ISIS is testing with new Blockchain-based messaging app BCM after Telegram was banned

By Dorothy 12/17/19 3:59 AM

Previously, Telegram was used as the main means of communication of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). After it was locked, ISIS have discovered a blockchain application to continue spreading their propaganda message.

ISIS is currently actively testing a blockchain-based messaging application that can provide everything it needs to develop: ISIS security, anonymous communications, anti-tampering archives for beheading videos, and other ISIS propaganda. Perhaps the most ominous thing is the ability to transfer cryptocurrencies anywhere in the world.

According to a December 16 report, ISIS is currently testing BCM, a messaging application that represents media issues because media issues are thought to be an ideal platform for an organization that wants to avoid findings of law enforcement.

According to Brenna Smith, a researcher specializing in investigating disinformation and the illicit use of cryptocurrencies, “the core features of the application of anonymity, encryption and large group chat size also pose great risks for the application”. Extremists crave technologies that can bring their message to thousands of people while hiding their identities.

The application in question, BCM, is one of several tests that ISIS is conducting on appropriate messaging platforms such as TamTam, RocketChat, Riot, and Hoop, to find a better way to carry out its activities.

Telegram says no to the terrorists

This is the first time that terrorist organizations use encryption-enabled IM platforms to communicate and distribute propaganda. Telegram was once a channel for ISIS and other terrorist groups to operate and raise funds, until the letter was sent to Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram in August, to take immediate action against the development.

In August, it was reported that Telegram is being widely used by terrorists according to a report by Middle Eastern Media Research Institute (MEMRI) based in Washington, DC. At that time, Steven Stalinsky, MEMRI’s executive director, said the Telegram stream was the number one source for online terrorist organizations.

However, an international effort led by the European Union led to a large number of ISIS accounts being discovered and subsequently destroyed. In November, international law enforcement ended the network of accounts and channels created by ISIS on Telegram.