Online bans fail to silence US extremists drawn to protests

Facebook, Discord and other mainstream Internet services have banned accounts linked to US anti-government extremists, but the recent protests in Kenosha and elsewhere illustrate how easy it can be for them to work around these digital roadblocks. — Dreamstime/TNS

SILVER SPRING, Maryland: After Wisconsin protests over Jacob Blake's shooting by police turned deadly last week, a member of an anti-government extremist group started posting updates from the scene for comrades in an encrypted chat room.

The group member named "Jake” said "two of my guys” rushed in to help after a gunman later identified as 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two people Aug 25 on a street in Kenosha.