As social media platforms reduce their content moderation teams, engagement with Islamic State (IS) linked content has risen, without any corresponding change in the group’s own moderation evasion tactics. In this article for 404 Media, Moustafa Ayad, author of “Coordinating Through Chaos: The State of the Islamic State Online in 2026“, explains how IS’s digital success over the last 10 years is largely driven by its willingness to experiment with their content. In 2026 so far, this has included talking about the Epstein files, AI videos of deceased leaders, and the recreation of old videos on video games like Roblox or Minecraft.

“They’re creating these virtual worlds that mimic the Islamic State’s caliphate, literally calling it something like Wilayat Roblox [the Province of Roblox] … and they’ll completely mimic the video styles of well-known Islamic State Videos using Roblox characters. This includes faux executions. It includes Arabic and English voiceover in the same cadence as an Islamic State narrator,” Moustafa—ISD’s Research Chair in Global Islamism & Counter-terrorism—told 404 Media.

“We’re not talking about content where there’s a gray area”, he said. “It’s very clearly branded Islamic State…supports violence, supports the killing of minorities, the celebration of bombings, the pillaging that is happening in Sub Saharan Africa”.

The full article is available on 404 Media.