A “Goofy” DJ’s Secret Life at the Center of an Online Terrorism Network
www.propublica.org
To friends, Matthew Allison was a likeable part of Boise, Idaho’s electronic music scene. But behind his computer screen, authorities say, he helped lead the Terrorgram Collective, an online network that inspired white supremacist violence.
  • Sinister Influence: An easygoing DJ led a dual life as an online propagandist for white supremacist hate and, prosecutors say, inspired followers to kill LGBTQ+ people and people of color.
  • Producer of Hate: For years, Matthew Allison took advantage of lax moderation on the social media platform Telegram to churn out videos — around 120 in total — celebrating white terrorism.
  • A Free Speech Defense: Allison has said he is a video “artist” and does not hate anyone. He denied inciting people to commit violence and plans to fight his case on First Amendment grounds.
  • QuantumSparkles@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    81·
    25 days ago

    I really wish I was able to enjoy meeting new people and making new friends without worrying if they’re secretly a bigot, or even a radical bigot

  • Substance_P@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    25 days ago

    What an intense read:

    “the propensity that all of us have for leading contradictory lives. We have a great capacity for compartmentalizing as humans.”

    Telegram has been a conduit for years for the slow radicalization of white supremacist ideologies, as it has been for many other taboo subjects. The platform has been a honey trap for recruitment and propaganda for years, as well as for authorities to identify who is consuming and hence playing out the content.

  • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    1·
    25 days ago

    I can relate to this, when I met my lab partner in my first university chemistry class he seemed like a normal likeable bro. Only later did I discover that he was the school’s most notorious racist troll on the school’s social media.