Pro-Trump social network GETTR is flooded with ISIS propaganda including videos of beheadings as terrorists exploit platform's 'free speech' policy
Pro-Trump social media network GETTR is being flooded by terrorist propaganda from Islamic State jihadist just weeks after its launch.
Ex- Trump adviser Jason Miller led the platform's launch July 4, as those in the former president's circle have looked for alternatives to Twitter and Facebook after Trump was banned.
But GETTR's promise of unrestricted speech has drawn jihadi material that includes videos of beheadings and gruesome viral memes promoting violence against Western nations.
One even depicted a militant 'executing' Trump in an orange jumpsuit similar to those worn at Guantanamo Bay, according to a review of online activity shared with Politico.
ISIS members have predicted GETTR will be successful and moved in to exploit its free speech promises (file image)
'Is Daesh here?' one account whose profile photo was the flag of the Islamic State. 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, though Trump himself was not directly involved in its launch and does not have a verified account on the platform.
Miles Guo, business partner to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is partially funding the site and former Sec. Mike Pompeo and Fox News host Sean Hannity 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.'
On the Apple store, GETTR advertises itself as a 'non-bias social network' that will 'allow anyone to express their opinion freely'
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.
Ex- Trump adviser Jason Miller led GETTR's launch on July 4
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.