The violent terms people are searching for online
"Social media has a substantial role in facilitating gang activity."
That was the claim in the Home Office's serious violence strategy, published in April 2018.
The document says threats of violence, gang recruitment and drug dealing are glamorised and promoted, particularly in videos.
But how serious is the problem?
A social enterprise specialising in countering violent extremism has monitored search engine queries and online video content relating to violence.
Anonymised search traffic data was gathered from people in England, Scotland and Wales between 27 April and 12 May.
The results provide a fascinating, but disturbing, insight into how the internet and social media may be shaping and fuelling young people's interest in knives, gangs and guns.
Zombie knifeAccording to the findings, there were 22,169 searches indicating "engagement with or vulnerability to serious violence".
Among the most searched-for terms were "stab vest", "bulletproof vest" and "zombie knife", with London and the West Midlands logging the most searches as a proportion of the population.
That was the claim in the Home Office's serious violence strategy, published in April 2018.
The document says threats of violence, gang recruitment and drug dealing are glamorised and promoted, particularly in videos.
But how serious is the problem?
A social enterprise specialising in countering violent extremism has monitored search engine queries and online video content relating to violence.
Anonymised search traffic data was gathered from people in England, Scotland and Wales between 27 April and 12 May.
The results provide a fascinating, but disturbing, insight into how the internet and social media may be shaping and fuelling young people's interest in knives, gangs and guns.
Zombie knifeAccording to the findings, there were 22,169 searches indicating "engagement with or vulnerability to serious violence".
Among the most searched-for terms were "stab vest", "bulletproof vest" and "zombie knife", with London and the West Midlands logging the most searches as a proportion of the population.
Researchers placed the searches in different categories.
More than 13,600 were classed as "crisis" with search terms such as "I have been stabbed", "how to survive being stabbed" and "first-aid for stab wound".
Some 7,500 searches were in the grouping, "violent intent". They included "best knife to fight", "where to stab" and "buy machete".
More than 900 concerned "engagement", with people wanting to find out about gangs. A small number, just 110, were in the "diversion" category, which indicated an interest in getting out of gangs.
Analysts explained to me the technique they'd used to collect the data but asked to keep it confidential so as to avoid skewing future surveys and research.
Catriona Scholes, who led the project for Moonshot CVE, says although some searches over the 16-day period were likely to be "false positives", with people looking up information for legitimate purposes, the conclusions are invaluable.
"We can use this data to better inform police and civil society when engaging with this issue in their local area," she says.
"We can also use it to produce reactive counter-content that engages with the narratives that are leading people into violence."
The study also analysed a sample of 20 videos uploaded to YouTube between January 2018 and May 2019 which, analysts say, either "incite or encourage" violence.
The videos received 2.5 million views and 20,500 comments, likes or shares.
More than three-quarters of the films depicted people being provoked into violence. Half showed threats of violence with a named target and in a third there were "criminal acts".
More than 13,600 were classed as "crisis" with search terms such as "I have been stabbed", "how to survive being stabbed" and "first-aid for stab wound".
Some 7,500 searches were in the grouping, "violent intent". They included "best knife to fight", "where to stab" and "buy machete".
More than 900 concerned "engagement", with people wanting to find out about gangs. A small number, just 110, were in the "diversion" category, which indicated an interest in getting out of gangs.
Analysts explained to me the technique they'd used to collect the data but asked to keep it confidential so as to avoid skewing future surveys and research.
Catriona Scholes, who led the project for Moonshot CVE, says although some searches over the 16-day period were likely to be "false positives", with people looking up information for legitimate purposes, the conclusions are invaluable.
"We can use this data to better inform police and civil society when engaging with this issue in their local area," she says.
"We can also use it to produce reactive counter-content that engages with the narratives that are leading people into violence."
The study also analysed a sample of 20 videos uploaded to YouTube between January 2018 and May 2019 which, analysts say, either "incite or encourage" violence.
The videos received 2.5 million views and 20,500 comments, likes or shares.
More than three-quarters of the films depicted people being provoked into violence. Half showed threats of violence with a named target and in a third there were "criminal acts".
According to the research, the vast majority of those watching the videos were male, with two-thirds under 25.
