Thread by @_MAArgentino

The GhostEzra channel, which has 335k members, whas gone from Antisemitic to holocaust denialism in less than a week. It is also networking the QAnon adherents in that channel to more extre groups on Telegram. It has become a hub for radicalization

What is important is that there is no channel on terrogram, no nazi channel, no white supremacist channel that has tens of thousands of members, nevermind 335k. GhostEzra (and a few others) are introducing violent extremist ideologies to a large pool of extremists.

This could still be called an emerging trend, there was always antisemitism, or elements of in QAnon, but the type of content being shared in the GhostEzra channel is not the norm and has taken very extreme turns

The networking of ecosystems on telegram is what has been of concern to me since QAnon and MAGA accounts were deplatformed en masse. Early on the more extreme actors sought to recruit parler and twitter refuges. But now they are sharing narratives with each other.

As QAnon has slowly adopted more extreme narratives, violent extremism actors have adopted more salient conspriscu theories. There is a symbiotic relationship that has formed, and not for the better.

This is the consequence of deplstforming and it is one that needs to be recognized and dealt with. Not deplstforming these actors would have had its own set on consequences but that is neither here or there. A choice was made and now we are beginning TOS we the consequences.

GhostEzra is the first or probably many, the question is what the account and those in it already prone to these narratives and telegram makes them feel safe to speak their minds? Or are more extreme actors taking advantage of the large pool of newcomers?

More importantly what can be done? There are no ways to introduce friction on toeegram like you could on larger platforms, there are no trust and safety teams, there are no counter narratives or alternative voices. If online is not a viable option are there offline solutions?

I don't necessarily have the answers but these are questions we need to ask ourselves. We need to be proactive and not reactive about this emerging trend.