Telegram, which has banned ISIS content, remains a favored tool of white supremacists. Neo-nazi and fascist groups have been posting antisemitic and racist messages and calls for violence on the encrypted messaging app Telegram in advance of a massive gun rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday that far-right extremists are expected to attend and that officials fear might turn violent. (…) On sites like 4chan and other forums popular with internet racists, there’s little that can be done to stop neo-Nazis and white supremacists from posting and organizing. But in the case of Telegram, though, Google and Apple have the power to curb neo-Nazi communications if they choose to. (…) Both companies have rules for apps in their app stores that Telegram aggressively and frequently violates. Instead of enforcing these policies, the companies have stood idle as extremist groups have taken advantage of their inaction to communicate, organize, recruit, and rally allies and members on Telegram. As these groups prepare to descend on Richmond where they’ve called for violence, Apple and Google have the ability to take away a potentially critical organizing and communication tool. (…) Overall though, hundreds of openly hateful groups, many of which implicitly or overtly call for violence, are still operating unfettered on Telegram, according to one list of Neo-Nazi Telegram channels Mother Jones reviewed. It’s unclear why both companies have neglected to enforce their own platform policies on Telegram. Apple told Mother Jones that it is looking into the issue, and said that developers are responsible for moderating their own content. The company noted that it would notify the developer and work with them to address the issues and potentially remove the app if a solution isn’t reached. Google declined to comment. Telegram did not respond to a request for comment.
via motherjones: Ahead of Richmond Rally, Apple and Google Are Letting Nazis Use This App to Coordinate