"We found that the people who post this footage typically post the original live video on Snapchat and Instagram before later re-uploading it to YouTube, thereby maximising the lifespan and reach of their content," says Scholes, a former Metropolitan Police officer.
"It demonstrates clear intent not merely to share a post with friends, but to encourage a culture of violence among as many people as possible," she adds.
Moonshot says the findings should spark a nationwide campaign with targeted messaging and online advertising services to provide search engines with alternative, credible content to challenge "harmful" narratives.
It's also calling for off-line help to be made available for those who may be at risk, bringing "social work into the online space".
The research is well-timed.
The government is half-way through a consultation period on proposals for what it hopes will be a "world-leading package of online safety measures", one of which involves ensuring users exposed to violent material are directed to support.
There are also plans for a statutory duty of care to make technology companies and social media providers take more responsibility for online safety, with the measures enforced by an independent regulator.
It'll be months, probably a year or two, before such a system is in place.
The results of this study suggest it can't come soon enough.
"We found that the people who post this footage typically post the original live video on Snapchat and Instagram before later re-uploading it to YouTube, thereby maximising the lifespan and reach of their content," says Scholes, a former Metropolitan Police officer.
"It demonstrates clear intent not merely to share a post with friends, but to encourage a culture of violence among as many people as possible," she adds.
Moonshot says the findings should spark a nationwide campaign with targeted messaging and online advertising services to provide search engines with alternative, credible content to challenge "harmful" narratives.
It's also calling for off-line help to be made available for those who may be at risk, bringing "social work into the online space".
The research is well-timed.
The government is half-way through a consultation period on proposals for what it hopes will be a "world-leading package of online safety measures", one of which involves ensuring users exposed to violent material are directed to support.
There are also plans for a statutory duty of care to make technology companies and social media providers take more responsibility for online safety, with the measures enforced by an independent regulator.
It'll be months, probably a year or two, before such a system is in place.
The results of this study suggest it can't come soon enough.
Los Angeles Mansion of Fugitive Businessman Jho Low to be Sold
The alleged embezzler, accused of masterminding a multibillion-dollar theft of a Malaysian government fund, bought the home in 2012 for $39 million
A $39 million Los Angeles mansion tied to Jho Low—the businessman who allegedly masterminded a scheme that looted billions of dollars from a Malaysian government fund—will soon be up for grabs.
U.S. prosecutors and lawyers for the fugitive businessman (last reported to be on the lam in China) have agreed to sell a megamansion on Oriole Drive that prosecutors say Mr. Low purchased using funds embezzled from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund, known as 1MDB, according to court records.
A shell company prosecutors tied to Mr. Low, 37, bought the home in 2012 for $38.98 million, according to property records. The contemporary-style mansion looms on a posh hillside above the Sunset Strip, replete with six bedrooms and more than 13,000 square feet of space, according to information on Redfin.
But with the owner’s disappearance, the uninhabited mansion “is falling into further disrepair by the day,” say a new document laying out plans for the sale filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday. Annual expenses on the property, including taxes, insurance and regular maintenance, total nearly $690,000 per year, according to court documents.
The mansion is one of multiple assets—including condos in New York City, a jet and a Vincent Van Gogh painting—prosecutors say were purchased using ill-gotten gains from the 1MDB fund. Mr. Low has denied any wrongdoing.
U.S. prosecutors and Mr. Low's representatives have tapped luxury real estate agent Ernie Carswell—who recently sold the house where “The Brady Bunch” TV series was filmed to HGTV—to market the property, according to court records. Mr. Carswell, an agent with Douglas Elliman, declined to comment.
A lawyer representing Mr. Low did not immediately return a request for comment. His representatives told Bloomberg, which first reported the impending sale, that he looks forward to an amicable resolution.
The listing has yet to go live, but previous images of the property show an airy two-story house lined in floor-to-ceiling glass, which provides for impressive views over Los Angeles.
The home boasts a large outdoor deck and luxury amenities, though aerial images show how the home has begun to deteriorate. The waterless pool sits beside a parched, sun-scorched lawn with sparse grass in recent images on captured on Google Earth.
“The condition of the (property) will inevitably continue to decline the longer it is unoccupied,” according to the new court filing.
Proceeds from the mansion’s sale will be used to pay off any taxes or debts attached to the property, while any remaining funds will be subject to forfeiture pending the outcome of the case.
