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WorldMags.net And it will inevitably be disrupted by a third global terrorist group. Let’s call it 3.0. To understand how 3.0 may evolve, we need to explore the emerging technologies. Just as Daesh ruthlessly exploited Twitter, t h i s n ex t g ro u p w i l l i n e v i ta b l y ta k e propaganda to the next level by jumping on innovations in the digital space. Among these is psychographic targeting, a form of bespoke advertising designed to appeal to an individual’s personal psychology and seen by many as the most powerful development in politics for decades. Psychographic targeting was used by US- and UK-based data-mining company Cambridge Analytica in support of the Trump presidential campaign in the US and the Leave side in the UK’s EU referendum, both in 2016. Millions of potential voters received personalised adverts designed to trigger emotive responses and push up turnouts. Within a few years, these capabilities will be available to the average user, as dozens of companies enter the psychographic targeting game. A new global terrorist group will inevitably harness this technology in a bid to capture the hearts and minds of millions of potential sympathisers. Supercharged by artificial intelligence, new platforms will allow the speedy creation of bespoke, personalised adverts and messages. Simply upload your key messages and the platforms will create content uniquely tailored to each individual. The potential power of psychographic targeting for terrorist groups is significant. The inevitable (and ironic) consequence of these developments is clear: power and influence will belong to world-class storytellers. Both al-Qaeda and Daesh excel at storytelling – communicating a narrative that inspires thousands around the world. By using artificial intelligence, psychographic data and billions of online posts, those who can lucidly package all of this data into a rich and compelling narrative will amass global political influence and power far greater than Daesh’s current reach. The good news is that we are already starting to fight back. In the US, there is a small but growing community of researchers who
TURING TESTS – Bletchley Park, where Alan Turing and others cracked the Enigma code during the second world war, will become the home of the National College of Cyber Security in 2018. Talented 16- to 19-year-olds will be trained to protect the UK from digital threats. Amit Katwala
understand the threat of hyper-charged psychological warfare. These people have lobbied the US government for more resources for what is known as “cognitive security”, highlighting that “in the future, researchers, governments, social platforms and private actors will be engaged in a continual arms race to influence – and protect from influence – large groups of users online”. Today, drones are circling over another town: the Syrian city of Raqqa now finds itself at the centre of a global manhunt. In 2018, many of Daesh’s leaders will be killed or captured. From Tehran to Moscow and Washington DC, the victors will proclaim that evil has been defeated and peace has prevailed. But the reality is that many of Daesh’s youngest and most talented propagandists have already left the war zone. In today’s world, however, they are far more dangerous of the battlefield than on it.
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