in military uniform tries to enter a synagogue during the Yom-Kippur festival. Unable to enter, the assailant comes out and shoots an assault rifle outside. The outcome of this attack: 2 dead and 2 seriously injured.

The scariest thing is that all of his actions were broadcast live through the “Twitch” streaming platform (platform where individuals filmed live, playing video games for the majority or cooking, singing …). More than 2,000 people are said to have seen the video live, not including screen tapes and copies circulating on the Internet. Obviously the German authorities quickly reported the video but we know it well, once a video is on the internet it is difficult or even impossible to delete it completely.

We are witnessing a “drift” of social networks to spread hatred and terror.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that this has been done by terrorists. In New Zealand, in an anti-Muslim bombing that killed 59 people, the attacker filmed live for 17 minutes. A vision of horror shared by far too many people.

What to do when faced with this kind of new practice? How can I prevent this from happening again? Without needing to do any research, I can say that this is impossible. Our means of communication are evolving, as are those of terrorists. They too can use these new means both through video and to communicate with each other. For example with the "Telegram" application, a secure instant messaging application (possibility of encrypting data, self-destructing messages, etc.) which allows the terrorist to communicate easily without being spotted.

Despite the advancements beneficial to our society, innovations will always be diverted and used for purposes different from what they were created for. Perhaps the solution would be to try to think of solutions when creating. But that seems impossible to me, because in every part of light there is a part of shade. The only way and to try to intervene as quickly as possible and that we users with an active approach when we encounter shocking content.

E.T