Effort to stem online extremism accidentally pushed people toward an anarchist
The idea began as a bait-and-switch: Give people searching online for terms like “join Oath Keepers” or “bomb instructions” some content that seemed to fit their request but instead offered an alternative to extremism.
The method, developed by Moonshot CVE, is called the “Redirect.” Through partnerships with Google as well as the Anti-Defamation League, the British firm’s goal is to dissuade users from pursuing conspiracies and violent rhetoric by luring them with advertisements to other sites.
It’s just one of dozens of ideas that tech companies are experimenting with as — in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection — they come under increasing pressure to prevent the spread of extremism on their platforms. In an effort to blunt federal regulation, California’s internet giants repeatedly have insisted they are working to solve the problem. The flow of dangerous content continues to proliferate.
And in an internet figure known as Beau of the Fifth Column, Moonshot thought it had found the perfect person to redirect online users to.
