TERROR ON THE INTERNET The New Arena, The New Challenges

THE AUTHOR: GABRIEL WEIMANN

Professor of Communication at Haifa

University

Research interests: media effects, modern

terrorism, and mass media

Six publications; three of which are about

terrorism

Has taught at many universities,

including Upenn, Standford, Hofstra, and

Lehigh

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Who are the terrorists of the internet?

How do terrorists use the internet?

What rhetorical devices do terrorists web sites

use?

Who are the target audiences of terrorist sites

What counterterrorism measures are in place on

the Internet, and how successful are they?

What are the costs of such measures in terms of

privacy and freedom of expression?

DEFINITION OF TERRORISM

“… Terrorism is an ethereal philosophy,

and terrorist actors engage in terrorism

for a variety of purposes…”

“… is a tactic, not a palpable foe or group,

not even a political or ideological

category…”

“… without terror induced by the

terrorists, there can be no terrorism. Fear,

therefore, is a key element in terrorism.”

IDENTIFYING TERRORISM‟S HALLMARKS

Premeditated – planned and prepared in advance

rather than an impulsive outburst of rage.

Political – designed to change the existing

political order– and not criminal.

Directed at civilians– not at troops or other

military targets

Perpetrated by sub national groups rather than

by the army of a state.

Paul Pillar, Deputy Chief of the CIA

counterterrorist Center

ACTS OF TERROR: KEY ELEMENTS

Use of violence

Symbolic choice of victims

Performance by an organization

Operational seriality

Advance planning

Absence of moral restraint

Political motivation

Use of fear and anxiety

Political Terrorism Alex P. Schmid, Albert

Johnston

HOW MODERN TERRORISM AND THE

INTERNET MET

Internet: 1970s, „packets‟, network of computer

networks

“ With the enormous growth in the size and use

of the network, utopian visions of the promise of

the internet were challenged by the proliferation

of pornographic and violent content on the Web

and by the use of the internet by extremists

organizations of various kinds”

TERRORISM IN MODERNITY

“ It is less central, less structured, less organized,

and less local, yet it is much more dangeroua

than the terrorism of the pre-2000 era.

Deterritorialization (interstate) in nature

Absence of state sponsorship

Hybrid of political and religious fanatic character

Ability to mutate rapidly according to

circumstances

Pragmatic

Enormous killing power (compared to Cold war)

OLD TERRORISM VS. NEW TERRORISM

more global and intended to “export”

conflict and widen the threat in

order to challenge the world order

secular vs. fundamentalist

nationalist and state related vs.

more transnational and global

Not interested in death/injury but

rather psychological victimization on

a wider public (violence v. attention)

OLD TERRORISM VS. NEW TERRORISM

international in the sense of collaboration and solidarity among various groups and organizations vs. terms of scope of the “target”

Directed messages to specific target populations defined by location vs. global communities

Based on structured organizations vs. loosely knit networks lacking hierarchical structures.

INTERACTIVITY

Ability to connect with millions of people who

share attitudes, values, and ideas

Cyberspace is interactive: users can choose what

information they receive and send

Communities maintain and reinforce their

identity in new and compelling ways.

Anthems, Legends, genealogies, histories,

photographs, manuscripts, and other propaganda

can be protected, distributed, and accessed

Internet as a channel of of communication

linking terrorists and their follwers

Internet can be attacked (cyberterrorism)

WHY THE INTERNET IS A GOOD „ARENA‟

Easy access

Little to no regulation

Potentially large audience

Anonymity

Fast flow of information

Inexpensive to develop and maintain a website

Multimedia environment

PSYCHOLOGICAL TERROR

Relies on mass media: panic produced by

broadcast

Four target audiences: supporters of

organization, population that organization

serves, the enemy, international public opinion

“terror attacks on New York heightened

American‟s fear of more terrorism to come and …

that they might become victims. This effect was

not lost on bin Laden and his associates.”

“America, full of fear from north to south, from

west to east. Thank God for that” - OBL

MUNICH 1972

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEy5OOS1eAI

“ … We knew that the people in England and

America would switch their sets from any

program about the plight of the Palestinians if

there was a sporting event on another channel…

So we decided to use their Olympics to make the

world pay attention to us. … Nobody could ignore

the Palestinians or their cause.”

