Tumblr, the microblogging platform that is a repository of cat memes, bohemian fashion trends, and esoteric rap quotes, also stores detailed instructions on how to aid the self-declared Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Sometimes, months will pass before Tumblr becomes aware of an ISIS account and suspends the user.
One official ISIS Tumblr account, which posted extensive information on how to fund ISIS or host a fighter in one’s home, remained on Tumblr for at least three months.
According to the Internet Archive, this ISIS Tumblr account existed at least as early as May. In June, Tom Marshall, a Tumblr user, came across the account and reported it to Tumblr as a “propaganda blog for the Islamic State inciting violence and illegal activity.”
Tumblr acknowledged it received his email. But the blog remained online. In July, Marshall followed up with Tumblr via email. Tumblr removed the ISIS blog a few weeks later.
A map of where ISIS recruits have been arrested in the United States. The map shows 71 arrests. At least 56 people were arrested in 2015, the largest number of terror-related arrests since September 11. (George Washington University)
