So, we’ve used this tactic locally and it really comes down to how they use the video. One of the tactics our local nazis and a lot of similar groups count on is the ability to guide the narrative in the moment. They tell the audience what is going on off camera and then point it at people and let the power of suggestion do a lot of heavy lifting. A lot of that power is lost in a voice over where they can’t be pretend to be shocked by what is happening off camera. An added benefit is that if the video stays up, the use of silly pop music undermines a lot of their aura of power.
The other way they tend to use video is to catch an unsuspecting person at an action and use their stupid off guard answer to make the event look bad. They can’t do that if the audio is spoiled. The same tactic has been used in situations where a TV reporting crew is doing a slanted piece for years.
As for them using the tactic, they already do some similar stuff, but the most pernicious groups want their message out there and they want it in plausibly deniable, media friendly format. That keeps it from being particularly useful for them.
We need to be honest about our media landscape if we’re going to assess the risks of something like this. A cop has no need to do a media black out of this style. They can beat protesters freely without repercussions. Take the well known example of Officer Pike (UC Davis pepper spray case), he walked up and down a line of people committing his violence with a name tag and his mask off, on video. He got a workers comp settlement for the harm done to him by the publicity. Yes, these content ID systems are terrible, but if I can use them to not have to stand another guard duty at a friend’s house because it reduced the effectiveness of some nazis calls for targeted harassment, then I’m thrilled to use the power while I have it.
