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At LifeRaft, we recognize the concern among customers regarding the rise of alternative technology (alt-tech) social networks. The new moderation policies in mainstream platforms has led to a migration of users to new sites such as Gab, Parler, and Minds. This shift poses a challenge for security professionals, as failing to monitor alt-tech networks could result in critical threats that are openly shared, potentially jeopardizing security.
Check in with LifeRaft OSINT analyst Spencer Oliphant. He advises clients on how to monitor social media to safeguard their people and operations.
During their conversation, you’ll learn:
- What are alt-tech social networks and why they’re relevant to security professionals (0:20).
- Why alt-tech social networks have exploded in popularity (1:07).
- What kind of content you can find in these communities (2:40).
- The best approach to learning how threat actors operate in these spaces (4:35).
- The fastest-growing alt-tech social network to watch right now (5:15).
- The secret internet comment section invisible to ordinary web surfers (6:25).
- Whether Parler is still relevant to security professionals following its recent shutdown (9:20).
- The most important alt-tech social networks for security professionals to watch right now (12:23).
- How these communities will likely evolve over the next few years (13:05).
A handful of Silicon Valley titans used to dominate the world of social media. But a batch of new upstarts plan to upset the status quo. Welcome to alt-tech social networks.
Dozens of new platforms have popped up to challenge incumbents like Facebook and Twitter. Once only a refuge for political extremists and fringe content creators, alt-tech social networks have started to go mainstream.
That can create a problem for security practitioners.
What are Alt-Tech Social Networks?
Industry analysts describe alt-tech social networks as a collection of sites that have positioned themselves as substitutes to more mainstream offerings.
The first platforms popped up in the early 2010s, catering to a variety of fringe groups. But only in recent years have these communities started to attract wider attention.
The overall movement represents a backlash to the moderation policies of the established sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Incumbents have strived to find a balance between policing harassment and permitting the free flow of ideas. Critics, however, claim these companies have significant political bias when enforcing their policies – censoring those with anti-corporate or right-wing views.
In response, some social separatists have built their own online spaces promising less moderation and fewer restrictions.
A handful of platforms, such as Mastodon and Discord, have no explicit political allegiances. Others, namely Gab, Parler, and BitChute, serve as hubs for right-wing users banned elsewhere.
Top Alt-Tech Social Networks to Watch
Mastodon
A Twitter-like social network. Users form communities, called servers, based around a single topic.
Gab
A social network that resembles Twitter known for its limited content moderation and right-wing userbase. With more than one million users.
Parler
A popular alternative for conservative users frustrated by Twitter’s moderation policies.
Rumble
A Canadian-based video streaming platform widely considered as the go-to alternative to YouTube
Bitchute
A social network that resembles Twitter known for its limited content moderation and right-wing userbase.
4chan
A popular English language imageboard known for conducting acts of internet mischief. Chan boards are the wild, wild west of the internet.
8kun
A dark web community dedicated to extreme free speech and serves as a hub for several fringe groups.
Raddle.me
A gathering place for anarchists that resembles Reddit. Raddle.me also hosts a large shoplifting community.
Telegram
An encrypted messaging system that resembles ‘WhatsApp.’ Such security features have attracted a large criminal user base. End-to-end message encryption.
Discord
A dark web community dedicated to extreme free speech and serves as a hub for several fringe groups.
Hive Social
Hive Social is a social media application that is exclusively accessible via mobile devices. It has a design and functionality that is extremely similar to Twitter.
Post.news
Post, also known as Post.News, is a social media platform that puts the focus on intelligent conversations and discussions about high-quality news content.
Note that the tables above aren't an exhaustive list of alt-tech social networks. They only represent a handful of some of the more popular platforms.
Why Should You Pay Attention to These Sites?
Many security teams already conduct social media threat monitoring on mainstream platforms.
Admittedly, the bulk of people using these platforms are harmless. And most of the content you’ll find in these communities resembles much of what you’d find elsewhere.
