How Modern Terrorism uses the Internet

With all of this unfolding I started to wonder - how many terrorists actually operate and use conspiracy forums to foster their own propaganda? Everyone talks about governments using the internet as a psy-op's tool, but then seems to conveniently not mention that terrorists have the same use and tools of the internet to spread their message!

How Modern Terrorism Uses the Internet

As it burgeoned, the Internet was hailed as an integrator of cultures and a medium for businesses, consumers, and governments to communicate with one another. It appeared to offer unparalleled opportunities for the creation of a forum in which the “global village” could meet and exchange ideas, stimulating and sustaining democracy throughout the world. However, with the enormous growth in the size and use of the network, utopian visions of the promise of the Internet were challenged by the proliferation of pornographic and violent content on the web and by the use of the Internet by extremist organizations of various kinds. Groups with very different political goals, but united in their readiness to employ terrorist tactics, started using the network to distribute their propaganda, to communicate with their supporters, to foster public awareness of and sympathy for their causes, and even to execute operations.

I was just wondering how many of you have felt alarm bells go off when reading some of the postings on this site? How many of us, UN-awaringly are being fed intellectual fodder from an extremist willing to kill innocence to further his agenda and demonstrate their beliefs?

Here is another interesting article to read.

Inside Terrorism

Finally, the point should be emphasized that, unlike the ordinary criminal or the lunatic assassin, the terrorist is not pursuing purely egocentric goals -- he is not driven by the wish to line his own pocket or satisfy some personal need or grievance. The terrorist is fundamentally an altruist: he believes that he is serving a `good' cause designed to achieve a greater good for a wider constituency -- whether real or imagined -- which the terrorist and his organization purport to represent. The criminal, by comparison, serves no cause at all, just his own personal aggrandizement and material satiation. Indeed, a `terrorist without a cause (at least in his own mind)', Konrad Kellen has argued, `is not a terrorist'. Yet the possession or identification of a cause is not a sufficient criterion for labelling someone a terrorist. In this key respect, the difference between terrorists and political extremists is clear. Many persons, of course, harbour all sorts of radical and extreme beliefs and opinions, and many of them belong to radical or even illegal or proscribed political organizations. However, if they do not use violence in the pursuance of their beliefs, they cannot be considered terrorists. The terrorist is fundamentally a violent intellectual, prepared to use and indeed committed to using force in the attainment of his goals.

I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts.

Blessings,
Cirque

Definately not cluttered...

Originally posted by snowspirit
Definately not cluttered...

I know. Must of been like, huh. "She's usually filled with more hot gas than that!"



Cirque

I haven't run into anyone at Above Top Secret I thought was a terrorist or Fed playing like one. Having said that, I was approached 3 different times over the years while in the Yahoo political chat rooms on a regular basis. 2 of them were recruiters or Feds playing like it because the 'dance' went on for days and across sessions spread out by weeks. Really persistent little buggers and always working the language to "encourage" more exploration into taking anything I'd say just a few steps further. I never could be sure which I was talking about with those.

The 3rd one made absolutely no bones about it and I almost thought that refreshing, if not a little brainless. The IP pinged back to Pakistan when I got one to run though so I'm fairly sure he was what he put forth as being. That one was interesting too.... The politics of the actual AQ fighters are ....well, simple minded for street level but complex and almost intriguing for the educated ones. I had to remind myself who it was I was talking to a couple times before just cutting contact entirely for a bad feeling I was getting.

Anyway... that's my experience....and of course, rumor has it the terrorists use Steganography on anything worth having privacy on. That makes monitoring them about 1/2 step this side of totally impossible when they really DO care, as I've read it.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
I haven't run into anyone at Above Top Secret I thought was a terrorist or Fed playing like one. Having said that, I was approached 3 different times over the years while in the Yahoo political chat rooms on a regular basis. 2 of them were recruiters or Feds playing like it because the 'dance' went on for days and across sessions spread out by weeks. Really persistent little buggers and always working the language to "encourage" more exploration into taking anything I'd say just a few steps further. I never could be sure which I was talking about with those.

The 3rd one made absolutely no bones about it and I almost thought that refreshing, if not a little brainless. The IP pinged back to Pakistan when I got one to run though so I'm fairly sure he was what he put forth as being. That one was interesting too.... The politics of the actual AQ fighters are ....well, simple minded for street level but complex and almost intriguing for the educated ones. I had to remind myself who it was I was talking to a couple times before just cutting contact entirely for a bad feeling I was getting.

