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Nisos: Top 5 Social Media Content Evasion Tactics
1. Intentionally Misspell and Use Leetspeak To Convey Blocked Terms
Trust and Safety teams may monitor for certain terms linked to content that violates community guidelines. This may include content promoting harmful activities and messaging. Some examples include rendering “Hitler” as “Jitler,” “jihad” as “J1H4D,” or “hoax” as “h0ax” to avoid detection.
Graphics 1 and 2: Examples of users rendering the term “jihad” using a combination of letters and numbers.
2. Use Coded Language
Symbols convey meaning and frequently signal membership in a group or adherence to an ideology. Actors leverage emojis to express more coded messaging understood by members of the in-group, such as “⚡⚡” as a neo-Nazi reference to the “SS” or “🕸️” as a symbol for a neo-Nazi black sun. The black flag emoji, “🏴,” may also signify Islamic terrorism affiliations in some cases.
3. Post Memes To Amplify Malign Influence Narratives
Under the guise of humor, users post memes or label content as a “joke” to convey harmful messaging and even amplify malign influence narratives. Groups of users posting the same meme and exhibiting other elements consistent with coordinated inauthentic behavior may also indicate a network boosting a common theme.
4. Link To Off-Platform Channels and Domains
Actors link to domains and communication channels on other platforms, including in the comments section, instead of only posting original content. Actors may comment on their own post with additional information and links, or they may include such details in the comments section on another user’s post. Examples include links to Telegram channels, where more targeted recruitment efforts may occur, or comments with contact details to purchase illicit goods on another user’s posted content.
5. Impersonate Public Figures and Known Institutions To Appear Credible
Actors create accounts impersonating political leaders, public figures, media outlets, and institutions often to gain credibility among readers and viewers. Actors may also leverage these accounts to conceal their identities and challenge attribution efforts. For the same reason, actors may use rented or temporary accounts to amplify specific narratives. Actors operating these accounts may pay for advertising to target a specific demographic or purchase bot engagements to broaden the content’s reach.
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