Wagner’s Violent Mercenary Group Still Thrives on Social Media Despite Meta’s Attempted Crackdown
In late May, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, declared Wagner, a notorious Russian mercenary group, as a dangerous organization and vowed to remove any content promoting the group from their platforms. However, a recent study conducted by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) has uncovered that Wagner’s presence continues to thrive on Facebook and Instagram, in direct violation of Meta’s policies.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), an independent London-based nonprofit organization that monitors extremism and disinformation worldwide, discovered that Meta has failed to effectively eradicate Wagner’s online presence. Despite Meta labeling Wagner as a dangerous organization and pledging to remove content related to them, this study demonstrates that the recruitment efforts and glorification of Wagner are still occurring on these social media platforms.
Meta’s own policies strictly prohibit the presence of dangerous organizations or individuals who pursue violent missions or engage in violence on Facebook. According to their guidelines, the assessment of such entities is based on their behavior both online and offline, particularly their ties to violent activities.
The study conducted by ISD identified a concerning number of accounts on Facebook and Instagram that impersonated and glorified Wagner or shared recruitment content for the group. These accounts operated in multiple languages such as English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Macedonian, Polish, Romanian, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Russian.
The impact of these accounts should not be underestimated. Among the 57 accounts discovered on Facebook, 15 had amassed more than 10,000 followers or members by August 16. Moreover, the 57 accounts found on Instagram had collectively garnered a following of 10,175 users.
Disturbingly, 23 of these groups actively shared recruitment information, touting Wagner as the strongest private army in the world. Some videos aimed to convince potential recruits that joining Wagner would not mean becoming mere cannon fodder but becoming part of a close-knit family. Additionally, certain Facebook posts featured Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, warning about an impending Third World War.
Besides disseminating Wagner-related content, these accounts also shared pro-Kremlin propaganda, further amplifying their reach and influence.
While ISD’s investigation unearthed information and contacts representing authentic recruitment efforts before the mutiny, they were unable to establish any credible evidence directly linking these Facebook pages, groups, and profiles to Wagner.
The persistence of Wagner’s presence on Facebook and Instagram raises crucial questions about Meta’s ability to effectively enforce its own policies. The fact that such a dangerous organization continues to exploit these platforms for recruitment presents a significant challenge in the fight against global extremism and violence.
It is clear that more robust measures need to be implemented to counter the online activities of Wagner and other groups of its kind. Social media companies must intensify efforts to detect and remove content that promotes violence and human rights abuses, ensuring the safety and well-being of their users.
In light of the findings by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Meta must take swift action to rectify this issue, strengthening their enforcement mechanisms and staying true to their commitment of creating a safer online environment for all. Only through a collaborative and vigilant approach can the influence of dangerous organizations like Wagner be mitigated, safeguarding the global community from their menacing activities.
