Facebook friend suggestions blamed for linking extremists

Facebook has helped introduce thousands of Islamic State (IS) extremists to one another via its “suggested friends” feature.

The social media giant – under fire for failing to remove terrorist material – is now accused of connecting jihadists around the world, allowing them to develop fresh networks and recruit new members.

Researchers, who analysed the Facebook activities of 1 000 IS supporters in 96 countries, discovered users with radical Islamist sympathies were routinely introduced to one another by the “suggested friends” feature.

Using sophisticated algorithms, Facebook connects people who share interests. The site automatically collects personal information, which is used to direct people towards others they might wish to connect with.

But without effective checks on what information is shared, terrorists are able to exploit the site to communicate with supporters.

The extent to which the feature is helping IS members on Facebook is shown in a new study, the findings of which will be published in a Counter Extremism Project report this month.

Gregory Waters, a report author, described how he was bombarded by suggestions for pro-IS friends, after making contact with one active extremist on the site.

Robert Postings, his fellow researcher, was inundated with friend suggestions for dozens of extremists within hours of clicking on news stories about an Islamist uprising in the Philippines.

“This project has laid bare Facebook’s inability or unwillingness to efficiently address extremist content. The fact that its own algorithm is directly facilitating the spread of this terrorist group on its site is beyond unacceptable,” Waters said.

A Facebook spokesman said: “There is no place for terrorists on Facebook. We work aggressively to ensure that we do not have terrorists or terror groups using the site.”

– The Telegraph