Telegram, Discord, and 4Chan – Links to Violent Extremism

Author(s): EMAN Network

In the era of technology and social media, extremist individuals and organisations have consistently relied on anonymous cloud-based instant messaging services such as Telegram, Discord and 4Chan to spread their ideologies, recruit and even tactically plan violent operations. These relatively obscure applications have increased in popularity amongst extremist networks as tech giants such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube crack down on hate preachers and radical individuals and organisation that incite hate and violence for ideological reasons. Following a series of high-profile incidents carried out over the last couple of years by radical Islamists and far-right terrorists, the encrypted messaging service Telegram and other prominent online forums such as Discord and 4chan have increased in popularity. Given the serious concerns expressed by national governments, intergovernmental organisations, and CT/CVE experts about the increasing influence of these online venues, little is still known about them.

Telegram

Telegram is a highly encrypted messaging app with a focus on security and speed. Daesh for instance has been urging its huge social media base to migrate to Telegram to communicate with jihadis and discuss sensitive topics including travel to Daesh-controlled territories. Additionally, the terrorist organisation, and its supporters, have created countless public channels in an effort to spread their violent Takfiri ideology by distributing propaganda materials and the latest pro-Daesh news and updates.

In Germany, for example, the popularity of Telegram amongst German Islamists has significantly grown. According to jugendschutz.net -  a joint competence centre for the federal and state governments for the protection of children and young people on the Internet, the number of German-speaking channels on Telegram climbed to 130 in 2016, of which, two-thirds belonged to the jihadist spectrum of Islamists. The organisation further stated that “ channels with jihadist content such as beheading videos of the terror organisation Islamic State, calls for war and advertising for terrorist groups received the most responses, sometimes more than 200 a day.”

It has been documented that Daesh has successfully exploited Telegram by issuing calls for violence prior to some of their major attacks. A case in point dates back to December 2016 when Daesh posted on Telegram, saying: “Christmas, Hanukah, And New Years [sic] Day is very soon Insha Allah[.] So let’s prepare a gift for the filthy pigs/apes.” Two weeks later, the Tunisian suspect, Anis Amri, hijacked a truck into a throng of people at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and wounding 48 others. Additionally, in January 2017, Daesh used Telegram to claim its responsibility for the deadly New Year's Day mass shooting at a nightclub in Istanbul, leaving 39 people killed. 

Encrypted social media platforms, including Telegram, have paved the way for terrorist organisations – most notably Daesh – to instantly reach millions of people from behind the screens, encouraging tens of thousands of would-be vulnerable jihadists and Daesh sympathisers to join the organisation.

Discord

Discord is considered the “virtual home of the alt-right”. This online forum is popular among white nationalists and neo-Nazi groups. ​​People looking to escape being monitored or tracked online will appreciate how Discord allows users to create private servers that are invisible to anyone outside the app. According to Kevin Roose from the New York Times, “in the days leading up to the “Unite the Right” rally in August 2017, Discord proved that it could be an indispensable organising tool.” He further added that “white nationalists used alt-right Discord servers to form carpools to Charlottesville and arrange local lodging.”

Recently, Discord made international headlines after it was revealed that the alleged 18-year old gunman who carried out the mass shooting attack in Buffalo, New York in May 2022 used Discord to discuss and share his plans ahead of the assault. Bloomberg further reported that the suspect used a private server to share his racist intentions and white supremacist views. Additionally, the investigation revealed that the suspect used racial insults and cited Brenton Tarrant, the terrorist who conducted the attacks on the two Mosques in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, more than 30 times.

It is also worth noting that Discord has been used by extremists to spread COVID-19 conspiracies and recruit youngsters. Sean Arbuthnot, a Prevent coordinator for Leicestershire in the UK said that “while far-right extremism has been on the rise for several years, online apps and platforms were increasingly cropping up in referrals, including gaming platforms and chat apps such as Discord, as rightwing groups sought to reach young people.”

4chan

4chan is an anonymous imageboard website that allows its far-right majority  users to host boards dedicated to a wide variety of topics including video games and weapons. In 2020, it was revealed that the imageboard website, which dates back to 2003, receives 27.7 million unique visitors every month with up to 1 million posts per day. According to Grid, the Buffalo gunman mentioned above said that he was radicalised by websites such as 4chan, which is known for its wide range of extreme content and graphic images. He further stated that he was introduced to racist beliefs and obtained extra material that led him to other extremist sites through 4chan infographics, memes, and postings.

Another case is the QAnon movement. By spreading its messaging and original posts on multiple social media sites, notably 4chan, the movement managed to garner tens of thousands of adherents. TracyBeanz, along with other 4chan forum community moderators like Pamphlet Anon and BaruchtheScribe, collaborated on dozens of extremist blogs and videos, which gained traction among conspiracy theorists and the US far-right, including supporters of then-incumbent US president Donald Trump.

The Anti-Defamation League has described 4chan as “a place for the alt-right to share offensive content and create a hateful subculture. This leads to harassment and intimidation, both online and offline.”