EDTECH FOR EVIL: Debates rage whether technology can truly be neutral. Some argue that all tools are designed with assumptions, biases and ideologies of their creators in mind; others say it depends on a user’s intentions. But there is no question when it comes to this appalling use of education technology: ISIS has developed a nefarious app that aims to teach kids the Arabic alphabet using images of swords, guns, tanks and rockets and other violent terminology. The Android app is not available on the Google Play store but is distributed via ISIS’s communication channels.
First reported in The Long War Journal, this app is “littered with jihadist terminology” but is not the first time the terrorist militant group has attempted to spread propaganda through apps. Business Insider has more screenshots of pictures of automatic rifles used in arithmetic practice problems.
