Fake News Promotes Extremism

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have warned that if people remained in “extended isolation,” they could face “increased exposure to violent extremists who are using social media, including disinformation spread on social media, to attempt to radicalise others to violence.”

They also predicted that people would become more susceptible to disinformation and radicalism and would see more “conspiracy theories and grievances.” Governments, companies, and users are becoming alert to how  fake news a can manipulate public opinion. 

Governments are starting to recognise that fake news is something that must be actively fought. Various government agencies are now setting up services to debunk stories that they consider to be false. They are also considering imposing regulations and punishing sites that do publish misinformation.

DHS officials have forecast the possibility of increased radicalisation and violent activity, drawing upon a wide body of research showing the effects of isolation on individuals already susceptible to violent extremism. A memo resleased in April was intended to help officials understand how social distancing rules could increase the potential for mass attacks once restrictions were lifted.

It describes certain risk factors including fake news on social media that could make people already disposed toward violent activity more likely to act, including social alienation, living alone, being distant from family, as well as financial problems and job security.

2020  has seen increased activity among a variety of violent groups, both organised and unorganised. Some protesters espoused conspiracy theories that the lockdown was a Democratic hoax to hurt the economy and President Donald Trump’s reelection chances in November.

The killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police has triggered a massive protest movement across the US, bringing thousands of people out of isolation and long-simmering tensions over racial injustice and excessive policing. Some of those protests have turned chaotic, with documented acts of looting, violence, and vandalism from small groups of participants, and from left-wing and right-wing groups and aimed at stoking violence among the protestors.

The DHS says there is clear evidence form various criminal studies showing social isolation to be a key risk factor for violent extremism.

According to a US National Institutes of Justice report on radicalisation and extremism, having either:- 

• a criminal history
• mental health issues
• being unemployed, being single 
• being socially isolated
• also, having military experience

Are all identified as potential risk factors for attempting to engage in terrorism. 

Social distancing measures, viewed by health authorities as essential to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus, could reduce social cohesion and “increase an individual’s willingness to accept messages of radicalisation to violence,” says the DHS.

According to the DHS, the presence of risk factors doesn’t automatically predict violence in any individual, but people exhibiting or exposed to multiple risk factors, like the events of this spring and summer, may be more likely to slide into extremism.

Dept. Homeland Security:      DefenseOne:    US Dept. Of Justice:        Trend Micro: 

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