The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), after getting several of its Twitter accounts blocked, is coming up with various methods to hoodwink the microblogging site.
The terrorist group, who are on a rampage in Iraq, have been effectively using the social media to spread fear and chaos in the country. On Saturday, the ISIS militants posted a series of pictures on Twitter that showed the extend to which the group was ready to go to spread fear. Besides pictures, videos showing mass execution also emerged online.
Social media organisations such as Twitter and Facebook are fighting hard to keep extremists out of their domains. However, ISIS militia are coming up with innovative ways to outwit social media networks. Since Saturday, Twitter has suspended at least six ISIS Twitter handles for propagating violence and posting graphic images.
Usually when an ISIS account is suspended, the group members simply create a few more accounts. But that tactic is not working now as Iraq recently put a blanket ban on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to prevent the ISIS from spreading its propaganda. It has similarly banned Viber, Skype and WhatsApp as well.
According to Vocative, the ISIS - which has a strong tech team - has been asking its followers and sympathizers to use Tor, an anonymity web browser that prevents people from learning one's location or browsing habits.
Both Facebook and Twitter are aware of the threat posed by Tor and, as precaution, whenever a user logs into either site through Tor, the social media sites raise more security barriers. But the ISIS men have reportedly been guiding its followers even through that.
According to CBS News, the ISIS has been using the social media with a well chalked out strategy and its social media campaigns were planned in advance, even before the start of the war.
"I think it was obvious very early on that they launched their offensive with a social media campaign well planned in advance," John Little of Blogs of War told the news source. "This wasn't an afterthought. This wasn't something that they made up as they went along."
The report also noted that the extremist group have come up with a Twitter app for Android phones called The Dawn of Glad Tidings, which gives the group permission to send tweets through users' accounts, and also update users with ISIS related news. The app gives ISIS permission to post links, hashtags, and images on users' behalf.
Sunni militant group ISIS, which also goes by the name Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has been using Twitter and other social media platforms for long. Back in March, the ISIS had live tweeted photos of a man's hand being chopped in Syria as a punishment for stealing.
