CEP Applauds Facebook
and Twitter for Shutting Down Hamas Accounts for Inciting Violence
(New York, NY) – The Counter
Extremism Project (CEP) today applauded reports
that social media companies Facebook and Twitter had suspended accounts
connected to the terror group Hamas
and issued the following statement, attributable to CEO Ambassador Mark
D. Wallace and President Frances F. Townsend:
“Actions by Facebook and Twitter to delete Hamas accounts are welcome
news and hopefully reflect a new determination to combat the misuse of
social media platforms by terror groups. Reports indicate Facebook closed
down Hamas's official page and Twitter took down accounts associated with
Hamas’s military wing.
“The ability of these terror groups to propagandize, recruit, and
incite to violence is critical to their survival. In order to overcome
the ideology that feeds hate, intolerance, and violence, we must combat
attempts by these groups to dominate the narrative being fed through the
Internet and on social media platforms.
“Since its founding in September 2014, CEP has raised the alarm before
the U.S. Congress and other public venues about the dangers posed by
extremists having unfettered access to social media platforms to recruit
and incite to violence. Since October 2014, we have identified and
reported hundreds of extremist accounts to Twitter through #CEPDigitalDisruption,
our rigorous research and crowdsourcing campaign.
“While the actions of Facebook and Twitter are noteworthy, we continue
to be concerned that there is nothing standing in the way of Hamas
re-establishing these accounts quickly. Facebook and Twitter must develop
a more systematic process for recognizing accounts belonging to Hamas, as
well as other extremist groups, and take them down as soon as they
appear.”
For requests for interviews, please contact CEP at media@counterextremism.com.
About The Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is a not-for-profit,
non-partisan, international policy organization formed to combat the growing
threat from extremist ideology. Led by a renowned group of former world
leaders and former diplomats, CEP combats extremism by pressuring
financial support networks, countering the narrative of extremists and
their online recruitment, and advocating for strong laws, policies and
regulations.
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