Social networking service Facebook (FB) has shut down pages of suspicious groups selling heavy duty weaponry online. Through findings in a report, it has been revealed that the site had unknowingly hosted online "arms bazaars" promoting military grade weapons to small arms.
Following a comprehensive report published by the New York Times, six FB pages of suspicious groups were closed down by the company. On previous occasion, media reports indicated that FB banned the sale of ammunition and guns from taking place privately through the site.
According to the American publication, the online networking site's posts suggested large-scale military weapons often seen in the possession of militants being sold online. The publication claimed weapons promoted included those distributed by the United States to security personnel and American forces overseas.
In addition, the sighting of online bazaars as referred to by the publication have mushroomed in areas where the Islamic State has a strong following. The online FB pages run by secret groups act as a classified advertisement for the weapons, the publication reported.
Furthermore, it was reported that sales are negotiated after users or those in possession of the weapons post images online on FB. The firearms range from machine guns capable of being bolted to trucks and vehicles to anti-tank missiles, the publication reported.
When researching into FB groups was conducted, findings indicated that sellers sought buyers for infantry weapons and handguns. Rifles such as Kalashnikov assault rifles used by militant groups were those being predominantly promoted, the publication reported.
Furthermore, such online inquiries despite being conducted through private FB pages were in violation of the networking site's policies, the publication said quoting Monika Bickert, a former federal prosecutor. Bickert was responsible for developing and implementing the social media firm's content standards, the publication claimed.
The findings by the American publication were spurred by disclosures put forward initially by a private consultancy firm - Armament Research Services (ARS). The firm put forward a study titled, The Online Trade of Light Weapons in Libya. The findings trace the origins of arms trafficking taking place in Libya via social media.
The firm said in its study it documented an offer on FB to sell an SA-7 grip stock, a centerpiece of a man-portable anti-aircraft defense system. The study claimed such weapons were looted and raided from depots in the Libyan state in 2011.
The study by ARS documented more than 90 attempts of unmonitored or unregulated attempts to transfer heavy weaponry. The key means of communication being through Libyan FB groups since September 2014, the study claimed.
Watch a clip which discusses weapons being sold online: