Internet Control
Moonshot is a counter-violent extremist (CVE) organization. Moonshot's Redirect Method targets users based on the content of their social media comments and posts, as well as their general and browser searches. The Redirect Method uses the data advantages of the tech platforms to target these users, profile them, and then finally tailors the ad feeds and search results of those users.
The figure above depicts the Redirect Method on general/browser search, but the technique is used on social media platforms as well.
The purpose of the Redirect Method, according to Moonshot and other prominent CVEs, is in the fight against hate, extremism, and terrorism. As a result, the CVE community produces articles over these topics in an attempt to convince clients that their software techniques are necessary.
Moonshot and the US Presidential Election
In January 2021, Moonshot boasted of their control of networks during the 2020 Presidential Election.1 The article highlights (1) the group's Redirect Method in action, (2) their political nature, the (3) special data privileges that the group retains from dominant technology platforms, and (4) how deeply the group is imbedded in the US security state.
In September 2020, Moonshot CVE partnered with the Anti- Defamation League (ADL) to proactively monitor and respond to threats of violence and violence-inciting disinformation related to the US Presidential Election. Moonshot produced weekly threat trend reports that informed ADL’s direct outreach to state and local election security officials, and also ran nationwide Redirect Method campaigns to provide users demonstrating interest in extremist violence with credible alternative content.[7]p.4
By Moonshot's definitions in the study, far-right extremism includes
Pondering the security of elections
Requesting transparency of vaccines
Debating the evidence of vaccine effectiveness
Any association with the Proud Boys, which have a lower or equal crime rate per member than the national average
Curiosity with "anti-government" conspiracies
The number of indicators (instances of users being redirected to certain sites or blocked from certain sites) from September to December of 2020 reached 125,000. Moonshot neglected to elaborate what the group's methodology and definitions were for data collection. We only know that to target and categorize people into online cohorts, the CVE uses a database of over 40,000 indicators.
"…our Redirect campaign was responding to real-world events, sometimes within hours, in order to safeguard the online space.”
Moonshot. "From Shitposting to Sedition." (2021).