Utilization of New Technologies in Global Terror: Emerging Research and Opportunities


Book Description

As the internet and its applications grow more sophisticated and widespread, so too do the strategies of modern terrorist groups. The existence of the dark web adds to the online arsenal of groups using digital networks and sites to promulgate ideology or recruit supporters. It is necessary to understand how terrorist cells are using and adapting online tools in order to counteract their efforts. Utilization of New Technologies in Global Terror: Emerging Research and Opportunities is an informative resource that explores new developments in technological advancements and the progression of terror organizations while also examining non-government activist organizations and their new role in protecting internet freedom and combating cyberterrorism. Featuring relevant topics such as social media, cyber threats, and counterterrorism, this publication will benefit government officials, political scientists, policymakers, researchers, academicians, and graduate students interested in political science, mass communication, and cyberwarfare.




Power to the People


Book Description

Essential reading on how technology empowers rogue actors and how society can adapt. Never have so many possessed the means to be so lethal. A dramatic shift from 20th century "closed" military innovation to "open" innovation driven by commercial processes is underway. The diffusion of modern technology--robotics, cyber weapons, 3-D printing, synthetic biology, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence--to ordinary people has given them access to weapons of mass violence previously monopolized by the state. As Audrey Kurth Cronin explains in Power to the People, what we are seeing now is the continuation of an age-old trend. Over the centuries, from the invention of dynamite to the release of the AK-47, many of the most surprising developments in warfare have occurred because of technological advances combined with changes in who can use them. That shifting social context illuminates our current situation, in which new "open" technologies are reshaping the future of war. Cronin explains why certain lethal technologies spread, which ones to focus on, and how individuals and private groups will adapt lethal off-the-shelf technologies for malevolent ends. Now in paperback with a foreword by Lawrence Freedman and a new epilogue, Power to the People focuses on how to both preserve the promise of emerging technologies and reduce risks. Power is flowing to the people, but the same digital technologies that empower can imperil global security--unless we act strategically.




Terrorist Use of Cyberspace and Cyber Terrorism: New Challenges and Responses


Book Description

ICT plays a crucial role in the pursuit of modernization in the countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Albania and Bulgaria, which form the South Eastern European (SEE) region., The quest for Euro-Atlantic integration and the undeniable necessity for direct foreign investment have encouraged the SEE countries to invest in the development of cyber technology, and it has become the dominant area for social, economic and political interaction within the region. This has had both positive and negative consequences. This book presents the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Training Course (ATC), held in Ohrid, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in December 2014. The ATC addressed serious concerns about terrorist use of cyber technology in South Eastern Europe, which not only has the potential to destabilize regional efforts to create a platform for increased development by creating a breeding ground for the training of extremists and the launching of cyber attacks, but also represents a direct and indirect threat to the security and stability of other NATO partner countries. The book will be of interest to all those involved in countering the threat posed by terrorist use of the Internet worldwide.




Terrorism and Advanced Technologies in Psychological Warfare


Book Description

Advanced technologies in the contemporary society enable many social problems to be resolved. However, due to the imperfect nature of social relations in human society, these technologies are very often used against human security and public interest. One of the most obvious and dangerous expressions of such usage is the activity of terrorist organizations, which potentially threatens the very foundations of democracy and social security This book is a first attempt to analyse the current practice and future risks of high-tech psychological warfare waged by terrorists on a national and cross-border basis. An international team of authors from eleven countries assesses the quantitative and qualitative development of the psychological impact of terrorists on their target audiences, taking into account the wider context of global social, economic and political shifts and acute geopolitical contradictions. The book also presents new understandings on methods of countering the psychological impact of terrorists on modern society. These methods include a wide range of technical and social tools - from philosophical concepts and cultural theories to the use of artificial intelligence to prevent terrorism and ensure psychological security of society and its progressive democratic development. It should be clarified that the implementation of advanced technologies by terrorists in the broad sense of the word is based on the contradictory social role of these technologies today and in the foreseeable future.




Science and Technology to Counter Terrorism


Book Description

This volume presents the papers and summarizes the discussions of a workshop held in Goa, India, in January 2004, organized by the Indian National Institute of Advanced Science (NIAS) and the U.S. Committee on International Security and Arms Control (CISAC). During the workshop, Indian and U.S. experts examined the terrorist threat faced in both countries and elsewhere in the world, and explored opportunities for the U.S. and India to work together. Bringing together scientists and experts with common scientific and technical backgrounds from different cultures provided a unique opportunity to explore possible means of preventing or mitigating future terrorist attacks.




