Cyber Crime and Cyber Terrorism

121
 
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CHAPTER
123
10
Terrorist use of the 
internet
Bruno Halopeau
TERRORIST USE OF THE INTERNET
This chapter is not only an attempt to describe how terrorist groups use the Internet 
but it also provides information on how the internet could be used in the near future 
taking into account the latest technological developments. Numerous articles have 
already been written on the subject but they have treated it partially, focusing on the 
propaganda side or on the hacking and “technical” side. In this chapter, the propa-
ganda and the encryption techniques used by terrorists will be described.
PROPAGANDA—INDOCTRINATION—RECRUITMENT
The use of Internet by terrorists has been described for many years as a growing 
trend. In reality, this phenomenon is more limited than it seems to be. In the articles 
provided by news media and so-called experts, there has been an attempt to provide 
an estimate on the number of terrorist websites (
Weimann, 2008
). However these 
statistics do not mean anything on their own; they have to be compared with the total 
number of websites available on the web.
Terrorist organizations generally use the Internet for propaganda purposes. The 
worldwide web and steady developments of web 2.0 have given an opportunity to the 
public to easily access and publish information. High IT skills are no longer neces-
sary to publish and post information, photos and videos online and it is also a very 
cost effective method of communication.
Terrorist propaganda on the Internet is disseminated through several types of plat-
forms; video sharing websites such as YouTube; online Social Network services such 
as Facebook; and through traditional online forums and blogs.