Activist created a program that automates the search for "extremists" in social networks

The creators of the project for monitoring social networks with the Hitchcock name “Demon of Laplace” appeal to the experiment mathematics Pierre-Simon Laplace-knowing the state of the system, you can predict the future. If you remove the excess pathos, the demonic in more resembles the car by mass mailing of denunciations.

In February, the leader of the rock group “Instructions for Survival”, Roman Nepereev, was invited to a conversation in the Pskov department to counteract extremism. On the musician’s page was found a video “Muslims where you are! The sold wings of jihada ”, which since September 2015 has been listed in the federal list of extremist materials. The authorities showed interest in finding, having studied the application received.

At a full -time meeting with the inexorage, the operative of the Center “E” said that the author of the electronic circulation received in the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was Evgeny Venediktov, the head of a certain ANO “Center for the Studies of Legitimality and Political Protest”. The circulation reported that the center is engaged in the 24 -hour monitoring of the network, and the Demon Laplace system helps employees in this case. In the end, Evgeny Venediktov asked for a check against Roman Nepomoev and another 96 residents of the Pskov region in order to hold the perpetrators liable.

The press service of the Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Pskov region of Novye confirmed that they received 97 statements and even took measures. “The 49 facts are conducted by an administrative investigation,” the department said. “Information on 29 facts was sent to Roskomnadzor to make a decision on their blocking.”

Create a demon

The head of the Center Evgeny Venediktov did not immediately come to the “Demon of Laplace”. He graduated from the faculty of political science. He began his career in Novgorod in the Triad television company, where he conducted the Crime Environment program. “He traveled to the unrecognized republics of“ DPR ”and“ LPR ”, and was engaged in organizing humanitarian assistance,” the Novgorod media reports about him. At one time he served as deputy coordinator of the Moscow branch of the LDPR. Another employee of the Center is also related to the Zhirinovsky party - Roman Protasov, who participated in the elections in the Moscow City Duma from this party. However, the head of the center denies any party science of the Laplace Demon.

Venediktov says: the idea to engage in the monitoring of social networks appeared after a trip to the Maidan to Kyiv in 2014, where he was looking for a “mobilization factor in people's exit” and seriously decided that they became nothing more than a Twitter account by journalist Mustafa Nayim.

“It became interesting: is it possible to fix such messages in social networks and the reaction of the audience in real time in real time? He continues. “We concluded that forecasting protests is possible on the basis of a statistical data collection from communities.” Venediktov claims that his “non -trivial” conclusion anticipated the study of scientists from the University of Miami. True, he himself clarifies that American researchers were versed in how to predict terrorist attacks, and not protests.

In an interview with Novaya Gazeta correspondent, Yevgeny Venediktov told how and why his project works.

- How many employees of the center are involved in the work on the Laplace Demon project to search for extremist content?

- At the end of last year, from 2 to 7 people at different times worked on the project. The demon of Laplace consists of more than 20 programs combined into a single software complex.

- What is the project of the budget?

- “Demon of Laplace” is not a startup and not working out grants. The amount spent on the creation, we did not count and do not give a report on this occasion: we did not take any money to create a program.

- How is the work built?

-We collect lists of extremist publications with binding to each city and send them in a general manner through Internet reception prosecutors and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Sometimes we duplicate reports on several instances, because far from all regions they react to messages.

- Where and when specifically were appeals?

- To the police, the prosecutor's office and the committees of the national policy of the regions. In the IV quarter of 2016 alone, we discovered more than 10 thousand extremist publications in 10 regions of the country. We do not qualify them under the articles, but state the fact of publication. There are many appeals: Central Russia and the North Caucasus, the North-West of the country, Siberia and the south. We are not conducting statistics on holding to justice - this is the case of the police.

- Was the appeal against Roman Nepereev?

- We sent a list of extremist publications in Pskov, and the Negoroev account was on the list of 71. I will not say that I am familiar with the work of Roman Nepomoeva personally, but the news of his attraction under the article on extremism became an unpleasant and unpleasant surprise for us. For some reason, I am sure that the video was on his page on the social network even before it was recognized as an extremist court-this is a frequent phenomenon in Russian networks, because users do not monitor the change in the list of extremist publications. And to judge by the criminal article for the publication of a single video- I consider it a violation of the principle of rationality. Another thing is when there are hundreds of such publications in one account. I hope the criminal case will not be instituted. Apparently, therefore, the case is Neravoev and was transferred to the district police officer, and not to the RF IC.

