The militant group ISIS, also referred to as the Islamic State, has issued a direct threat in a new video aimed at the chief executive officers of social media giants Facebook and Twitter. This news arrives in the wake of Twitter’s recent action to deactivate over 125,000 accounts tied to ISIS.
Web analysts from news outlet Vocativ were the first to uncover the 25-minute propaganda-filled video. According to Vocativ’s report, the video is titled “Flames Of The Supporters” and culminates in a chilling threat against Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Jack Dorsey of Twitter.
An excerpt of the translated text from the video, full of unabashed bravado and menace, reads, “You announce daily that you suspend many of our accounts, and to you we say: Is that all you can do? You are not in our league. If you close one account we will take 10 in return and soon your names will be erased after we delete your sites, Allah willing, and [you] will know that what we say is true.”
Readers may recollect that following the infamous Paris attacks late in 2015, the hacker collective known as Anonymous declared a full-fledged cyber war on ISIS. ISIS, or ISIL as it is sometimes called, has been effectively using social media platforms to infiltrate, recruit, and radicalize unsuspecting individuals, as per reports from the United States Department of State. In turn, companies like Facebook and Twitter have been leading the online resistance against ISIS, vigilantly deactivating any accounts linked to the group.
Despite ISIS’s bluster, the tangible extent to which they can disrupt or harm both Facebook and Twitter remains uncertain. However, there are concerns that the group may resort to physical violence, replicating grim scenarios like the San Bernardino shooting where innocent bystanders were randomly targeted.
Despite ISIS’s alarmingly incendiary threats, we can only hope that both CEOs and their respective staffs stay safe and continue the important work they’re doing to counteract this form of online terror. Unwarranted fear must not deter us from pushing back against the indiscriminate hate and violence propagated by groups like ISIS.
Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
