Internet

Neo-Nazi group suspected of attacks in #Bratislava – #terror

Amnesty has called for action. Police in Bratislava have issued a warning about a group of suspected neo-Nazis believed to be carrying out violent attacks in the Slovak capital. The announcement follows a report by the tabloid Nový Čas, which published a story and video footage allegedly showing members of the group kicking and assaulting people, including a foreigner and a man of darker complexion. In one video, a victim can be heard crying, “Help, help, skinheads have attacked me,” as he sits on a pavement. The group, allegedly active on social media platforms like Telegram and TikTok, reportedly shared videos of their attacks. According to the Sme daily, the group previously operated accounts under the names “White Zone” and “White Zone SS,” though these have since been deleted following media reports. Photographs published alongside the videos purportedly show group members using far-right symbols. In one image, a man wears a T-shirt emblazoned with “Good Night Left Side,” a slogan popular among right-wing extremists. Another image, allegedly taken near Bratislava’s Patrónka bus stop, shows group members making the “OK” hand gesture, a sign co-opted by white supremacists as a symbol of white power. A Nový Čas video also features the Totenkopf emblem, a Nazi symbol associated with violence and terror. According to the anti-fascist Instagram account antifa.slovakia, the group, which allegedly calls itself “Valhalla,” formed in late 2024. Its members are said to range from teenagers as young as 15 to individuals with alleged ties to the police – though these claims remain unverified. The group reportedly congregates in Bratislava’s historic Old Town and has been seen openly performing Nazi salutes in public spaces.

via spectator: Neo-Nazi group suspected of attacks in Bratislava

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AI Tools and the Alt-Right: A Double-Edged Sword for P/CVE GNET

In Insights Introduction The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) tools represents a great resource to support prevent/counter-violent extremism (P/CVE) practitioners in their effort to reduce online extremism. However, AI is also exploited by extremists themselves, whereby they weaponize tools to avoid and evade content moderation for malign purposes. This Insight will present the main challenges posed by alt-right engagement with AI that hinder effective content removal. This includes extremists’ circumvention techniques and the exploitation of generative AI for propaganda purposes. Specifically, this Insight will assess the effectiveness of current AI programs used by platforms such as Meta and OpenAI. Finally, this Insight will provide potential solutions to contain the issue and slow the pace at which extremist propaganda is spread by enhancing the performance of AI tools in several areas to better serve P/CVE. Different platforms have different approaches to moderation, using both manual and automatic detection to create safer online environments. (…) Extremists’ exploitation of AI includes the identification of loopholes like the one presented above, although generative AI has also proved to be easily manipulated for harmful purposes. An example of active generative AI weaponisation, for example, is exploiting bots like ChatGPT to receive information on the broadest array of illegal activities. Examples include instructions on how to make a bomb and tips for money laundering. Open AI’s guidelines  (the company that developed ChatGPT) clearly state that their service cannot be used to harm oneself or others and the algorithm is trained in order not to provide illegal or dangerous information. Indeed, if a user attempts to obtain prohibited or harmful content, a message automatically pops up stating that the AI cannot fulfil the request. However, there is an easy loophole to bypass this barrier. It is sufficient to include in the instructions a caveat: that the information required is for fictional purposes only. For instance, you need the response to write a novel or a screenplay, and this is enough to bypass content moderation.

via gnet: AI Tools and the Alt-Right: A Double-Edged Sword for P/CVE GNET

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KI-BILDER – Lauterbach in Handschellen und Habeck als Müllsammler – AfD-Video sorgt für Kritik

In einem KI-generierten Wahlkampfvideo der Brandenburger AfD werden Politiker als Straftäter und Migranten als gefährliche Verbrecher präsentiert. Es ist nicht das erste Mal, dass die Partei mit einem solchen Video provoziert. Anzeige Dunkelhäutige Männer, die in finsteren Gassen jungen Frauen auflauern oder Ausländer, die mit Drogen handeln: Die AfD Brandenburg hat mit einem neuen KI-Wahlkampfvideo für Kritik gesorgt. Das auf dem X-Kanal des Landesverbands veröffentlichte Video zeichnet ein dystopisches Bild von Deutschland. Verspätete Züge, prekäre Arbeitsbedingungen, finanzielle Unsicherheit – zu jedem Aspekt generierte die Partei eine dramatische Szene. Das Video zeigt etwa dunkelhäutige Männer und bringt sie mit „Übergriffen“ an Bahnhöfen und Drogenhandel auf den Straßen in Verbindung. Weiter sieht man ebendiese Männer, die junge, hellhäutige Frauen verfolgen und ihnen nachts auflauern. Weiter knöpft sich die Partei konkrete Personen vor, die sie für die Missstände im Land verantwortlich macht. Die Rede ist von Politikern, die einen „beruflichen Neuanfang“ machen müssten, da sie das Land in den Ruin geführt hätten. Eingeblendet sieht man Bilder von Karl Lauterbach, der in einem Gerichtsgebäude sitzt und schließlich in Handschellen abgeführt wird. In der nächsten Szene wartet Robert Habeck bei der Agentur für Arbeit und sammelt später Müll in einem Park ein.

via welt: KI-BILDER Lauterbach in Handschellen und Habeck als Müllsammler – AfD-Video sorgt für Kritik

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14 Jewish Groups Leave X as Elon Musk Doubles Down on Nazi Rhetoric

Musk has ramped up the far-right extremism even more since Trump won. Fourteen U.S. Jewish groups announced they were leaving the social media platform X on Monday. A statement from the groups cited the rise of antisemitism on the social media platform since Elon Musk purchased the site in late 2022, as well as the “coarsening of discourse that is so pervasive on X,” but didn’t specifically call out Musk’s recent Nazi-style salutes. The 14 groups released a joint letter explaining their decision to leave X, signed by leaders at the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, among others. “As Jewish groups committed to healing what is broken in our world, we aim to do our work through means that similarly foster repair,” the statement read. “In study after study, as well as our lived experiences, X has become a platform that promotes hate, antisemitism, and societal division. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, X has reduced content moderation, promoted white supremacists, and re-platformed purveyors of conspiracy theories.” The statement also called out the billionaire owner directly, noting that, “Musk himself has re-posted content that is antisemitic and xenophobic, promoting it to his millions of followers.”

via gizmodo: 14 Jewish Groups Leave X as Elon Musk Doubles Down on Nazi Rhetoric

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Fears for ‘security of Jews worldwide’ in wake of Elon Musk AfD speech

Top US Jewish advocate Halie Soifer calls Trump adviser’s address to far-right Germany rally ‘incredibly dangerous’ Elon Musk’s remarks to a German far-right party that Germans should not focus on their country’s Nazi past should prompt “deep concern” about “the security of American Jews” and “of Jews worldwide”, a leading US Jewish advocate has told the Guardian. “Speaking as a deeply concerned American Jew,” said Halie Soifer, chief executive of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), “I am deeply concerned about the security of American Jews, of Jews worldwide, given our president’s clear alignment with dangerous rightwing extremists.” Musk, the owner of Tesla, SpaceX and X and the world’s richest person, donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Donald Trump’s campaign and is now a close adviser with an office in the White House complex. In a video address to the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party on Friday, Musk said it was “good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything”; said “children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents”; and said there was “too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that”. He also gave two fascist-style salutes last week, during a speech at Trump’s inauguration. Soifer’s response comes after world leaders marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, in Poland. (…) Soifer said it was imperative opponents of Trump and Musk continue to condemn extremist behavior and language, because “words and signaling have dangerous consequences and Trump and his allies, including Elon Musk, are giving a green light to extremists. “It’s important that that American voters, especially those who may have supported Donald Trump, open their eyes and see what’s right in front of them. He said he would be a dictator on day one, and for once he is making good on his promise.” On Monday evening, Soifer noted that Trump had then not issued a statement marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, a step he took each year in his first term, though in 2017 he caused controversy when his statement did not mention Jewish people. “Donald Trump is taking Elon’s advice to ‘move beyond’ the Holocaust,” Soifer said in a post on social media. “It’s (the end of) Holocaust Remembrance Day and Trump hasn’t said a word about it. But he did pardon the ‘Camp Auschwitz’ insurrectionist just in time for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.” That was a reference to Robert Keith Packer, now 59, who was sentenced to 75 days in prison for his part in the Capitol attack, during which he was photographed wearing a hoodie with “Camp Auschwitz” printed on the front.

