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Extremism on the Internet

Extremism on the Internet. Ghaffar Hussain Counter Terror Expo (29-30 April 2014) Olympia, London. Objectives. How are Islamist extremists using the internet? What does the radicalisation process look like and what role does the internet play?

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Extremism on the Internet

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  1. Extremism on the Internet GhaffarHussain Counter Terror Expo (29-30 April 2014) Olympia, London

  2. Objectives • How are Islamist extremists using the internet? • What does the radicalisation process look like and what role does the internet play? • What form is counter-extremism and counter-radicalisation currently taking? • Moving forward what is the best way to tackle extremism online?

  3. Islamist Extremists’ Online Usage • Mapping the usage of over 30 Islamist extremist groups networking online in English and French: • Less focus on static websites • Increased usage of active online tools: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube all can be interlinked • Official chat rooms less important – unofficial networks • Decentralised actors  not centralised leaders • Issues of authentication

  4. Islamist Extremists’ Online Usage • Online Islamist extremist content, particularly videos, has three primary themes/purposes • Education: Teaching an extremist version of religious teachings, justifying violent jihad • Self v. Other: Developing a narrative that solidifies differences between Muslims and ‘others’ serving to justify why negative targeting of the ‘other’ is justified • Martyrdom: Supporting the idea of martyrdom as a good goal as well as making celebrities of individuals extremist groups target as ‘martyrs’ (e.g. muslimprisoners.com)

  5. The Radicalisation Process • Individuals are NOT radicalising in an online vacuum • Basic extremism-related search results rarely, if ever, produce links to pro-extremist content • Preconditioning is needed: ‘First spark’ happens elsewhere • Schools • Prisons • Mosques • Media

  6. Debunking Lone Wolf Theories • Only 2% of convicted terrorist plots/action are considered ‘lone wolves’ • Islamist extremist ‘lone wolves’ are NOT radicalised in a vacuum online • Looking at all Islamist ‘lone wolf’ cases in the UK and France almost all of them have external factors and/or a veil of mystery surrounds them • Issues of mental illness and/or addiction

  7. The Role of the Internet • The role the internet plays in the radicalisation process takes 3 primary forms: • Education: Discussed previously – teaching a radicalised version of Islam • Indoctrination: Convincing an individual of a particular narrative which supports the establishing of a Caliphate, us versus them, and violent jihad • Socialisation: Building an online world where the radicalised ideology has its own social circles, education platforms and media. Online world can become more important than offline to radicalising individual.

  8. Countering Online Extremism • Negative Measures • Forms including: filtering, censoring, IP & proxy filtering, blocking... • Pro: • They can take down certain sites or contents that have illegal materials and temporarily disrupt extremist efforts • Con: • Material is harder to target if hosted elsewhere • Even blocked/filtered material can be retrieved by other means • Negative measures only target static material (not the main radicalising grounds) • Blocked material is often useful for researchers/counter-terrorists • There are large moral/value-based dilemmas associated with governments defining ‘extremism’

  9. Countering Online Extremism • Positive Measures • There are certain online initiatives trying to counter extremism online: • US Government initiatives using Twitter • Counter-extremist sites promoting their work online • Some religious centres/organisations against extremism • In theory positive measures are the best way forward countering extremism. However these measures are currently not reaching their full potential: • Sites are not gaining enough traffic • Organisations often focus on offline efforts which are not mirrored online • There are not enough counter-extremist online activists (need to increase the quantity)

  10. Moving Forward • There is great scope for public, private and third sector organisations to work together and share knowledge. The government should debrief companies such as Google and YouTube about their concerns and perceived threats so that requests to block or censor are understood better. • Facilitating community groups, counter-extremist messengers and organisations dealing with the youth to create their own online content and engage within the online sphere.

  11. Moving Forward • Mass filtering and censoring based on ‘extremism’ should not occur, if not for the simple reason that defining ‘extreme’ is highly subjective and flawed. We need to also keep the marketplace of ideas open to opinions we disagree with since we live, after all, in a democracy. • Government should be the legal enforcers of pre-existing terrorism laws. Obviously if there is content that goes distinctly against the law that can be dealt with strategically by the government.

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