Is the Internet breeding incel terrorists?

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“Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry 00010, wishing to speak to Sgt 4chan please. C23249161. The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!”

Posted to his long-deleted Facebook page around the same time as the deadly Yonge St. van attack, the cryptic message ties Alek Minassian to the imageboard 4chan — the notorious incubator of countless Internet memes, movements including Anonymous and the alt-right, and favourite hangout of a number of criminals, both alleged and convicted.

“Extremists have been using the net as a forum since the late ’80s and websites started popping up in the ’90s,” said Richard Henderson, head of threat intelligence at cybersecurity firm Lastline. “Mailing lists, newsgroups, private groups, chat rooms, and dark websites are all among the sources of extremist content.”

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4chan is an ‘imageboard’ — an online discussion forum where users are encouraged to post images, usually anonymously, on a wide variety of subjects. The English-language 4chan was launched in 2003 by 15-year-old New York City student Christopher Poole — initially devoted to discussion and images relating to Japanese animation (anime). As 4chan’s popularity grew, so did those attracted to the ‘anonymous’ nature of the site.

Extremism isn’t just confined to the internet’s dark corners, Henderson said, noting private groups on Facebook or Reddit also see their fair share.

“Their members are very good at speaking in ways that don’t trigger automated moderation,” he added. He describes efforts to reign in extremism as a ‘losing battle’ for both providers and law enforcement. “There’s just too much content and not enough bodies to proactively look at everything.

“Unfortunately, most of these sites and subgroups on sites require someone inside the group to flag it for someone to take a close look at — all the while the groups continue to foment unrest and radicalize their membership,” he said.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume