Understanding Online Propaganda of Terror groups

Internet and Terrorist Groups:

Terrorist groups can make use of the internet in nine different ways to achieve their objectives. Firstly, for spreading propaganda where terror groups through their social media accounts can produce and directly distribute radical content instead of going through a third party. Second, the internet serves as an efficient way for spreading ideology and recruitment. Third, the restriction of access to the population that terrorist groups faced gets removed by social media as it allows direct contact between individuals and terrorist groups. Further, while websites need to be located physically, social media accounts meant for propaganda purposes can be randomly discovered on the internet. Fourth, the internet brings the element of anonymity that terror groups use to their advantage. Fifth, it can be used for multidirectional communication between potential recruits and the members of terrorist groups. Sixth, it can be used to target individuals based on their vulnerabilities or inclinations to their ideology. Seventh, the internet can also be used by terrorist groups to gather knowledge about how social media functions in order to alter the relevance of their messages in the search results. Eighth, since news and information on the internet are unregulated unlike the traditional media, terror groups can post false news that suits their agenda with no oversight. Ninth, through social media, terror groups are able to maintain a private communication network [2].

The Process of Radicalization through Propaganda:

Radicalization is the process through which terror groups encourage people to join their cause and achieve certain socio-political changes. An individual undergoing radicalization can go through two different pathways, namely linear and non-linear processes [3]. The linear process of radicalization involves an individual building from the initial stage and evolving through multiple stages where the individual finally becomes radicalized and embraces terrorism. On the other hand, a non-linear process involves being influenced by an interplay of multiple factors simultaneously where the individual eventually becomes radicalized.

Apart from allowing terror groups to operate and distribute propaganda globally without regulation, the same has also facilitated the production of high-quality propaganda videos. In the case of ISIS, the high-quality videos circulated online served not only recruitment purposes but also acted as a branding strategy. If propaganda tools are able to project a strong narrative and attract viewers, it affects the radicalization process of individuals who are vulnerable. For instance, Al-Hayat Media produced videos depicting life in ISIS in high definition. These videos were made in English and French and were meant to be circulated in Europe to target recruits and sympathizers. ISIS through these videos called European states immoral while displaying life in ISIS as spiritually fulfilling. These videos targeted potential recruits by showing a sense of dissatisfaction among the European population and were involved in the effective radicalization of European Muslims. Other instances of multimedia resources used for propaganda tools include the video game Salil al- Sawarem which translates to The Clanging of Swords. This game was modelled after the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, was designed as a “first-person shooter” game, and was meant to gain publicity for ISIS. Furthermore, the use of online magazines like Dabiq and Rumiyah, Inspire, and Gaidi Mtaani by several terrorist groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Al-Shabaab have been effective in the enlargement of their networks. The use of digital magazines also serves the secondary purpose of passing on instructions regarding joining the group or carrying out violent actions on their behalf [4]. With effective use of the internet and social media accounts, the capability of terrorist groups operating on a distant land gets amplified. Not only can these groups seek potential recruits but can also successfully radicalize them to carry out violent acts on their behalf while maintaining a discreet network of communication with no oversight or accountability.

Use of Online Propaganda tools by terror groups:

The increased use of the internet and social media in regions like the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, allowed ISIS to garner a new pool of sympathizers and recruits who were systematically radicalized. Given the sophisticated modus operandi of ISIS, the international community faced a major challenge of ISIS operatives gaining a better understanding of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). It was due to this capability of ISIS that it was able to recruit and mobilize around 40,000 fighters which also included foreign nationals from 110 different countries [5].

In a report prepared by the RAND Corporation in Europe for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), it was found that ISIS has used social media accounts on platforms like Twitter or Telegram for the production and distribution of online digital magazines meant to radicalize, recruit and conduct terror attacks in Africa. For instance, the students of the University of Medical Sciences and Technology in Khartoum, Sudan were radicalized and recruited through social media. Other terror outfits like Boko Haram and al-Shabaab operating in Africa also take advantage of the growing use of ICTs in the region. Given this growth in the use of ICTs in Africa, terror groups can leverage a large population for their agenda through propaganda. Ironically, there were instances when ISIS fighters closely monitored and sometimes shut down internet cafes in order to limit the access of civilians in the region to the internet. For instance, in November 2015, a citizen journalist and an activist group named ‘Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently’ stated that ISIS fighters had ordered the shutdown of all internet cafes in the region under their control in order to prevent the civilians from coming in contact with another form of information which might not suit their agenda [6]. The narrative established by ISIS allowed it to expand and consolidate power and therefore ISIS had to control the flow of information since perpetual combat failures hampered its branding strategy and any failure in its narrative seriously affected its recruitment process and projection of itself as a Caliphate. This proved to be a challenge in countering ISIS as with successful control over the flow of information, it was able to maintain its influence overseas despite regular failures in combat and loss of territories.

