extremist content Archives

AppWizard

July 22, 2025

Explained: How Russia Is Cracking Down on the Internet and Messaging Apps

The Kremlin has increased restrictions on Russian citizens' access to foreign websites and information that contradicts state narratives since the Ukraine conflict began. New legislation has been passed to impose fines for searching for "extremist" content and for advertising VPN services, with penalties including fines of up to 5,000 rubles for individual users. A potential ban on WhatsApp is being considered in favor of a domestic alternative called Max, which is expected to serve as Russia's national messaging platform and may collect user data. Approximately 680 bots have been promoting Max while disparaging WhatsApp. Additionally, at least 40 Russian regions have recently experienced mobile internet outages, which coincide with increased Ukrainian drone attacks and are speculated to serve both security and internet sovereignty goals.

AppWizard

July 4, 2025

Valve conquered PC gaming. What comes next?

Valve Corporation, founded in 1996 by Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington, is known for its influential role in the gaming industry, particularly with its groundbreaking title Half-Life, released in 1998. The company has a unique corporate structure and impressive revenue-per-employee metrics, reportedly exceeding .9 million. Valve's Steam platform, launched in 2003, dominates the PC gaming market, accounting for approximately 70% of sales in a sector valued at around billion, with over 100,000 titles available. Steam had an estimated 170 million active monthly users by May 2023. Financially, estimates suggest Steam may have handled around .3 billion in game sales in 2021, yielding a profit of approximately .6 billion from commissions. Valve's employee culture emphasizes self-organization and innovation, though it faces scrutiny regarding content moderation and legal challenges related to market competition.

AppWizard

May 24, 2025

Vietnam orders ban on popular messaging app Telegram

Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology has accused the messaging app Telegram of not cooperating in addressing criminal activities conducted by its users. The ministry has instructed internet service providers to restrict Telegram's operations in the country, citing that nearly 70 percent of the 9,600 channels on the app disseminate harmful information and engage in illegal activities such as selling user data and drug trafficking. A Telegram representative stated the company has been timely in addressing legal requests from Vietnam and is processing a recent request. Despite the government's actions, Telegram was still accessible in Vietnam as of Friday. In Vietnam, approximately 11.8 million users use Telegram, while the app has nearly one billion users globally.

AppWizard

March 9, 2025

Dagestan, Chechnya block Telegram messaging app

Authorities in Russia's Dagestan and Chechnya have banned the messaging app Telegram, citing concerns over its content moderation policies and the proliferation of extremist content. This decision is part of a broader trend of increasing governmental control over online communications in the region. Anton Nemkin from the State Duma expressed that Telegram's lax moderation poses a threat to public safety, and local official Gamzatov indicated there may be potential for the app's reinstatement in the future. The Russian government has previously blocked other messaging services like Signal and is considering actions against WhatsApp, while access to platforms like YouTube has also been restricted. Additionally, Telegram has faced scrutiny outside Russia, including a ban for officials in Ukraine due to national security concerns linked to its founder Pavel Durov.

AppWizard

February 27, 2025

The Underground’s Favorite Messenger: Telegram’s Reign Continues

Telegram is popular for its focus on privacy and security, featuring end-to-end encryption for secret chats and allowing users to create large groups with up to 200,000 members. It offers channel functionality for broadcasting messages to unlimited subscribers. The platform has faced criticism for insufficient content moderation, leading to the spread of extremist content and illegal activities. Telegram regularly updates its features, including customizable themes and advanced bot integrations, to enhance user experience and maintain competitiveness in the messaging market.

AppWizard

February 26, 2025

Scottish children being ‘brainwashed’ by Neo-Nazis through popular video game

Concerns have arisen about the influence of far-right ideologies on Scottish children through the video game Minecraft, with experts warning that neo-Nazi groups may exploit the game's open design to spread extremist propaganda. These groups are reportedly using Minecraft's creative tools to create avatars and environments that glorify figures like Adolf Hitler and the Ku Klux Klan, as well as disturbing representations of historical atrocities. Ian Acheson from the Counter Extremism Project highlighted the ease of recruitment within gaming environments, while Ashton Kingdon described the situation as a "Wild West" for young gamers, noting that extremist groups utilize these platforms to target vulnerable players. A report from the Royal United Services Institute found that 34% of players encountered extremist imagery, and 25% felt encouraged to join extremist groups, with Minecraft specifically mentioned for the creation of Nazi death camp depictions. In response, Microsoft stated they have a dedicated team for player safety and moderation, implementing in-game reporting tools and filters to block inappropriate content, and maintaining a strict policy against terrorist and violent extremist content.

AppWizard

November 17, 2024

Senator Urges Valve to Address ‘Extremist, Hateful’ Content on Steam

Senator Mark Warner has urged Valve to address allegations of extremist and hateful content on the gaming platform Steam, following a report from the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism (COE) that identified 1.8 million instances of such content, involving 1.5 million unique users and over 73,000 groups. The ADL's dataset includes over 458 million profiles, 152 million profile and group avatar images, and 610 million comments. Notably, symbols like Pepe the Frog and swastikas were the most common extremist symbols, making up 54.6% and 9.1% of detected symbols, respectively. The report also found around 15,000 public accounts with symbols linked to ISIS, Hezbollah, and Hamas, and "hundreds of accounts" displaying images of terrorist figures like Anders Breivik. Additionally, 18,352 groups contained potentially extremist or hateful keywords. Sen. Warner has requested clarification from Valve on its enforcement strategies and plans to address these issues by December 13.

AppWizard

November 15, 2024

ADL research finds 1.8m instances of hate or extremist content on Steam

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has raised concerns about extremist content on Valve's Steam platform, reporting over 1.8 million instances of such material from more than 1.5 million users and 73,824 groups. The content includes antisemitic rhetoric, white supremacy, and Nazi iconography. While Valve has guidelines to combat hate speech, the enforcement is inconsistent. The ADL claims that Steam has the technical capability to moderate harmful content but has a lenient content policy that allows extremism to thrive. The organization calls for Valve to make substantial changes to its governance approach to effectively address hate on the platform.