But limited moderation policies, as you’d might expect, can turn alt-tech forums into gathering places for violent individuals, political extremists, and organized criminal groups.
So what type of threats can you find? Here’re a few examples:
Disinformation: Disinformation is misleading content deliberately created to undermine a person or organization. For example, a deep fake video or a fake news article. Mainstream sites attempt to police disinformation. But thanks to lax moderation policies, this type of content can run rampant in alt-tech communities.
Violence: Investigators often find violent threats published openly on these sites.
Data Leaks: Insiders often leak sensitive information on alt-tech social networks. They may also leak the defensive measures in place at a secured facility. If publicly available, this information presents a serious security risk to a VIP or organization.
Theft: Criminal groups are tech-savvy. They’re not hesitant about exploiting new technologies to share tips and techniques with their brethren online. Or they may attempt to recruit corporate insiders to assist in their activities. All of this represents invaluable intelligence for any security team.
Imagine you identify a threatening post on a mainstream site. By running the author’s user handle across multiple alt-tech communities, you may uncover their other online activities.
How to Monitor Alt-Tech Social Networks
New platforms pop up and go dark all the time. A post may also disappear automatically after a short period. Security teams can piggyback off of the social media listening software purchased by their marketing departments. However, these tools rarely cover fringe forums or communities.
To tackle these issues, keep in mind:
Cast a wide net when gathering data. Go beyond the big social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The more sites you cover, the less likely you are to overlook a relevant threat.
Keep close tabs on the changing social media landscape. New networks pop up. Once thriving sites disappear. Users move from one platform to another.
Cover your digital footprints. Each time you go online, you leave digital breadcrumbs for outsiders. In the worst-case scenario, this can alert a person of interest that they are the target of an investigation. At LifeRaft, we always suggest analysts cloak their internet activities. But that becomes even more important when surveilling some alt-tech sites where members may be hostile to your organization.
Invest in automated tools. LifeRaft’s Navigator intelligence software can help security teams spot threatening posts as soon as they’re published. Our team also keeps close tabs on new and emerging platforms, which can help analysts stay up to date with the changing world of social media.
Content from open source investigations on alternative social media platforms, especially Telegram and Chan Boards, can be especially graphic and disturbing. Consider using whatever mental health support programs are available to you in your organization. Have a safe process to conduct your work.
So how can you keep up?
New websites pop up all the time. And once hot services, like Voat and Parler, can go offline overnight.
But monitoring new social networks can represent a valuable source of threat intelligence. And failing to do so could leave gaps in your security program.
Neil Spencer, Director of Market Strategy and Partnerships at Liferaft, is back on the podcast.
He breaks down what alternative social networks are and how security teams can effectively monitor these platforms. In this episode you will learn:
- Learn why monitoring smaller, obscure communities on these networks is critical for comprehensive threat intelligence.
- Understand how alternative social networks can create echo chambers and contribute to the spread of misinformation campaigns.
- Explore the importance of detecting early warnings and indicators of potential threats in the digital space.
- Find out why brand protection is becoming a crucial piece of corporate security scope.
- Hear real-world examples of how smaller, alternative social networks have provided early warnings of potential threats.
- Learn about the long history of white supremacists using these networks to post manifestos before violent events.
- Discover how monitoring these networks can help organizations get ahead of threats and plan effective mitigation strategies.
- Gain insights into the implications of a threat to an organization's brand, both financially and from a physical security perspective.
- Understand the significance of monitoring alternative social networks for both emerging and mainstream platforms.
The Bottom Line on Alt-Tech Social Networks
Bad actors still want their message to reach the most people. For that reason, you can likely identify most threats against your organization by watching the biggest platforms.
But mainstream services continue to bar fringe groups from their communities. And as result, these users will migrate to new sites for recruitment, communications, and planning.
If you want to keep up with an evolving threat landscape, your security team must spot and monitor new alt-tech social networks as they grow and develop.