Online gaming platforms such as Roblox used as ‘Trojan horse’ for extremist recruitment of children, AFP warns

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Some games feature virtual worlds where players are able to act out an extremist ideological narrative, disseminate propaganda, recruit other users and generate funds online.

One simulation depicted a recreation of the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attacks that authorities said aimed to blur the reality of users, allowing them to normalise violence and undertake criminal acts within the game.

The platform recently hosted a series of virtual pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel gatherings and rallies where some players violently attacked others with opposing views.

“With more than 3.22 billion active gamers online around the world, these extremists are attempting to target a significant part of the global population to spread their views and propaganda,” she said on Sunday.

Joint counter-terrorism teams comprising AFP, state and territory police, and Asio and the NSW Crime Commission are working to prevent and identify the extremist activity online.

Earlier this year a Roblox spokesperson told the New York Times: “We recognise that extremist groups are turning to a variety of tactics in an attempt to circumvent the rules on all platforms, and we are determined to stay one step ahead of them.”

The original article contains 484 words, the summary contains 185 words. Saved 62%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

2 comments

The YouTube channel People Make Games did two videos on how messed up Roblox is. The second one, in particular, was horrifying. (Not sure if I'm allowed to add a link here, but it's easy enough to find.)
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Some games feature virtual worlds where players are able to act out an extremist ideological narrative, disseminate propaganda, recruit other users and generate funds online.
One simulation depicted a recreation of the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attacks that authorities said aimed to blur the reality of users, allowing them to normalise violence and undertake criminal acts within the game.
The platform recently hosted a series of virtual pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel gatherings and rallies where some players violently attacked others with opposing views.
“With more than 3.22 billion active gamers online around the world, these extremists are attempting to target a significant part of the global population to spread their views and propaganda,” she said on Sunday.
Joint counter-terrorism teams comprising AFP, state and territory police, and Asio and the NSW Crime Commission are working to prevent and identify the extremist activity online.
Earlier this year a Roblox spokesperson told the New York Times: “We recognise that extremist groups are turning to a variety of tactics in an attempt to circumvent the rules on all platforms, and we are determined to stay one step ahead of them.”
The original article contains 484 words, the summary contains 185 words. Saved 62%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

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