- In 2015, the center claimed to receive budget support in the form of a grant. Are you counting on her now?

- Grants did not give us. There is no state support. We do not expect help from anyone. There are no contracts with law enforcement agencies.

- What do you see the mission of the "Demon of Laplace"?

- I would like to clear social networks of propaganda of hatred and enmity. The meaning embedded in the name is simple - to know what is happening, it would be and will be, as the character of the thought experiment of Pierre Simon Laplace should know.

- Where do you see the line between the “propaganda of hatred and enmity” and critical statements? Do you think that your actions limit freedom of speech?

- Each conducts the line between extremism and criticism for himself. We consider those who are already prohibited by the courts in Russia illegal. The examination of such videos is beyond our statutory purposes. Freedom of speech and media ends where the personal rights of another person begin.

- You send requests to law enforcement agencies, people can be held accountable. Do not consider this to be reported?

- On March 5, we studied in detail accounts in the social networks of Akbar Jalilov - the alleged terrorist - suicide bomber, who exploded, according to the investigation, a charge in the St. Petersburg subway last Monday. If we sent data on all subscribers of this kind of community to the police, he might not have had time to close the contacts of the detonator, and in the St. Petersburg metro the victims would be avoided. I can’t understand for myself: is it denial or an attempt to save someone’s life?

Denunciation for a music lover

With reference to his client, the Agora lawyer Vitaly Cherkasov said: most likely, the video “Sold Wings of Jihad” appeared on the rock musician page several years ago. Inappropriately can not even remember when he shook and took the video to his page. “Roman said that the video attracted him as a musician, interested in the voice and presentation of the Chechen performer,” notes Vitaly Cherkasov.

According to Cherkasov, as a result of the audit, the employees did not see in the actions of the Criminal Criminal Criminal. Employees of the Center “E” transferred materials to the district police officer to draw up a protocol under an article on the production and distribution of extremist materials (20.29 Code of Administrative Offenses). Since then, police officers have not bothered the musician. “The term for bringing to administrative responsibility has expired,” Cherkasov commented.

Vitaly Cherkasov said Novaya Gazeta that it was first that it was found with similar “cars for denunciations”. “This is a surprise to the whole public that now such voluntary assistants have appeared,” he remarked.

Roman Negoroev looks at the situation easier: “This person helps special services to wool the Internet. Even if he says that these are good intentions, look where they are leaving in the end? "

Expert's opinion

According to Yuri Gubanov, the founder of Belkasoft, which is engaged in digital forensics, the creation of a software that is looking for materials in social networks for the set of ready -made links from the list of prohibited materials, simple work for the developer. More, about two months, could take the creation of a program for the search for prohibited content in the entire array of social networks. “There are two difficulties - processing a large volume of information and setting up a filter that will form a semantic search core and cut off the materials, regarding the discussion of prohibited topics without being prohibited content,” he notes.

According to Artem Kozlyuk, the head of the Roskomsvobod project, the organization regularly receives information about the prohibited content from enthusiasts, who "open the season of hunting for virtual witches, throwing the prosecutor's office and courts with numerous statements." Among the record holders on complaints are the safe Internet and cyber -zerodniki league, and of all social networks, complaints are most often written in relation to users in VKontakte. Increasingly, decisions based on complaints are made by automatic: courts, without unnecessary reflection, fulfill the will of the applicant, he remarks.

“Responsibility lies with the conscience of the prosecutor's office and courts,” emphasizes Kozlyuk. - All citizens have the right to apply to law enforcement agencies with statements. The company should not indicate that there are some renegades who are deprived of this right. Another thing is that there is a common trend - the fight against the Internet is beneficial to those who, instead of real cases, are easier to put a checkmark. ”

PS

According to Novaya Gazeta, Evgeny Venediktov leaves no attempt to find a niche for his product. In April, he stated that the center changed the direction of activity and is now on the verge of introducing a new methodology, within the framework of which they will “collect lists of adolescents under the age of 18, who are recipients of prohibited content.” What to do with lists, Venediktov has not yet decided.

“We have experience with similar data to the departments of education and the internal policy of the regions in order to prevent extremism among adolescents,” he notes.