Hate Groups Go Viral

January 6th, 2009

According to the International Network Against CyberHate (INACH), neo-Nazi and other hate groups have been using Web 2.0 to quickly spread their messages of hate-in essence, hate groups "go viral.".  YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook are some of the applications which have become vehicles for hate groups in recent years.   

"In today's Web 2.0 world with user-generated content, social network sites like Facebook and MySpace, mobile computing and always-on connectivity, every aspect of the Internet is being used by extremists of every ilk to repackage old hatreds and to recruit new haters," said Christopher Wolf, chair of INACH, at the Global Summit on Internet Hate Speech. 

YouTube in particular has become a hub for online right-wing activity, becoming an unwitting host to video clips which glorify the Nazis and Hitler.  YouTube has asked for the help of the Anti-Defamation League to address hate speech and has installed new filtering software to block the viral spread, but many believe that there is still much to do as hateful videos continue to be posted on YouTube.  Further, the Central Council of Jews in Germany has considered pressing criminal charges against Google in Germany and suing Google in the United States.  And in Britain, a member of Parliament has stated, "YouTube must understand its responsibilities.  They should be hunting this type of material down if they want to maintain any credibility."

As noted in our blog post on www.wecanstopthehate.org on 11/07/08, YouTube has also hosted videos posted by extremist anti-immigrant groups such as Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (ALIPAC).  ALIPAC has been designated a nativist, extremist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League, and an anti-immigrant menace by The Observer.   

To read the full story:  http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Nazi_videos_on_YouTube_draw_criticism_1231.html