Apple TV + receives a new limited series, the company Announced yesterday, which is based on an undercover investigator who infiltrates online hate groups to prevent violent attacks and mass shootings.
“The Savant” will have eight episodes and stars Jessica Chastain. The show is inspired by the true story published in 2019 by Cosmopolitan writer Andrea Stanley, who will consult on the Apple TV+ series.
A release date has not yet been announced.
Stanley’s article, “Is It Possible to Stop a Mass Shooting Before It Happens?” it’s one that will send shivers down your spine. But that’s probably a familiar sentiment by now. Many of us are already aware of the massive influx of hate speech on the internet.
“The chase to catch the bad guy? Oh man, that feels good,” he told Stanley K, the anonymous researcher going by the alias “The Savant.”
The nickname comes from K’s great ability to track down hateful men online and determine if/when they will transition from trolling misogynists, white supremacists, or other extremists hiding behind computer screens to terrifying, violent killers.
According to the article, K has reported tons of violent men to the FBI, including Michael Finton, a 29-year-old who posted disturbing videos of Islamic extremists on Myspace and would later attempt to bomb the Paul Findley Federal Building in Springfield. Illinois.
Other than his profession, not much else is known about K, except that he joined the Marine Corps after graduating high school, has a bachelor’s degree in justice and public safety, and studied rapists and murderers while working for a state agency that reinvestigates capital. – Murder cases. K eventually applied for a job with the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) monitoring hate groups online.
Apple did not share in its press release how similar the series will be to the Cosmopolitan story.
“Story and character details are being kept under wraps,” the company wrote in the announcement.
Hate, misinformation, and online bullying have been circulating on the internet for quite some time. In 2018, the ADL found that 37% of Americans were subjected to extreme hate online.
And while the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 prompted tech companies like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to promote policies to identify and remove harmful content, reports continue to emerge about major social media platforms failing to stop hate online.
Lately, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has come under fire after restoring problematic accounts, including neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin (@WorldWarWang), and his general indulgence towards toxic internet culture.
Earlier this month, YouTube updated its profanity rules, which are more relaxed about the use of strong language. The platform also lifted Trump’s YouTube channel.