Other than ISIS, the online propaganda strategy for radicalization and recruitment has also been used by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). AQAP’s digital magazine, published in English was directly responsible for the radicalization of the Boston Marathon Bombers who carried out an attack in 2010, the Taliban operates an official Telegram channel called el-Emarah along with other Telegram accounts in multiple languages like Persian, Pashto, and Turkish. Through these accounts, the Taliban is able to efficiently propagate its ideology as well as recruit fighters into their ranks further projecting itself as a legitimate form of government entity even though the vast majority of the world accepts the Taliban as a violent extremist insurgent group. Similar to the growing usage of ICTs in the African region, the Middle Eastern region has also shown an increase in ICT literacy and usage. There were 147 million users in the entire MENA region in 2017 along with 93 million active users in social media. With the growing influence of civil activism, the ICTs have now a crucial influence on the political stability and governance of a state. The Arab Spring and other subsequent regime changes that occurred in the region particularly, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, and Bahrain led to massive dissatisfaction among the population living in the MENA region. ISIS through its social media strategy was able to leverage this dissatisfaction of the masses to recruit fighters into their outfit from multiple nations like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, and Tunisia [6]. With the increasing enlistment of fighters which was possible due to their online propaganda materials, ISIS was able to expand geographically.

Counter-measures against Online Terrorist Propaganda:

A report from the RAND Corporation named “Radicalisation on the Digital Era” suggested that the focus of research by governments and the academic community has been on the phenomenon of radicalization on the internet. This results in a knowledge gap regarding an individual’s experience online who has been through the process of radicalization. The existing literature so far has only focused on the social media strategy, its online presence, and its successes. While this approach provides an insight into the terror groups on an operational level which is useful for policymakers and the government, it only showcases a one-sided view of the phenomena which leads to a knowledge gap regarding the understanding of this phenomenon [7]. In summation, the role played by the internet in the process of online radicalization is difficult to assess. Therefore, the online available tools have made terrorism a transnational issue providing them with unchecked access to the global population for recruitment and the spread of propaganda.

Conclusion:

The advent of the internet has allowed terror groups access to foreign lands not just for communication but for other purposes like fundraising and propaganda as well. This also serves a secondary purpose where terror groups are able to radicalize individuals in order to carry out attacks on foreign lands. This understanding of ICTs allowed terror outfits like al-Qaeda and ISIS to expand in terms of manpower and were able to project their ideology and intentions on a global scale. This phenomenon forms a major challenge in countering terror tactics as online resources provide them with anonymity and an unregulated capacity of spreading information regardless of whether it is true or false. As of now, all research on this phenomenon has only focused on understanding the tactics and strategies used by terror groups in order to achieve their objectives. With this existing literature, there is an absence of understanding regarding cases of radicalization based on individual consumption of propaganda content. Since countering online propaganda of terror outfits requires the elimination of the propaganda materials that are circulated online it is important to understand under what circumstances are conducive for individuals to be radicalized. While there has been a great deal of study on how terror groups recruit fighters through their social media strategy, it is essential that there is an understanding of how individuals get racialized systematically.

Endnotes  

1.      Ariel Victoria Lieberman, “Terrorism, the Internet, and Propaganda: A Deadly Combination”, Journal of National Security Law and Policy, https://jnslp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Terrorism_the_Internet_and_Propaganda_FINAL.pdf

2.      Ariel Victoria Lieberman, “Terrorism, the Internet, and Propaganda: A Deadly Combination”, Journal of National Security Law and Policy, https://jnslp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Terrorism_the_Internet_and_Propaganda_FINAL.pdf

3.     Kyle Msall, “A link between radicalisation models and extremist propaganda”, Global Security: Health, Science and Policy, 27 July 2022 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23779497.2022.2103446

4.      Sara Zeiger and Joseph Gyte, “Prevention of Radicalization on Social Media and the Internet”, Chapter 12, Handbook of Terrorism Prevention and Preparedness, https://icct.nl/app/uploads/2021/10/Chapter-12-Handbook.pdf

5.      “IS foreign fighters: 5,600 have returned home – report”, BBC, 24 October 2017 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41734069

6.      Antonia Ward, “ISIS's Use of Social Media Still Poses a Threat to Stability in the Middle East and Africa”, Blog, RAND Corporation, 11 December 2018 https://www.rand.org/blog/2018/12/isiss-use-of-social-media-still-poses-a-threat-to-stability.html

7.      Ines von Behr, Anaïs Reding, Charlie Edwards, Luke Gribbon, “Radicalisation in the digital era: The use of the internet in 15 cases of terrorism and extremism”, RAND Corporation, https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR400/RR453/RAND_RR453.pdf

 Pic Courtsey-Levi Meir Clancy

(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)