Understanding Terrorist Innovation


Book Description

This book explores the innovations and advances in terrorist tactics and technologies to help fill the gap in the contemporary terrorism literature by developing an empirical theory of terrorist innovation. The key question concerns the global historical trends in terrorist innovation, as well as the critical factors responsible for the differences in practices among terrorist organizations. The first part of the book provides an overview of the tactics and technology used by terrorists in the last century and identifies the key trends for the future. The second part compares four differing terrorist organizations with the aim of identifying key factors in producing innovative tactics and weaponry. The volume provides a historical explanation of the trends in terrorist innovation and also has policy relevance, as the ability to identify signature characteristics of innovation-prone terrorist organizations is a critical element in predictive threat assessment. Understanding Terrorist Innovation will be of great interest to students of terrorism studies, security studies and political science in general.




Science and Security in a Post 9/11 World


Book Description

Based on a series of regional meetings on university campuses with officials from the national security community and academic research institutions, this report identifies specific actions that should be taken to maintain a thriving scientific research environment in an era of heightened security concerns. Actions include maintaining the open exchange of scientific information, fostering a productive environment for international scholars in the U.S., reexamining federal definitions of sensitive but unclassified research, and reviewing policies on deemed export controls. The federal government should establish a standing entity, preferably a Science and Security Commission, that would review policies regarding the exchange of information and the participation of foreign-born scientists and students in research.




Europe for the Europeans


Book Description

For the last two decades the number of political organizations on the far right, neo-populist right and neo-conservative right has been growing. Along with the mounting electoral success for many of the parties there has also been a growing disenchantment with the political class which has led to a revolt against the current political 'establishment'. The events of September 11, 2001 and the 'War on Terror' have further aggravated tensions within the populations between those who feel they are the 'legitimate' citizens of the state and those who are considered 'outsiders'. The recent expansion of the EU's borders has also brought on fears of a surge of both legal and illegal immigration. All these factors have led to a growing number of cases of harassment and outbursts of violence aimed at asylum seekers and ethnic minorities in Europe. This book measures the effects of neo-populist groups on the current political establishment and illustrates how much political appeal neo-populist views have on making current political policy.




Global Terrorism and New Media


Book Description

Global Terrorism and New Media carefully examines the content of terrorist websites and extremist television programming to provide a comprehensive look at how terrorist groups use new media today. Based partly on a content analysis of discussion boards and forums, the authors share their findings on how terrorism 1.0 is migrating to 2.0 where the interactive nature of new media is used to build virtual organization and community. Although the creative use of social networking tools such as Facebook may advance the reach of terrorist groups, the impact of their use of new media remains uncertain. The book pays particular attention to terrorist media efforts directed at women and children, which are evidence of the long-term strategy that some terrorist organizations have adopted, and the relationship between terrorists’ media presence and actual terrorist activity. This volume also looks at the future of terrorism online and analyzes lessons learned from counterterrorism strategies. This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism studies, media and communication studies, security studies and political science.




Counter-Terrorism, Ethics and Technology


Book Description

This open access book brings together a range of contributions that seek to explore the ethical issues arising from the overlap between counter-terrorism, ethics, and technologies. Terrorism and our responses pose some of the most significant ethical challenges to states and people. At the same time, we are becoming increasingly aware of the ethical implications of new and emerging technologies. Whether it is the use of remote weapons like drones as part of counter-terrorism strategies, the application of surveillance technologies to monitor and respond to terrorist activities, or counterintelligence agencies use of machine learning to detect suspicious behavior and hacking computers to gain access to encrypted data, technologies play a significant role in modern counter-terrorism. However, each of these technologies carries with them a range of ethical issues and challenges. How we use these technologies and the policies that govern them have broader impact beyond just the identification and response to terrorist activities. As we are seeing with China, the need to respond to domestic terrorism is one of the justifications for their rollout of the “social credit system.” Counter-terrorism technologies can easily succumb to mission creep, where a technology’s exceptional application becomes normalized and rolled out to society more generally. This collection is not just timely but an important contribution to understand the ethics of counter-terrorism and technology and has far wider implications for societies and nations around the world.