‘No change in volume of output’
The transatlantic takedown was spread over eight countries and was coordinated by the EU’s police agency in “a major operation over a two-year period”, the head of Europol, Rob Wainwright, told AFP. Last week’s operation was the latest in a campaign targeting in particular the Amaq news agency used by IS to broadcast claims of attacks and spread its message of jihad
But an analysis by BBC Monitoring says that there was little change in the volume of IS media output on Telegram during the same period when the agencies were attacking the group’s propaganda machine. It adds: “It is not clear if the joint action by European countries and the US and Canada was aimed at targeting IS’s media dissemination capability in general or was more focused outside of Telegram”
I’m glad someone has data on this —thanks (BBC’s)
@Minalami. I did not notice a change in ISIS media output in the channels I was monitoring during the period they cite. It calls into question whether @Europol understands how ISIS’ online ecosystem works if they thought this = a success
Rukmini Callimachi, Correspondent for The New York Times covering ISIS
Apps for children and a radio channel
At its height, the IS media portfolio included smartphone apps for children, websites, and a glossy magazine, full of post-apocalyptic prophesies and articles declaring the “caliphate” was the only legitimate and viable home for Muslims. But as IS’s structure has crumbled, its media empire has waned too
Al-Bayan radio, which once broadcast on frequency mode and offered a wide range of statements, news and talks in several languages, had long moved online and reduced its activities. According to BBC, the online site for Al-Bayan could not be accessed after the attack