New methods adopted by terrorist groups
The functions of the world are ever transforming with innovations in technology, innovations offer a more efficient and comfortable life to people but there is a downside to everything if used by the wrong people. In this article, we are going to look into the new methods adopted by terrorist groups in this 21st century, where breakthroughs are being announced in all aspects of life constantly. These technologies throw new challenges to the authorities with their potential vulnerabilities. The technology which was created with good intentions is being repurposed for their convenience. The threat of terrorism is growing in Asia and MENA regions, and new and sophisticated methods are being used by terrorist organizations in every attack.
New methods of communication:
There are many ways for terrorist organizations to communicate with their people, and they are using every one of their ways, simple things like online gaming lobbies and chat rooms are also used for terrorist communication purposes. The authorities are facing criticism regarding the right to privacy and civil liberty when monitoring and regulating these communication channels.
VPNs (virtual private networks) play a key role in the new methods of communication adopted by terrorist groups, the VPNs provide the users with a private connection to the internet by replacing the internet provider address of the user with one from a VPN server, these servers are spread across the globe, tracking down the communications occurred through these networks is almost impossible and most of the law enforcement is not equipped to do so.
Recruitment:
Every new channel of communication used by the terrorist group is a new avenue for recruitment, a recruiter can sit at his secure and comfortable location and spread propaganda in the regions where he cannot reach directly. The people can pledge their allegiance to a state without ever setting foot in that state. Gaming platforms and multiplayer games are a new avenue of recruitment, the presence of extreme right-wing outfits was found in online gaming platforms in Latin America, the USA, Indonesia and the Philippines. According to a survey by ADL (Anti-Defamation League) More than 10% of online gaming platform users in the US were exposed to white supremacist groups online. A few examples of these games are Call of Duty, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Valorant and World of Warcraft etc. The age group that was exposed to these ideologies is between 10-17 years. Social media increased the effect of online propaganda by many folds, Terrorist outfits maintained their websites which contained terabytes of data, the government agencies monitored and worked towards closing them as soon as they can, but once the organizations moved to social media platforms the regulations are different and it is easier to create new account whenever the previous account is banned or removed from the platform.
New methods of finance: financing the terrorist outfit is the core requirement for the sustainability o that group. earlier terrorist groups used to gather money by different means, there are groups involved in producing and smuggling illegal drugs, they got funding from rich supporters and donations, and they moved the money through shell companies, smuggling and Hawala. But now there are more avenues open for terror financing like crowdfunding. There are many fundraising platforms which are doing transactions worth millions of dollars every day. These fundraising platforms accept payments from UPIs, bank accounts and wallets, the terrorist organizations can quickly move their funds through these technologies including privacy coins (Crypto Currency). Another cause of concern is the donations to live streams on platforms like YouTube, twitch etc. where the transactions are not regulated properly, and these methods can be used to move funds by terrorist groups. Online fundraisers and donations to streamers are one of the new methods that can be used for terror financing, using these methods the organizations can move money through countries and continents. Following the money trail through blockchains and cryptocurrencies is a near-impossible task for financial analysts.
New Methods of attack:
Unmanned Ariel Systems (UAS): the small unmanned ariel systems of relatively low-cost options that are available in the market are being misused by terrorist organizations. They are being used to deliver weapons and explosives and are sometimes used in targeted attacks as well, these are mostly used against strategic infrastructures and commercial assets. Drones and quad captors are being used in the smuggling of illegal substances and weapons, and communications. These are being used by terrorist organizations and other illegal groups. These can be used to conduct recon on security forces and give better data to terrorist organizations to plan their attacks. The usual drones are being used for intelligence and reconnaissance, some commercial and personal UASs were modified to deliver payloads, these are witnessed in Ghana, Abu Dhabi, and India border regions. They are weaponised with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The UAS used by Daesh in Northern Iraq has increased significantly.
These are unsophisticated tools more similar to a toy than a deathly military weapon, these are targeting civilians, and critical infrastructure, some military infrastructure was also targeted in India by drones modified to carry grenades. military installations use their very effective air defence systems to counter any ariel attacks, but they were not prepared for small targets like this which are as small as one square foot. In June 2021 an airbase in Srinagar was attacked by small drones equipped with IEDs, this has been a possibility since the time the drones became available for online purchases but the bases were not ready to defend themselves against these threats at that time. It was after the attack the National Security Guards (NSG) deployed Anti-drone equipment which included radars, jammers and drone killer guns which are essential for perimeter security. This attack was the first of its kind in India, after this, the number of drones citings increased on the India-Pakistan border.
The use of unmanned aerial systems has increased and going to be increased by many folds in the coming years and some of the corporate giants like Amazon, Flipkart, and some food delivery services are planning to introduce drones in their services, it won't be long till we receive our orders by drones, but the authorities need to catch up to these developments to regulate them properly.
Disinformation and Misinformation: Disinformation and Malinformation are kinds of threats that grew stronger with increased use of social media, they are commonly mistaken for propaganda, Propaganda is where truth is spread but in a way that benefits the intended goal of a person spreading it. Disinformation is where false information is spread unintentionally, and Malinformation is where false information is spread to harm. social media platforms are being used relentlessly by organizations to spread their propaganda and the government is not able to regulate it fast enough. With the help of new content-creating, AI organizations can create a huge amount of content with different aims and motives. Most of this content is Disinformation and Misinformation or Malinformation. Before this, the authorities used to identify content and check for its duplicates throughout the platforms, but now with the help of AI terrorist organizations can also create new content in various forms that will work around the current methods of monitoring. These disinformation and misinformation campaigns powered by an AI can be potentially uncontrollable.
Firstly, Tailor-made counter-terrorism strategies need to be implemented against these new methods adopted by the terrorist groups, we need cut off terror financing by using virtual currency or cryptocurrency. The policy and regulatory systems of new technology are not advancing at the same pace as the threat posed by it. The legal frameworks need to be constantly updated and methods of law enforcement and intelligence need to catch up with these developments. Media literacy in the general public should be improved to identify and report terrorist propaganda and misinformation. Involving the public in identifying and reporting these threats also improves their understanding of the threat and helps them get a better view of the safety and privacy concerns regarding the government regulations in internet-based platforms.
Secondly, there is a need to strictly regularize the acquisition of UAS, strict regulations should be placed on the UASs that can be modified for delivering payload or that can be used for the transportation of small cargo discretely. the governance of new technology is not entirely dependent on national effort, but it also requires effort from private players and public participants.
Extremist groups are resourceful now more than ever in the history of the world. The effect of technologies like social media and cryptocurrencies are nearly equivalent to the invention of dynamite and automatic rifles for extremist organizations. Virtual assets like Cryptocurrencies and NFTs (Non-fungible Tokens) are another game changer for the financing of these organizations. Better governing methods should be adopted to regulate these avenues. Countering the organizations on all these avenues requires action and investment by the government with the cooperation of private entities and the general public.
Pic Courtsey-Alfred Kenneally at unsplash.com
(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)
