Following Intense Pushback, Website Scrubs All Info on Gov't Involvement in Surveillance of Gamers
Want to know who is part of what is billed as “the leading international network researching the nexus between extremism and gaming?”
The Extremism and Gaming Research Network no longer wants to tell you.
Clicking on the members page that in the past displayed row after row of experts and government supporters, or at least doing that on Tuesday morning, brought a deadly 404 code that effectively says “go away.”
Okay. So even extremism-battling websites can have a bad day.
But this issue was first posted on X and brought up on Sunday… which would make this several bad days in a row.
“Something’s brewing, they are scrubbing numerous pages correlated to the government involvement. If possible, please share this post before they try to remove even more proofs of their action, let everyone see what they are doing,” the viral post noted, before tagging several prominent X users in the video game space.
Something’s brewing, they are scrubbing numerous pages correlated to the government involvement.
If possible, please share this post before they try to remove even more proofs of their action, let everyone see what they are doing.@Grummz @StutteringCraig @thicc_stick_boi…
— Kabrutus (@kabrutusrambo) March 17, 2024
The post included a Web Archive version of the EGRN’s members page, which included a list of its government supporters: the United Nations Development Program, the Britain-based Global Network on Extremism and Technology the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, the Counter-Terrorism Preparedness Network based in Sweden, and the UN-sponsored Strong Cities Network of communities around the world.
Other Parts of the EGRN site were working just fine, including the parts where it extolled its virtues, noting that it “is the leading international network researching the nexus between extremism and gaming while implementing activities that tackle the misuse of video games and gaming platforms by extremist actors.”
It later notes that part of its job is to defend gaming misuse by “far-right extremists.”
Although most of the groups listed are outside of the U.S., the group wields clout within America. When the Government Accountability Office issued a report in January about gaming and extremism, EGRN experts were part of the process of crafting a report that said for the good of everyone, federal agencies must step up surveillance of the gaming world.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have mechanisms to share and receive domestic violent extremism threat-related information with social media and gaming companies,” the report states. “However, neither agency has developed a strategy that articulates how it identifies and selects companies to engage with or the goals and desired outcomes of those engagements.”
The report had two key recommendations.
“The Director of the FBI should develop a strategy and goals for sharing information related to domestic violent extremism with social media and gaming companies,” it proposed.
“The Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis should develop a strategy and goals for sharing information related to domestic violent extremism with social media and gaming companies,” it wrote.
A cynic might note that government is better at proposing than implementing, but the report comes at a time when about 200,000 gamers who are blowing the proverbial whistle on Sweet Baby Inc. are being labeled as extremists.
Gamers are not terrorists.
All of these programs launched in the span of a week after Sweet Baby Inc. and funded by the ADL, US, Canadian and UN anti-terrorism money is extremely disturbing.
I’m asking why? Why now, why terrorism? Why election monitoring? Why?
— Grummz (@Grummz) March 17, 2024
Sweet Baby Inc. weaves its magic into video games, and many protesting its work believe that it leaves a trail of wokeness in its wake. But while the left is facing criticism for producing a nauseating product, the right has some heavy hitters to contend with.
Momentum is building for Congress to enter the picture with legislation, or the federal bureaucracy with regulations. The Anti-Defamation League is also now pushing for action from Washington.
“As digital social spaces, online games should be regulated to address hate & extremism. It’s vital for Congress to examine extremist radicalization in these spaces,” the ADL wrote in a post on X.
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