Online Library

Radicalisation has gained some unusual prominence in the academic
circles; maintaining a generic existence not only in the political sector. And with the
advent of the Information Communication Technology (ICT), radicalisation has
begun to have some virtual dimension even in the remotest of human communities.
This study seeks to mobilise a universal awareness on the collective urgency to oppose
Online Radicalisation (a radicalisation that happens through the internet) due to its
propensity to engendering conflicts. It also aims at identifying the principal cause of
online radicalisation and steer a clear course for a practical reversal in the systems of
online radicalisation.

The jihadi movement paradigm, along with jihadi terrorism, has been transformed over the last decade into a new reality, since it entered our daily lives with the 9/11 attacks. This process of change was due largely to the strengthening of the caliphate movement, carried out by the Islamic State. It is no longer possible to understand jihadi terrorism, violent action and recruitment without look for the roots, new characters, models and new dimensions of a radicalization process that happens in a global society where the Internet functions as a key media channel in everyday communications. The next pages aim to understand an Informational Jihad Age, where the role of networked communication, through social media, is a main feature. Communication through the Internet plays a vector function for diffusion of general favorable content related with the caliphate movement, through multiple forms, including official magazines, propaganda videos and the presence of charismatic preachers online. In addition, it was also included in this research the analysis of unfavorable content, in the form of opinion or news content. Hence, it was conducted a Content Analysis in Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube using Crimson Hexagon software platform, that allowed the quantification and characterization of these contents between January 2012 and April 2017.

O paradigma do movimento jihadista, e com ele o terrorismo jihadista, evoluiu ao longo da última década para novos contornos, desde que entrou no nosso quotidiano com os ataques de 11 de setembro de 2001. Esse processo de mutação deveu-se em grande parte ao fortalecimento do movimento do califado, protagonizado pelo Estado Islâmico. Não é hoje possível perceber o terrorismo jihadista, a ação violenta e o recrutamento de jihadistas, sem compreender as raízes, os novos atores, modelos e dimensões de um processo de radicalização que acontece numa sociedade global, na qual a Internet se tornou um meio de comunicação quotidiano. As próximas páginas procuram compreender melhor essa “Era da Jihad Informacional”, onde a comunicação em rede, via redes sociais, é uma caraterística central. A comunicação através da Internet assume-se como um vetor de difusão generalizada de conteúdo favorável ao movimento do califado, assumindo múltiplas formas, entre as quais revistas oficiais, vídeos de propaganda e a presença de pregadores carismáticos online. Para além dessas formas e vetores de difusão, procurou-se também contemplar na análise o conteúdo desfavorável presente na rede, seja ele noticioso ou de opinião. Para isso foi conduzida uma Análise de Conteúdo no Twitter, Facebook, Instagram e Youtube, através da plataforma de “software” Crimson Hexagon, que permitiu a quantificação e caraterização da presença destes conteúdos entre janeiro de 2012 e abril de 2017.

Fear is one of the negative outcomes of terrorist attacks. Currently, there is a need to understand how societal fear and fear of terrorism might be shaped and induced by social-media discussions. This study analyzed how exposure to cyberhate was associated with perceived societal fear after the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. Demographically balanced data sets were collected from France, Spain, Finland, Norway, and the United States four weeks after the attacks. Cyberhate exposure was associated with higher perceived societal fear in all countries studied even when adjusting for confounding factors. This was particularly evident in the case of cyberhate related to terrorism. Hateful online communication after disruptive events may contribute to a social climate of fear and escalate societal uncertainty. There are, however, indications that social trust may bolster against perceived societal fear, hence enhancing resilience.

Terrorists use cyberspace and social media technology to create fear and spread violent ideologies, which pose a significant threat to public security. Researchers have documented the importance of the application of law and regulation in dealing with the criminal activities in cyberspace. Using routine activity theory, this article assessed the effectiveness of technological approaches to mitigating the expansion and organization of terrorism in cyberspace. Data collection included open-source documents, government threat assessments, legislation, policy papers, and peer-reviewed academic literature and semistructured interviews with fifteen security experts in Nigeria. The key findings were that the new generation of terrorists who are more technological savvy are growing, cybersecurity technologies are effective, and bilateral/multilateral cooperation is essential to combat the expansion of terrorism in cyberspace. The data provided may be useful to stakeholders responsible for national security, counterterrorism, law enforcement on the choice of cybersecurity technologies to confront terrorist expansion in cyberspace.

The number of people connecting to the Internet is growing at an astounding rate: estimates range from 100% to 400% annually over the next five years. This unprecedented level of interconnectedness has brought with it the specter of a new threat: cyberterrorism. This thesis examines the impact of this threat on the critical infrastructure of the United States specifically focusing on Department of Defense issues and the National Information Infrastructure (NII). A working definition for cyberterrorism is derived, and a description of the Nation’s critical infrastructure is provided. A number of possible measures for countering the threat of cyberterrorism are discussed, with particular attention given to the concept of information assurance.

Information assurance demands that trustworthy systems be developed from untrustworthy components within power-generation systems, banking, transportation, emergency services, and telecommunications. The importance of vulnerability testing (or red-teaming) is emphasized as part of the concept of information assurance. To support this, a cyberterrorist ‘red team’ was formed to participate in the Marine Corps’ Urban Warrior Experiment. The objective of t his thesis is to address the impact of these issues from a Systems Management perspective. This includes taking into account the changes that must occur in order to improve the U.S.’ ability to detect, protect against, contain, neutralize, mitigate the effects of, and recover from attacks on the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure.

The mass shooting in and around the Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York on May 14, 2022 that claimed the lives of ten individuals and injured three others was all the more horrific because of the white supremacist ideological motivation that fueled it and the shooter’s meticulous planning. The disturbing reality is that this attack is part of an epidemic of mass shootings often perpetrated by young men radicalized online by an ideology of hate. This report details what my office has learned about how the Buffalo shooter was first indoctrinated and radicalized through online platforms, and how he used these and other platforms to plan, implement, and promote these acts of terror. The report assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the response of various online platforms in the wake of the Buffalo shooting. Readers should be cautioned that this report contains graphic textual descriptions of bigotry and violence, including quotes from the shooter’s own writing that, in our opinion, are necessary to contextualize and explain this story.