Conspiracy theories and hazardous organizing flourish on Facebook during pivotal occasions, as seen by the over 650,000 postings criticizing President Biden’s win between the 2020 general election and the January 6 uprising. After the latter and the ensuing convictions, some users dispersed, but a recent study—which was initially released by Wired—depicts a rebirth, identifying over 200 organizations and profiles on the site that are in charge of planning militia action across the country.
The Tech Transparency Project’s investigation revealed these organizations’ connections to groups like the Three Percenters militia network, which Meta classified as a “armed militia group” in its 2021 Dangerous People and Organizations List. However, organizations like the Free American Army and the Three Percenters have encouraged users to join them without repercussions (Meta removed the Free American Army group only after Wired inquired about it, referring to Facebook as a “adversarial space” that needs consistent investment to keep secure).
Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, has watched hundreds of these groups and people since 2021 and has seen an increased seriousness and focus on organizing over the previous year. “Many of these groups are no longer fractured sets of localized militia but coalitions formed between multiple militia groups, many with Three Percenters at the helm,” Paul told Wired. “Facebook remains the largest gathering place for extremists and militia movements to cast a wide net and funnel users to more private chats, including on the platform, where they can plan and coordinate with impunity.”
The Tech Transparency Project found users seek out “active patriots” to discuss anti-government ideology, attend meetings and take combat training. The latter lends itself to a common theme: being prepared for standing up against or even going to war against enemies such as drag queens, pro-Palestine college students and the government itself.
Take a recent post by the administrator of a group called the Pennsylvania Light Foot, which has over 1,000 members: “In light of the violence and uncertainty in the world, Covid 19 shortages, civil unrest, and potential for terrorist attacks and natural calamity, we exist to equip our members. Our aim is to equip them with the ability to defend themselves, whether it be a mugger on the street or foreign soldier on our lawn.” These sentiments are echoed by other extremist organizers across Facebook.
Meta has attempted to at least create a facade of action and transparency. In 2019, it launched the Oversight Board as an independent reviewer of its content moderation. While the entity has pointed to Facebook’s role in dangerous election rhetoric, including incidents outside the United States, critics argue it hasn’t been impactful enough. Now, The Washington Post reports that layoffs at the Oversight Board could be imminent.
On August 14, Meta will shutter CrowdTangle, a tool it bought in 2016 that allowed journalists and academics to see how conspiracy theories and false information moved on Facebook and its sister site Instagram — often showcasing the platforms’ shortcomings. The company is replacing it with the Meta Content Library, which not only appears to be less detailed but isn’t available to for-profit news organizations.
