Facing a ban from mainstream online social networks Facebook and Twitter, supporters of the Islamic State appear to have launched their own “caliphate book.”
But 5elafabook.com was offline on Monday just a day after its launch and its Twitter account was suspended, highlighting the challenges faced by backers of the ultra-violent militants based in Iraq and Syria in spreading their message and recruiting online.
The amateur page showed a map of the world dotted with Islamic State’s trademark Arabic insignia and was crafted by Socialkit, a program that lets users produce do-it-yourself social networks.
It was unclear who created the site or how many members it attracted. A banner message in its current form said it had temporarily suspended operations to “protect the information and details of its members and their safety.”
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