Rather than bringing the world together in peace and harmony, social notworking sites are helping militant and hate groups grow.

A report by the Simon Wiesenthal centre, which was named after the late Nazi hunter , found that more than 11,500 social networks, websites, forums and blogs promoting violence, anti-Semitism, homophobia, hate music and "terrorism," had grown by 20 percent over last year.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the centre's associate dean who has been researching hate on the Internet since 1995 said that the increase should be taken as “a low ball figure."

Extremists also were heavily promoting online the idea of operating as so-called "lone wolves" rather than as part of a group, the human rights group said. Cooper told a news conference examples of hate on the Internet included videos of extremists appealing for recruits and showing how to make improvised explosive devices.

The definition of racism included hassling ginger people for their red hair, but failed to include a complete disgust of the whole of Westlife.