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Hate mongers rake in money on web
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Pressure has been building on Facebook, along with other internet giants, who stand accused of doing too little, too late to eradicate hate speech and jihadist recruiters from their platforms. (Shutterstock/File)
H
ate speech and fake news are on the rise with identity politics now becoming the norm in many parts of the globe, including Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population.
Whether it is your uncle or your quiet friend from high school, many people can easily turn into a hate monger whom you would like to “unfriend” on social media platforms.
But identity politics is not the only reason why hate speech, usually spread through fake news, is proliferating on social media.
The National Police’s cybercrime division unveiled on Wednesday an online “syndicate” that has been taking money from people to make and distribute hate speech and hoaxes through social media and other online platforms.
The syndicate has been mainly operating through a Facebook group named Saracen since November 2015.
Read also: OPINION: Repelling hate speech by making human rights trendy
Digital forensic examinations reveal that the syndicate also operated in several other groups, such as Saracen News and Saracen Cyber Team.
