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Extremists make use of Video-game Chats to Spread Hate

Extremists make use of video-game chats to spread propagating hate by Carl Miller and Shiroma Silvi BBC Click



23 September 2021



Extremists are using video games of all kinds and gaming chat platforms to spread hate, BBC Click has found.



Researchers found anti-Semitism and racism on platforms like DLive and Odysee where users stream and discuss games like Call of Duty and Minecraft. This was over three months.



Campaigners say that including extremist narratives among everyday conversations can lead to radicalisation.



The conversations then go to private Telegram channels.



"Once you're in that space then radicalisation begins to happen," Joe Mulhall, of the anti-fascist organization Hope Not Hate, said.



"That's when you start to attend other meetings to smaller groups which aren't necessarily playing games, but are more interested in politics specifically."



Telegram responded to BBC News by saying that it used a "combination" of proactive monitoring of public spaces as well as user reports to remove content that was in violation of its terms of service.



DLive and Odysee have not yet responded to BBC News's requests for comment.



Their policies cite zero tolerance to violent extremism or hate. both state that they are proactive in taking down any content that violates the guidelines.



Call of Duty said: "The actions we have taken to address the racial discrimination of our players include banning them for names that are racist and hateful as well as implementing new technology and making it easier for players to report offensive behavior."



Researchers also found extreme "roleplaying" scenarios in games across different platforms that allow players to design and share their own maps and environments.



These included Nazi concentration camps, as well as a Uyghur detention camp in Roblox and Minecraft.



One Roblox driving game allowed players to "become racist" and simulate the murder of ethnic minorities by driving across them in a car.



"These aren't played by a huge amount of people but what they do is allow extremists to create role-playing experiences... to create fantasies that are radical on the internet," Jacob Davey, from the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, said.
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Roblox stated: "We work relentlessly to ensure our platform remains an appropriate and safe space, and with a combination of machine learning and a team of over 2,000 moderators, we monitor for safety 24-7 to detect and swiftly act on any inappropriate content or behaviour."



Minecraft stated that terrorist or violent extremist content was strictly forbidden by our community standards. We are taking action to remove this content from our systems when it is discovered.



But extremists may have shifted to gaming sites after social-media giants increased enforcement of their rules, according the researchers.



Mr Davey said: "The extreme right-wing have potentially found safe harbours to broadcast their ideology or engage in more traditional propagandising - the kind of things they would have done a few years ago on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.



"Online gaming is a way for people to get together with a common hobby online. This includes extremists.



"It's an opportunity to connect with people who are similar to you to socialize and, ultimately, to build stronger social bonds. This could be crucial in the advancement of radical movements around the world."



Mulhall said that "You are at home after school and play games and the gaming aspect can make you feel like it's normal, non-extremist and not dangerous."



The Royal United Services Institute is part of a group of experts in counter-extremism that are launching a large-scale investigation into online gaming.



The defence think tank' s Dr Jessica White said: "The chat and online space in which moderated content is generally low is being increasingly encroached upon by extremists, but we need to gather evidence of its extent."



Protection of players



The government is also in talks with industry organizations to discuss steps to tackle the exploitation of gaming spaces by extremists.



A representative of Ukie, the UK's gaming trade body, said: "We use sophisticated AI [artificial-intelligence] moderation tools and trained community managers to build safe spaces.



"We also work closely together with the police and the government enforcement agencies to protect our players.



"We are aware of the difficulties we face and continue to adopt a positive, proactive approach to protect our players."


Here's my website: https://teamextrememc.org/