Prominent members of Mexico'sdrug cartels are using Twitter to recruit new members, threatenrival gangs, post violent images and videosand glorify drug trafficking, according to anAlliance to Counter Crime Online (ACCO) report.
What Happened:Between 2012 and 2015, most of these gory accounts were banned by Twitters Trust and Safety Council. Then along came Elon Musk, TeslaTSLA and TwitterCEOwho, inhis righteousdefense of the first amendment, dissolved the safety policy andreinstated previously suspended cartel accounts.
Aslew of racist screeds and epithets alsoappeared onTwitterimmediatelyafter Musks takeover.One epithetused to attack Black people,which shall not be repeated here,was blasted all over Twitter more than 26,000 times within days after Musk bought the platform for $44 billion.
And now theMexican cartels are sharing graphic content such as a video posted by a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel showing decapitated heads of rival gang members being thrown into a bonfire.
The infamousReneArzate Garcia, amemberof El Chapos Sinaloa cartel,isusing hisTwitter accountto taunt authorities by posting hisWanted by the FBI poster as his header image.
ACCO, anon-profitcoalition of organizations dedicated to researching online crimes, including drug trafficking, child sexual abuse, and financialromance scamsis urging Twitter to block and remove the narco content and suspend accounts promoting it. The organization'sreport came out severaldays after four Americans were kidnapped and two murdered bynorthern Mexicos Gulf cartel.
Social media is a tool that provides benefits to and strengthens drug cartels by enhancing organizational and operational capabilities, Dr. Nilda Garcia,ACCO reportauthor and political science prof at Texas A&M International University, told BuzzFeed News.
These communication outlets provide major opportunities for drug cartels not only to engage in public relations strategies, gain legitimacy, incite fear, and recruit, but also facilitate the diversification of criminal activities that involve extortion, drug sales, and human smuggling online, Garcia said.
Under Musks leadership, the report noted, Twitters efforts to remove this content and block these accounts have declined. Some of Musks actions like firing over 70% of Twitters employeesincluding the content moderators, have exacerbated the problem, according to the report.
Photo:ReneArzate Garcia's Twitter account