Former Trump spokesman Jason Miller blames BIG TECH conspiracy for report claiming his MAGA social media network has become a platform for ISIS extremists
The chief executive of GETTR, a new social media platform that appeals to MAGA world, hit back on Wednesday at claims it was 'inundated' by ISIS extremists, saying the reports were based on research funded by Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other competitors.
Jason Miller, who was previously spokesman for former President Trump, said the result was a hit piece designed to discredit the new venture.
GETTR launched last month and is approaching two million users.
But on Monday Politico reported the platform was awash with propaganda spread by supporters of the Islamic State - including video of beheadings.
It said it was alerted to the content by Moustafa Ayad, of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank that tracks online extremism.
Miller said the work was funded by Big Tech.
'If you go to Mr. Moustafa Ayad's website - the Institute for Strategic Dialogue - he lists his funding out. Facebook, Google, YouTube, Microsoft,' he told former Trump adviser Steve Bannon on his War Room radio show.
'Industry Big Tech giants are who fund him and they don't even point that out in the story.'
Ex- Trump adviser Jason Miller led GETTR's launch on July 4 and hit back at reports the platform was inundated with ISIS propaganda, saying the research was funded by Big Tech
ISIS members have predicted GETTR will be successful and moved in to exploit its free speech promises (file image). Miller said all major platforms had battled extremist content
On the Apple store, GETTR advertises itself as a 'non-bias social network' that will 'allow anyone to express their opinion freely.' It has the highest profile of any conservative alternatives to mainstream social media
He said it was all a part of a liberal conspiracy to silence opposition.
'Here's the thing. They're scared of us,' he said.
'They know that we're growing. There know that we've added 2 million users to the platform.'
In an earlier riposte, published by the right wing National Pulse website, Miller wrote that it was inevitable that Big Tech would have its knives out for a start-up.
'It’s a team of heavyweights, with Audible, Facebook, GIFCT, Google, Google.org, Jigsaw, Microsoft, and YouTube listed as private sector funders of the Institute,' he wrote.
'In short, Politico failed to disclose that the primary detractor in their story is funded by GETTR’s competitors in the tech and social media marketplace.'
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue disputed the characterization.
'ISD has a long track record of exposing terrorist activity across all major platforms though its independent research so the claim that our report shows GETTR has a terrorism problem at the behest of Big Tech is laughable and shows a complete ignorance of our work in this space, which includes advancing proposals for regulating Big Tech,' said its chief executive Sasha Havlicek.
Research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue has been cited by the BBC, CNN, NBC News and other media organizations.
Conservatives have been seeking out new spaces online as major social media platforms clamped down on election misinformation and misleading COVID-19 posts.
Trump himself was banned from Twitter and Facebook amid the fall-out from the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and has hinted that he is planning his own platform.
GETTR so far has the highest profile of any conservative alternatives to mainstream social media, though Trump himself was not directly involved in its launch and does not have a verified account on the platform.
The family foundation of Miles Guo, business partner to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, was one of the early funders of the app. And early adopters include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Fox News host Sean Hannity who regularly post content.
On the Apple app store, GETTR advertises itself as a 'non-bias social network' that will 'allow anyone to express their opinion freely.'
But that has apparently attracted extremists testing to see whether they can find a new foothold.
'Is Daesh here?' asked one account whose profile photo was the flag of the Islamic State, according to the Politico report. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the terrorist group. Replies suggested it was well-represented – and some users praised the network for being willing to host such content.
'We will come at you with slaying and explosions you worshippers of the cross,' wrote one account whose name reference the Islamic State. 'How great is freedom of expression.'
GETTR so far has the highest profile of any conservative alternatives to mainstream social media
ISIS members have predicted the network will be successful.
'If this app reaches the expected success, which is mostly probable, it should be adopted by followers and occupied in order to regain the glory of Twitter, may God prevail,' one Islamic State account wrote of GETTR on Facebook in early July.
Miller, GETTR's CEO, said that ISIS was targeting the MAGA movement in retaliation to Trump's policy toward them.
'ISIS is trying to attack the MAGA movement because President Trump wiped them off the face of the earth, destroying the Caliphate in less than 18 months, and the only ISIS members still alive are keyboard warriors hiding in caves and eating dirt cookies,' he said in a statement. 'GETTR has a robust and proactive moderation system that removes prohibited content, maximizing both cutting-edge A.I. technology and human moderation.'
After news broke of GETTR's struggles with ISIS content, Miller tweeted an NPR article from 2019 that detailed Twitter having a similar problem.
Twitter Struggling To Shut Down Bot And Impersonation Accounts Created By ISIS : NPR https://t.co/xBNvF6F73J
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) August 2, 2021
Twitter Struggling To Shut Down Bot And Impersonation Accounts Created By ISIS : NPR https://t.co/xBNvF6F73J
Some jihadi posts on GETTR from early July have been removed, and the platform's terms of service state that offensive content, including that related to terrorism, could be removed. Politico found at least 250 Islamic State-related accounts had been regularly posting content since July.
Trump declared ISIS '100% defeated' in 2019. The Islamic State no longer has a caliphate and its influence has largely diminished in the Middle East, though it maintains a presence in Iraq and Syria.
GETTR in its early days was also reportedly flooded with pornographic content, though Miller has instituted a strict policy against doxxing, or sharing people's addresses and personal information with malicious intent.
After the former president was banned permanently from Twitter and for at least two years from Facebook and Instagram following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, some of supporters fled mainstream social media for smaller networks.
Parler, an early favorite among conservatives, took a major hit when it was banned from Apple, Amazon and Google. It temporarily went offline as a result, but it has since been allowed back onto Apple's app store after changing its content moderation policy to detect violent posts.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to express an interest in launching his own social media network. He launched his own blog, 'From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,' though it was taken down weeks later amid a poor following.