A $39 million Los Angeles mansion tied to Jho Low—the businessman who allegedly masterminded a scheme that looted billions of dollars from a Malaysian government fund—will soon be up for grabs.
U.S. prosecutors and lawyers for the fugitive businessman (last reported to be on the lam in China) have agreed to sell a megamansion on Oriole Drive that prosecutors say Mr. Low purchased using funds embezzled from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund, known as 1MDB, according to court records.
A shell company prosecutors tied to Mr. Low, 37, bought the home in 2012 for $38.98 million, according to property records. The contemporary-style mansion looms on a posh hillside above the Sunset Strip, replete with six bedrooms and more than 13,000 square feet of space, according to information on Redfin.
But with the owner’s disappearance, the uninhabited mansion “is falling into further disrepair by the day,” say a new document laying out plans for the sale filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday. Annual expenses on the property, including taxes, insurance and regular maintenance, total nearly $690,000 per year, according to court documents.
The mansion is one of multiple assets—including condos in New York City, a jet and a Vincent Van Gogh painting—prosecutors say were purchased using ill-gotten gains from the 1MDB fund. Mr. Low has denied any wrongdoing.
U.S. prosecutors and Mr. Low's representatives have tapped luxury real estate agent Ernie Carswell—who recently sold the house where “The Brady Bunch” TV series was filmed to HGTV—to market the property, according to court records. Mr. Carswell, an agent with Douglas Elliman, declined to comment.
A lawyer representing Mr. Low did not immediately return a request for comment. His representatives told Bloomberg, which first reported the impending sale, that he looks forward to an amicable resolution.
The listing has yet to go live, but previous images of the property show an airy two-story house lined in floor-to-ceiling glass, which provides for impressive views over Los Angeles.
The home boasts a large outdoor deck and luxury amenities, though aerial images show how the home has begun to deteriorate. The waterless pool sits beside a parched, sun-scorched lawn with sparse grass in recent images on captured on Google Earth.
“The condition of the (property) will inevitably continue to decline the longer it is unoccupied,” according to the new court filing.
Proceeds from the mansion’s sale will be used to pay off any taxes or debts attached to the property, while any remaining funds will be subject to forfeiture pending the outcome of the case.
Talisay’s most wanted drug personality killed
CEBU CITY -- A 32-year-old most wanted personality in a drug-infested barangay in Talisay City, died after engaging the policemen serving a warrant of arrest at his mansion in Camotes island in a shootout on Friday.
Police Senior Insp. Alejandro Batobalonos of the Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) identified the fatality as Perlito Baguio Brion Jr., a resident of Barangay Dumlog, Talisay City.
Another man identified as Floriano Manalon Mag-aso, 60, resident of Sitio Panaghiusa, San Nicolas in this city, who was in the vicinity when the shootout occurred also died in the process. The police is yet to know the circumstances of Mag-aso’s presence at Brion’s house.
Armed with search warrant issued by Talisay City Regional Trial Court Branch 65 Judge Glenda Go, the operatives from the PIB, accompanied by the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CCPO) Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), and Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG), went to the two-story mansion of Brion located in Sitio Yellowville, Barangay San Jose in the town of Poro, Camotes, some 52-kilometers from this city, before dawn.
Judge Go issued the warrant against Brion for violation of Section 5 of Art II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
In a phone interview, Batobalonos told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that when the police operatives were about to serve the warrant of arrest to Brion, a shootout ensued. “We observed the rules of engagement. The subjects (Brion and Mag-aso) fired their weapon at us,” Batobalonos said.
Brion and Mag-aso were brought to San Francisco District Hospital in the neighboring town of San Francisco but were declared dead on arrival.
“Brion is a high-valued target considering that the authorities in Cebu were looking for him for drug charges. He went missing, until we receive reports that he transferred in Camotes island,” Batobalonos said.
Batobalonos said Brion was living with his 26-year-old common-law wife, Rizalyn Donaire, in a 110-square meter lush property in Sitio Yellowville, Barangay San Jose, Poro, Camotes Island when they served the warrant.
Poro Police Chief, Inspector Ernesto Pepito Jr., said the police operatives recovered a .45 caliber pistol and one .38 caliber revolver from the possession of Brion and Mag-aso, respectively. The police said these guns may be the weapons used by the duo in the shootout.
