Social media & terrorismFamily of ISIS victim sues Twitter for enabling terrorism
The family of Lloyd “Carl” Fields Jr., who was killed last year in an attack in Amman, the capital of Jordan in an ISIS shooting, is suing Twitter, claiming the network has not done enough about the spread of the group’s deadly reach. The complaint claims that the shooting might never have happened had Twitter not existed.
The family of a soldier killed in an ISIS shooting is suing Twitter, claiming the network has not done enough about the spread of the group’s deadly reach.
The Independent reports that the family of Lloyd “Carl” Fields Jr., who was killed last year in an attack in Amman, the capital of Jordan, claims that the shooting might never have happened had Twitter not existed. The complaint charges that Twitter has been aware that ISIS adherents were using its platform, and still lets the militants continue to use it.
“Without Twitter, the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most-feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible,” the complaint claims.
As has been the case with other large social networks, Twitter has been under growing scrutiny as a place which ISIS is using to recruit people online and spread its propaganda.
Twitter has been active in trying to take the accounts down, but many pop back up almost instantly. The Independent notes that the site has become a battleground between ISIS supporters, those who oppose the jihadists, and Twitter itself.
The site said that it works to kick “violent threats and the promotion of terrorism” off its network, and that it would oppose the decision.
“While we believe the lawsuit is without merit, we are deeply saddened to hear of this family’s terrible loss. Like people around the world, we are horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by extremist groups and their ripple effects on the Internet,” a Twitter spokesperson said.
“Violent threats and the promotion of terrorism deserve no place on Twitter and, like other social networks, our rules make that clear.
“We have teams around the world actively investigating reports of rule violations, identifying violating conduct, partnering with organizations countering extremist content online, and working with law enforcement entities when appropriate.”
The company’s transparency report says that in the first half of last year it complied with 42 percent of just over 1,000 content removal requests.
