Ahead of Richmond Rally, Apple and Google Are Letting Nazis Use This App to Coordinate

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Neo-nazi and fascist groups have been posting antisemitic and racist messages and calls for violence on the encrypted messaging app Telegram in advance of a massive gun rally in Richmond, Virgina on Monday that far-right extremists are expected to attend and that officials fear might turn violent.
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On sites like 4chan and other forums popular with internet racists, there’s little that can be done to stop neo-Nazis and white supremacists from posting and organizing. But in the case of Telegram, though, Google and Apple have the power to curb neo-Nazi communications if they choose to.

Both companies have rules for apps in their app stores that Telegram aggressively and frequently violates. Instead of enforcing these policies, the companies have stood idle as extremist groups have taken advantage of their inaction to communicate, organize, recruit, and rally allies and members on Telegram. As these groups prepare to descend on Richmond where they’ve called for violence, Apple and Google have the ability to take away a potentially critical organizing and communication tool.

Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines ban apps that have “Defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content, including references or commentary about religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, national/ethnic origin, or other targeted groups.”Additionally, apps that have content that “encourages violence” also violate Apple’s rules. Google Play’s Developer Policy bans apps “that promote violence, or incite hatred against individuals or groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion.”

White nationalist, neo-Nazi, and fascist Telegram channels routinely share content that violates all of these rules, by advocating for violence against a host of racial groups, ethnicities, and the police, while frequently posting anti-Semetic and racist content.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/01/telegram-nazis-richmond/