STILL OUT THERE

ISIS Propoganda Videos Removed From Teen-Centric TikTok App: WSJ

The videos came from about 24 accounts, and appeared to use filters and upbeat music to appear to the younger set.

Videos from about two dozen accounts on TikTok were removed after they posted short ISIS propaganda videos, The Wall Street Journal reports. The videos reportedly showed dead bodies paraded through the streets, ISIS fighters with weapons, and women who said they were “jihadist and proud.” Videos also used lighthearted filters, emojis, and upbeat jihadist music in an apparent effort to appeal to young people. Many of the cheerful clips did not directly encourage viewers to join the terror group, but reportedly were aimed at spurring enthusiasm and support for ISIS. Some of the accounts had over 1,000 followers. “This is an industry-wide challenge complicated by bad actors who actively seek to circumvent protective measures, but we have a team dedicated to aggressively protecting against malicious behavior on TikTok,” a spokeswoman told the newspaper. “We permanently ban any such accounts and associated devices as soon as identified, and we continuously develop ever-stronger controls to proactively detect suspicious activity.”

TikTok is owned by Beijing-based Bytedance, which has employed thousands of content moderators all over the world to curate the videos featured on the app, which has grown in popularity with the teenage set. Other social platforms, like Twitter and Facebook, have also been accused of being havens for the tech-savvy terror movement.