800 million viewers

MOSCOW 2002, NEW YORK 2001

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db_LK6wyAH

Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVhhu5OjMf8

“terrorists engage in recurrent rhetorical forms

that force the media to provide the access without

which terrorism could not fulfill its objectives.”

Terrorists who loathed pop-culture turned

Hollywood horror into real life hell

Bright day light = spectacular footage

EXAMPLES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TERRORISM

Anthrax 2001-2002

OBL video recordings

Daniel Pearl

Sawt al- Jihad (al Qaeda magazine)

Riyadh Wills reading

Hamas weapons in civilian areas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFl51__Q9Gc

MODERN DAY TERRORISTS

Middle East:

Hamas (Gaza)

Hezbollah (Lebanon)

Al-Aqsa (Jerusalem)

Fatah Tanzim (West Bank)

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Gaza)

Kurdish Workers Party, Popular Democratic

Liberation Front, Great East Islamic Raiders Front

(Turkey)

MODERN DAY TERRORISTS

Europe

Basque ETA Movement (Western Pyrenees)

Armata Corsa (Corsica)

Real Irish Republican Army (Ireland)

Latin America

Tupac-Amaru (Puru)

Columbian National Liberation Army ( Columbia)

Zapatista National Liberation Army (Mexico)

Asia

Red Army (Japan)

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Sri Lanka)

Rebel Movement (Chechnya)

MODERN TERRORISTS AND TECHNOLOGY

Significant redirection of resources by

organizations that have adapted to the digital

age

Websites include: info about leaders, founders,

ideological aims, news bulletins and updates,

social and political background, notable activities

in past, current and future plans.

Most avoid references on their own sites to own

violence ( except Hamas, Hezbollah and al-

Zarqawi)

Dead Martyr counter

Killed enemies, collaborators

MODERN TERRORISTS AND TECHNOLOGY

Highlight freedom if expression and political

prisoners

Terrorists aim at Western audiences who are

sympathetic and sensitive to the norms of FoE

“Non-violent political group” embarrass the

governments against which they are struggling.

RHETORICAL TACTICS

Displacement of responsibility

Diffusion of responsibility

Dehumanization of targets

Use of euphemistic language

Making advantageous comparisons

Distortion of sequence of events

Attribution of blame

INSTRUMENTAL USES OF INTERNET

Data mining

Networking

Recruitment

Mobilization

Instructions

Online manuals

Planning and coordination

Fund-raising

HOW REAL IS THE THREAT

“Tomorrows Terrorist may be able to do more

damage with a keyboard than with a bomb”

National Research Council

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICgpAkddfFY

Attacks against the internet increase at an

annual rate above 60%

Average business will experience 32 break ins a

week

APPEAL

Cheaper

All you need is public access; spread viruses and damage infrastructure using a library computer

Anonymity

Anon handles, „guest user‟

Number of Targets

Who doesn’t use the internet?

Launched from a distance

Less physical training, psychological investment, risk of death or capture

Potential to harm greater number of people

Thus, generating greater media coverage

If [x] then the terrorists have won!

HACKERS VS. HACKTIVIVISTS VS.

TERRORISTS

Hacker: No political agenda, Thrill-seekers,

“script kiddies”, “cyber-joyriders”

Hacktivist: hacking with political agenda.

Virtual blockades

Generate traffic, shut down site

E-mail attacks

Ping-attacks

Hacking and computer break-ins

Computer viruses and worms

Do not want to kill, maim, or terrorize; want to

protest and disrupt

Blurred, esp. when terrorists hire hacktivists

EXAMPLES OF CYBER TERRORISM

Attack on financial system: attack on computer

system of banks, stock exchange; loss of

confidence in economic system

ATC: cause two large CivAv planes to collide.

Can also control train and metro systems

Pharma manufactures: Change formulas for

medications, thus rendering them life-

threatening

Energy Systems: change pressure in gas lines

and cause valve failures or failures of Electrical

grid