Islamic State Supporters Exploit TikTok’s ‘Sounds’ Feature to Spread Extremist Content

[Social Media]

 

TikTok, a platform known for its short-form videos and wide user base, has become an unexpected vector for the spread of extremist content. Sky News has uncovered thousands of posts on the platform that use audio associated with the Islamic State (IS), revealing a troubling trend in how extremist groups exploit social media to propagate their ideologies.

 

On the surface, many of these TikTok posts seem harmless. One video, for example, features a user posing with two children; another shows a man training in a gym with a worn-out punching bag. However, the real issue lies not in the visuals but in the audio accompanying these videos. In many cases, the audio consists of speeches or nasheeds—a type of vocal music popular in the Islamic world—that have been co-opted by IS to promote their cause.

 

 

While nasheeds themselves are not inherently tied to any extremist ideology, some have been explicitly composed to support the Islamic State. TikTok’s design allows users to click on the audio from any given video, which functions as an audio hashtag, leading them to other videos that use the same sound. This feature, intended to enhance user engagement, has been exploited by IS supporters to create a network of content that can lead viewers to more graphic and extremist material with just a few clicks.

 

 

Sky News identified 439 videos on TikTok linked through the use of one such sound. Among these are posts featuring images of infamous IS figures, including Mohammed Emwazi, known in Western media as "Jihadi John." Some videos depict scenes from IS-controlled territories in Iraq and Syria, while others share messages from IS’s official media outlets. One particularly disturbing post shows a masked individual pointing a gun at a prisoner dressed in the orange jumpsuit that became synonymous with IS's brutal execution videos.

 

 

The ability to link content through audio allows TikTok users to signpost extremist material while avoiding text-based methods such as captions and hashtags, which are more easily monitored by the platform’s moderation teams. This makes it harder for moderators to detect and remove extremist content, as the audio itself often does not trigger the same level of scrutiny as visual or textual elements.

 

 

Meili Criezis, a Program Associate at the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab, explains that while some of these TikTok accounts may belong to individuals who are simply "trying to be edgy," others are more deliberate and strategic in their dissemination of IS propaganda. "You’ll have also a lot of content where the person is trying to disseminate IS propaganda quite purposefully, quite strategically," Criezis notes. One example is the nasheed titled "We Have The Swords," which is far from the only IS-associated sound being used on TikTok.

 

Another widely used IS nasheed identified by Sky News is an edit of "Dawlati Baqiyah," a song that addresses the losses suffered by IS forces at the hands of the US-led coalition, framing them in defiant terms. Thousands of TikTok posts used this sound before it was eventually removed by the platform. However, other nasheeds remain available. For instance, a recording of "Qamat Al Dawla," released by IS’s official media outlet, Ajnad Media Foundation, has been attached to 364 videos and remains on TikTok.

 

Despite some of these posts being removed, the audio has been on the platform since at least October 2023. Another nasheed released by Ajnad Media in 2013, which has been available on TikTok as a sound since at least October 2021, has been used in over 14,300 videos. This nasheed’s lyrics celebrate IS fighters, proclaiming, "The Islamic State has arisen by the blood of the righteous."

 

The motivations of individual TikTok users who post content with these nasheeds are often unclear. However, Criezis points out that regardless of intent, such content can easily lead users to genuine extremist material. By simply clicking on the sound, users may inadvertently expose themselves to straightforward pro-IS propaganda. For IS supporters, the widespread reposting of their nasheeds by unsuspecting TikTok users can be seen as a victory in itself. "Sometimes I think they just like the idea of the sound itself being mainstreamed and people not even knowing what it is," Criezis explains.

 

The challenge for social media platforms like TikTok in combating this kind of content is immense. Criezis describes the effort to censor extremist material as an "uphill battle," noting that IS supporters have shown a remarkable ability to adapt to and circumvent censorship efforts. After Sky News presented its findings to TikTok, the platform swiftly removed the offending videos. A TikTok spokesperson responded, saying, "We stand firmly against violent extremism and have banned all of the accounts and content flagged to us. We regularly train our safety teams to detect evolving extremist trends and remove 98% of content found to break rules on promoting terrorism before it is reported to us."

 

Despite these efforts, the exploitation of TikTok’s "sounds" feature by IS supporters highlights the ongoing struggle that social media platforms face in balancing user engagement with the need to prevent the spread of extremist content. As extremist groups continue to evolve their strategies, platforms like TikTok will need to remain vigilant and adaptive to stay ahead of those who seek to use these spaces to further their dangerous ideologies.

 

Credit: Sky News  2024-08-17

 

 

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[Purdey]

Peaceful people can be converted to violence by a song? 

Or weren't they peaceful to start with?

Edited August 17 by Purdey