Economy

Extremists flock to Facebook in netting recruits

FB

Research finds a combined following of 28,000. file PHOTO | NMG

Extremists have mainly used Facebook, You-Tube and Twitter to recruit and promote their activities, a new report shows.

The report launched on Thursday in Nairobi by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a global counter-extremism organisation , indicates that this trend aligns generally with social media platform distribution within the country.

The research was conducted between February and October 2017.

ISD Head of Networks and Outreach Zahed Amanullah said they identified more than 20 extremism related or sympathiser pages and groups on Facebook, with a combined following of more than 28,000 individuals.

READ: Facebook bans ads for cryptocurrencies

On YouTube, five Islamic extremists or sympathiser channels were identified, with over 1,000 subscribers and over 300 videos in total. On Twitter, a mere eight accounts were found, with a significantly smaller follower base.

“With minimal resources, these organisations reached 4.4 million Kenyans online during the elections with peace building messages,” said Mr Amanullah.