Noticing
The internet offers an unregulated and unrestricted space where terrorists can craft and disseminate propaganda to a target audience. The internet offers many websites and social media platforms through which terrorist organizations can reach out to recruits and involve them in their heinous activities (Lieberman, 2017). For example, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) is currently the terrorist organization that produces the most current and sophisticated propaganda online. By using a sophisticated online media presence, ISIS has established a caliphate and recruited masses of young people. Often, ISIS releases long and short films depicting its members fighting the perceived enemies. The organization uses high-tech production methods, akin to the one used in Hollywood movies. These films portray various materials such as gruesome murders of the enemies and posts and pictures portraying recruits and followers enjoying their time. This terrorist propaganda, which is usually displayed over social media, seeks to lure more youths into joining the organizations by portraying the followers as heroes (White, 2020). However, this kind of propaganda fails to display the harsh realities of life as a terrorist and the atrocities that such organizations perpetrate on innocent followers.
Articulating a Problem and its Details
Propaganda can be an effective tool used to win the hearts and minds of the masses. On the flip side, propaganda can cause unprecedented consequences (blowback) on civilians. The increased use of the internet currently heightens the potential that propaganda may cause a blowback. In the 21 st century, propaganda is used in the political arena to promote war (Al- Damani & Amor, 2020). Currently, terrorists do not have to rely on offline media platforms to spread their propaganda. Instead, terrorists and the organizations they work for have established a strong presence on social media platforms. Terrorists use these internet-based platforms to promote their propaganda and win more followers.
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The internet has greatly revolutionized the functioning of terrorist organizations. Terrorists use the internet to perform most of the activities initially carried out on offline platforms (White, 2020). Essentially, technology has become a strategic factor that enables terrorists to achieve their purposes, such as recruitment, financing, propaganda, training, incitement, and gathering and disseminating information regarding terrorist activities.
Propaganda is among the major ways in which terrorists disseminate information to the public. Propaganda is usually disseminated through multimedia communication platforms that offer ideological and practical instructions, explanations, justifications, and promotes terrorism (Altheide, 2007). These multimedia platforms include presentations, virtual messages, magazines, video and audio files, and video games. The dissemination of propaganda is supported by international law, which offers every human being the freedom of expression. As such, terrorist organizations are allowed to share opinions and distribute content opposed by certain sections of the population.
Terrorist organizations also use the internet to get recruits. In this case, the internet is used to develop relationships and seek support from the target audience. Due to the anonymous nature of social media platforms and their ability to hide information from the public, terrorist organizations can easily carry out clandestine recruitments on these platforms (United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, 2012). Since social media platforms provide a global reach, terrorist organizations have the ability to reach out to a large pool of interested parties all over the world. Terrorist organizations also use technological barriers of entry to bar law enforcement groups from accessing these recruitment platforms.
The internet also offers terrorists a space to spread materials and content aimed at inciting the members of the public. For example, terrorists usually publish material while plotting executions and using explosives. Usually, law enforcement agencies develop counter-terrorism strategies seeking to prevent and deter acts of incitement to enhance national security and public order (White, 2020). Moreover, terrorist groups use the internet to facilitate radicalization among individuals interested in joining the groups. Radicalization is a process that involves indoctrination where individuals are turned into people who are ready to commit violent and aggressive acts by following extremist ideologies. Radicalization is usually facilitated by propaganda, which is communicated through social media platforms.
Terrorist organizations also use the internet to seek finances for their terrorist activities. Financing is achieved by seeking direct solicitation, exploiting online payment methods, e-commerce, and charity (Lieberman, 2017). Direct solicitation involves the use of websites and chat groups to seek donations from followers. Online payment methods, such as PayPal and Skype, make it easier to transfer funds through electronic means to terrorists. Legitimate charity organizations can be used to solicit funds, which are then diverted to these terrorist organizations.
Additionally, terrorist organizations use the internet space as training grounds for terrorist activities. For example, the audience receives manuals, audio files, video clips, and other instructional material on how to plan and execute acts of terrorism, use explosives, and join these organizations (Al- Damani & Amor, 2020). Essentially, the internet offers a virtual training camp used to share knowledge and information concerning acts of terrorism. The online space is also used to plan acts of terrorism since it supports remote communication among different parties. Besides, the internet is used to execute acts of terrorism by issuing threats that induce fear and anxiety among civilians.
Posing Fruitful Questions
To what degree does the internet facilitate acts of terrorism?
Are some internet-based platforms more effective in spreading terrorism propaganda than others?
Which activities can be used to prevent the propagation of terrorism propaganda on online platforms?
Identifying what is at Stake
The internet has greatly revolutionized terrorist activities. In the past, terrorist activities were conducted through face-to-face meetings. Currently, terrorist groups are exploiting the virtual space to carry out terrorist operations. The internet has essentially evolved as a dangerous tool used to spread terrorist propaganda over the internet (United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, 2012). For example, ISIS uses the internet space to spread propaganda using hostages in films and killing hostages on camera. Terrorist groups spread propaganda through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube every day. It is evident that terrorist groups exploit the internet space to reach out to their followers spread across the world. This, therefore, necessitates the development of counter-terrorism strategies that will address and thwart the operations of terrorist groups on social media platforms.
Recommendations
The use of the internet by terrorist organizations to facilitate their propaganda offers law enforcement agencies an opportunity to gather intelligence and thwart terrorist activities. Besides, the information gathered can be used in prosecuting terrorists. Besides, the activities of terrorist groups on internet-based platforms offer massive electronic data that can be used for counter-terrorism activities (Altheide, 2007). This information can, in turn, be used to detect, prevent, and deter terrorist activities on the internet. While considering this recommendation, intelligence teams should be wary of the sneaky nature of terrorist groups. Usually, these organizations do not have physical offices but operate from undisclosed locations. It is, therefore, difficult to thwart their activities completely.
Law enforcement agencies can also instigate online discussions seeking to discourage individuals from joining these groups. Through these discussions, members can be allowed to present opposing viewpoints and also engage in constructive debates. In such debates, individuals would openly discuss the causes of radicalization, such as social and political marginalization (United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, 2012). These issues are then addressed by law enforcement agencies, thus preventing recruits from joining terrorist groups. Such strategic communication should be availed in different languages to reach out to a diverse audience. While facilitating these discussions, it is necessary to be wary of on-looking terrorist groups that might develop different strategies to lure their victims into their organizations.
References
Al- Damani, A. M. & Amor, R. B. (2020). Using social media websites to promote terrorism issues: A study of site users’ sample. International Journal of Research- Granthaalayah. 8(5): 55-77. https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v8.i5.2020.62
Altheide, D. L. (2007). The mass media and terrorism. Discourse & Communication. 1(3): 287-308. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750481307079207
Lieberman, A. V. (2017). Terrorism, the internet, and propaganda: A deadly combination. Journal of National Security Law & Policy. 9: 95-124.
United Nations Office on Drug and Crime. (2012). The use of the internet for terrorist purposes. New York. https://www.unodc.org/documents/frontpage/Use_of_Internet_for_Terrorist_Purposes.pdf
White, J. (2020). Terrorism and the mass media. London: Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.