via guardian: Fears for ‘security of Jews worldwide’ in wake of Elon Musk AfD speech

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Bundestagswahl 2025 – URL-Trick aufgeflogen: AfD unter Druck

Eine irreführende Internet-Adresse leitet Hamburger Briefwähler automatisch auf die Seite der AfD um. Der Landeswahlleiter spricht von einem fragwürdigen Vorgehen. Ein fragwürdiger Domain-Trick sorgt im Vorfeld der Hamburger Bürgerschaftswahl für Aufsehen: Wie mehrere Medien übereinstimmend berichten, werden Bürger, die sich bei der Eingabe der offiziellen Briefwahl-Adresse leicht vertippen, automatisch auf die Webseite der AfD Hamburg umgeleitet. Konkret geht es um die Adresse “briefwahl-hamburg.de”, die der korrekten Behörden-URL “briefwahl.hamburg.de” täuschend ähnlich ist. Wer den Bindestrich statt des Punktes verwendet, landet statt beim offiziellen Briefwahl-Portal auf der Seite der AfD Hamburg. Dort werden Besucher zum Mitmachen, Spenden oder dem Besuch von Veranstaltungen aufgefordert. In der Nacht zum Mittwoch war die Domain mit dem Bindestrich dann plötzlich nicht mehr erreichbar. (…) Die Methode des sogenannten “Typosquattings” – das Ausnutzen häufiger Tippfehler bei der Eingabe von Internet-Adressen – ist nicht neu. Das Oberlandesgericht Köln hat in einem Urteil festgestellt, dass eine solche Praxis eine “gezielte Behinderung des Inhabers der betreffenden Domain” darstellt.

via t-online: Bundestagswahl 2025 URL-Trick aufgeflogen: AfD unter Druck

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Over 100 Reddit communities ban X links after Elon Musk’s ‘Nazi salute’ controversy

‘Given Musk’s actions on Monday, it may be time to rethink how we engage with the platform,’ one subreddit’s moderators wrote after Musk’s inauguration apperance. In more than 100 Reddit communities, X links have been banned after the social media platform’s owner Elon Musk shot his arm up in the air in what Wikipedia is now calling a “Nazi salute.” The world’s richest person made the gesture — twice — while speaking at Donald Trump’s second inauguration Monday. Musk brushed off the description and even called to “defund” Wikipedia. But dozens of subreddits have taken action and prohibited users from posting X links, according to the BBC. “As of right now x.com has been added to our domain blacklist,” the subreddit r/PCgaming announced Tuesday. “This is something that we’ve been contemplating for a little while now. X has become increasingly hateful, toxic and less and less moderated. This has, in turn, made us less comfortable with letting our subreddit link it to other people. Not to mention the distasteful things Elon Musk has done recently…” The Dungeons and Dragons subreddit “r/DnD” also decided to ban X links. Moderators announced the change Tuesday and attributed its decision to the Tesla CEO’s recent gesture: “Given Musk’s actions on Monday, it may be time to rethink how we engage with the platform. Beyond Musk giving two Nazi salutes, he has repeatedly amplified harmful rhetoric and interacted with accounts promoting Nazi ideology, raising serious questions about Twitter’s role in spreading hate and extremism.”

via independent: Over 100 Reddit communities ban X links after Elon Musk’s ‘Nazi salute’ controversy

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