(New York City) The number of homophobic and other hate sites on the internet is increasing at an alarming rate a report released Monday by an international human rights organization says.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center has kept track of hate sites on the net for the past nine years. Its most recent report details more 200 of about 4,000 online hate sites it monitors.
The Digital Terrorism and Hate report describes a "a small but virulent subculture of hate within the burgeoning billions of available online pages."
Some of the sites advocate killing gays. Others deny the Holocaust. And, still others provide online games that allow children to "shoot" illegal immigrants, Jews and blacks.
The number of sites promoting terrorist recruitment and urging young people to join "holy wars" and become suicide bombers has also increased over the past 12 months.
In releasing the 2004 report, Mark Weitzman, director of the center's Task Force Against Hate said that some of the most troubling sites are those that appear to be educational, like a Martin Luther King Jr. website that is actually run by a racist organization. Such sites could fool schoolchildren doing research, Miller said.
Other sites run by extremist organizations like Rev. Fred Phelp's GodHatesFags.com use inflammatory language that violates hate crime laws in some countries.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center uses the report to help inform parents, teachers, public officials and law enforcement.
The intent is not to interfere with free speech and shut down the sites, said Mark Weitzman, director of the center's Task Force Against Hate. "This is for public awareness," he said.
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