ISIS App Available on Android Devices

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Supporters of the Islamic State terrorist organization have launched an app for Android, aimed at keeping wannabe jihadists in the loop of all the latest news and propaganda coming from the self-proclaimed caliphate.

midst a crackdown on jihadist social media groups, supporters of ISIS/ISIL have launched an Android app allowing aspiring jihadists to keep up with the group’s propaganda.

According to the SITE Intelligence Group, an American consulting group that monitors terrorist activity, the app lets ISIS supporters see new releases from the group’s impressive propaganda machine, offering live feeds and archived content divided into categories like “Photo Reports”, “Video Productions”, and “al-Bayan Radio News Bulletins”.

Unlike al-Qaeda, who also made use of propaganda videos, the Islamic State typically employs high production values and attempts to present a sleek image to potential converts. Their videos frequently feature grisly executions, such as beheadings, drownings, and immolation.

Though the app is not available through mainstream channels (the Google Play Store does, after all, have some standards), Android’s open-ended design makes it possible for anybody to create and distribute apps off the official market. Anyone who wishes to can find the app and install it on their phone.

Development of the app comes at a time when mainstream social networks have increasingly taken hardline stances against jihadist groups using their websites. In June, a United Nations panel called on companies like Facebook and Twitter to crack down on recruiters using their sites to radicalize vulnerable individuals. Twitter, in particular, has been a hotbed of activity as ISIS supporters battle site administrators looking to shut them down.

Khalefabook, a Facebook-like social media site for ISIS supporters, was launched earlier this year, but it seems the amateur design and site infrastructure hasn’t been up to the task of housing so many users.