Internal FBI documents reveal that the agency has started labeling terms like “based” and “red-pilled”—common internet slang—as indicators of “violent extremism,” according to a new report by the New York Post.
The documents were obtained by a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the Heritage Foundation. They show the agency has glossaries that flag the terms as a sign that the user may be associated with “Involuntary Celibate Violent Extremism” or “Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism.” The documents say that “While most incels do not engage in violence,” some have been involved in “at least five lethal attacks in the United States and Canada.”
The attempt to tie these terms, “based” and “red-pilled,” to violent extremism is baseless. Here’s where they actually come from.
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