Internet and Terrorism

Internet and Terrorism The 21st century has seen exponential growth regarding technological advancements and the use to which technology may be put. One of the areas in which this growth has been experienced is in the area of social media use. In this paper, there will be a discussion of how terrorists have made use of advances in technology. Of particular interest in this respect will be the use to which terrorists have put social media in recruiting followers and launching attacks.

Further, the paper will explore how technology has also afforded terrorists with the opportunity to create powerful and destructive weapons, and the additional threats that advance in technology have posed. Lastly, there will be an examination of some of the measures that may be put in place to combat the upcoming threats.

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How Terrorist Groups are Using Social Media Terrorist groups, like everyone else who is living in the 21st century, have found social media to be an effective tool for reaching out to wide audiences that may be located in diverse states. As the aim of social media is to connect people across borders, it is becoming increasingly clear that terrorist groups are also using this tool for that purpose to spread and gain supporters for their agendas. For the most part, these groups use social media to recruit, radicalize their recruits and to raise funds to support their activities (Telegraph Reporters, 2014). What is more, the use of social media by terrorists has also been made easier as they can now use encryption tools to hide their identities, where, initially, only government agencies had access to such tools.

An example of how terrorists use social media is how Isis uses twitter to post tweets and YouTube to post videos of their activities. These tweets and videos are after that picked up by ordinary social media users and are then shared widely for the consumption of the rest of the world (Telegraph Reporters, 2014). Through social media, therefore, terrorists also find an avenue through which they can employ the assistance of non-recruits, who unwittingly spread their message for them. On the other hand, Al-Qaida uses the social media to create dark spaces in which they can meet and to distribute their material anonymously (Telegraph Reporters, 2014). In addition to this, terrorist groups also use the social media as an avenue for teaching their recruits the skills that they may use for terrorist actions such as bombings (Stewart, 2017).

For example, it is relatively easy to find manuals posted online, describing the detailed steps that a recruit may take to prepare a bomb and carry out their bombing attack.

How Technological Advancements Aid Terrorism Technological advancements may be used to advance the cause of terrorists by providing them with additional tools which they may use for outmaneuvering counterintelligence efforts

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and even launch new kinds of attacks. For instance, one of the advances in technology that have aided terrorists in finding new and more creative ways of launching attacks includes miniaturized electronics and infrared beams, which have allowed terrorists to find ways of devising bombs that are not easily detectable and which can even be snuck onto planes and other public transport systems (Stewart, 2017). Furthermore, technological advances, especially about the internet, have also created ample opportunities through which terrorists can plan successful attacks using the information that is made readily available online.

For instance, the information that is accessible from the internet is put to use in the planning phase of the attacks. During this phase, the terrorists are usually seeking to identify the targets with the highest likelihood of casualties, and online information about the population of given areas at given times of the day may prove useful to them in this regard (Stewart, 2017).

Also, this information provides a way for the terrorists to carry out their logistics and to better organize their attacks. As technology becomes more advanced, terrorist groups take advantage of it for planning, strategizing and launching highly destructive and successful attacks.

Assessment of the Threats of Future Technologies and Ways Countering the Threats Some of the threats that are readily apparent from this discussion are that terrorists may keep on taking advantage of advances in technology to avoid the detection of security forces. As it has been discussed, some of this technology allows terrorists to hide their identities, thereby giving them the opportunity to plan for and launch attacks incognito. What is more, there is also the threat of using technology to devise worse weapons than there already are to ensure that attacks result in the highest numbers of casualties possible. For instance, nuclear and biotechnology are already tools that are being used to create weapons that may prove highly destructive if made accessible to terrorists.

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Lastly, the way in which recruits are being convinced to join the ranks of terrorists and to assist them in carrying out their agendas is also a threat that may continue to work in favor of terrorist groups. If terrorist groups can recruit more foot soldiers to carry out their work without their direct involvement, this would mean that they are still able to achieve their objectives without having to come within the territories of the attacks. This may prove a dangerous reality as it will significantly frustrate the efforts of counterintelligence organizations to capture terrorists.

It is worth noting that technological advancements do not only favor terrorist groups.

Advances in technology are also used by counterintelligence agencies to identify and prevent possible terrorist attacks. For example, tools such as body scanners, explosive trace detectors, xray machines, and CT scanners have been highly useful in helping security agencies to not only identify but also abort potential attacks (Stewart, 2017). Furthermore, some commentators have suggested that technology may be used to search for and to identify patterns in communication between terrorist groups and their followers.

Therefore, by identifying the exchanges that usually take place in the build up to a terrorist attack, it may be possible to identify when and where an attack may take place and to put in place the necessary measures to avoid the same (Prentice, 2016). In connection to this, text analysis software has also been used to show that there may be a divergence of styles of speech between terrorist group leaders as they come closer to the date of a planned attack (Prentice, 2016). What is more, some research has also been conducted on how investigation on the patterns of various social media users may indicate whether or not they are likely to be recruited and to become followers of some terrorist group.

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Also, some offline techniques have been discussed which may enable security groups to spot and take appropriate measures to stop a potential terrorist attack. For example, in 2002, researches in the United States conducted research which was aimed at using thermal imaging technology to show the change in thermal patterns around the eyes of an individual when they were deceptive (Prentice, 2016). It was suggested that this kind of technology could be made available at airports for adding a layer of security when scanning passengers.

Conclusion In conclusion, technology has both its positive and negative sides. One of the positive sides, especially about the fight against terrorism is that it allows security agencies to combat terrorism by developing new tools, machines, and weapons that may allow agents to identify and prevent attacks. However, the paper has also discussed many of how technology is being used by terrorists to further their agendas. For instance, social media has been shown to be a formidable tool though which terrorists can rally support and even recruit foot soldiers to carry out their missions on their behalf. Also, technology has been shown to have given rise to more dangerous weapons (weapons of mass destruction), which may be used by terrorists to bring more devastation to innocent victims. On the whole, it would seem that even though technology may be put to nefarious uses, whether or not terrorists succeed in doing so also depends on whether or not intelligence organizations are keen to employ the most recent technology in detecting and foiling the plans of terrorist groups to carry out attacks.

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Telegraph Reporters. (2014, November 4). How terrorists are using social media. The Telegraph.

Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11207681/ How-terrorists-are-using-social-media.html Stewart, S. (2015, May 25). What drives terrorism Part 4: Technology. Worldview. Retrieved from https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/what-drives-terrorism-part-4-technology Prentice, S. (2016, June 21). How technology could help predict terrorist attacks. The Conversation. [Weblog]. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/how-technologycould-help-predict-terrorist-attacks-61113