ISIS-affiliated social media network launched, say reports
Following deletions of Islamic State-related accounts on social media, new platform created for people who support organization.
As social network sites have begun to crack down on accounts related to the Islamic State groups, Arab media outlets and online sources claimed on Sunday a social media network affiliated with the group had been launched. The site, called 5elafabook.com, is a response to sites that blocked accounts related to Islamic State.
A Twitter account was created named after 5elafabook, although it was unclear whether it was created by Islamic State members.
Al-Arabiya attempted to trace the origins of the site and discovered that it defined itself as independent and did not directly answer to the organization, but was loyal to it.
According to al-Arabiya, users are required to follow four rules in order to use the social network. The user must agree not to send information taken from the site to anyone else or to management. Users are forbidden from posting pictures of themselves.
They are also asked to show restraint towards those who do not support the organization. The final requirement is to report verbal abuse by other users. The site was plagued with connectivity problems throughout Sunday, for unknown reasons.
The site is strikingly similar to Facebook's original design. The site can be viewed in several languages: Dutch, English, Spanish, Portugese, German, Turkish, and Indonesian. Al-Arabiya noted that unlike Facebook, users cannot upload pictures or videos. Islamic State supporters have begun promoting the site online.
Vocativ tried to investigate the social network's domain, discovering that it was hosted on the servers of the American company GoDaddy. The domain owner is a user named "Abu Musab" who was listed as living in Mosul. Other sources said he was originally from Egypt.