Anyway... that's my experience....and of course, rumor has it the terrorists use Steganography on anything worth having privacy on. That makes monitoring them about 1/2 step this side of totally impossible when they really DO care, as I've read it.

I can't say that I've ever actually felt targeted by someone trying to push extremist views on me.

I just think it's a good idea for people to be aware - many would be here, I'd think. It's obviously effective - look at how many people are standing up and actually trying to say these two people were innocent, or framed, or mind controlled. I've even seen people suggest that this whole thing was orchestrated with actors! It's amazing, and I'm wondering if the fostering of these types of reactions, are fostered by the terrorists themselves to turn American citizens against their own government. I know - many will say I'm snowed. The sheep. But I've a sneaky feeling, terrorists are using our own freedoms against us.

I think they, thought, they were effectively dividing the populace of the American people. I watched the shocked reaction of everyone - at how the public and law enforcement worked together. I then saw anti-government individuals roll out and start screaming foul - martial law - when no one in Boston was complaining.

It just seems like the terrorists are the ones using our own freedoms against us.

Cirque

reply to post by Wrabbit2000
Got to ask , Did you notify FBI or any Gov agency ? for even going to a chat could link you to them, even if they knew about it, they will know that your not part of, nor wiil you put up with that type of talk er chat.
My self, if it is not emailed form someone or some Co i know i delete it.As far as Chat room this is it, and no i do not even go to "chat" here, U2U when needed.

Originally posted by bekod
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Got to ask , Did you notify FBI or any Gov agency ? for even going to a chat could link you to them, even if they knew about it, they will know that your not part of, nor wiil you put up with that type of talk er chat.
My self, if it is not emailed form someone or some Co i know i delete it.As far as Chat room this is it, and no i do not even go to "chat" here, U2U when needed.

Well, you're welcome to make the calls if you run into the situation. Personally, I don't go calling the feebs every time something goes bump in the night or someone is connecting to a chat from half a world away. It's a free world if they're over there and just yucking it up with an American who is playing along with the game.

Besides..this was early in the wars. If I wasn't talking to Feds on the first 2 already, they were sure listening with overseas recruiters working American citizens. The 3rd? Part of the reason I cut contact was the distinct impression it was a party line more than a private chat. I welcome them to come bang on my door for attempting to not only learn about foreign cultures but learn what makes those who want to kill us, tick. It'll make a great run up the Court System if it ever came to that, on that basis.

"Material Support" as Federal Code defines the crime, doesn't include just alleviating their boredom while playing them as much as they figure they are playing one of us.

My guess is the professional terrorists operate on Darknet. Only dumb or computer illiterate criminals post agendas or trade illegal material on public internet forums.

Originally posted by ffrealmsrider
My guess is the professional terrorists operate on Darknet. Only dumb or computer illiterate criminals post agendas or trade illegal material on public internet forums.

You can trivialize the issue if you'd like. But with CISPA passed, I can't.

Extreme Muslim propaganda doesn't have to use public forums for agendas or illegal trade, I agree. They'd use private ones. But I'm talking about fostering ideas of discontent, mistrust, and working to create sympathy for cause. I see it everywhere. Especially on conspiracy sites. Not so much on ATS, but ATS is of a different callibre - than other less moderated forums. There is a lot of hate, out there right now towards American's and the US government - who want to say that the blame for those bombing fall at our feet and not the extremist's!!!

It boggles my mind, how people can easily accept the government might be trying to control your ideas and thoughts - but deny that their ideas may have been seeded my extremist propaganda!!!

Cirque

reply to post by CirqueDeTruth


I have never come across anyone on the internet who I thought was an extremist and even the Muslims I tend to run into are nice respectable people. Though there are some morons who come across that way, I'm guessing they are just keyboard warriors trolling or looking to incite some hatred etc. Most of the time they seem like white people though

Originally posted by DarknStormy
reply to post by CirqueDeTruth

 

I have never come across anyone on the internet who I thought was an extremist and even the Muslims I tend to run into are nice respectable people. Though there are some morons who come across that way, I'm guessing they are just keyboard warriors trolling or looking to incite some hatred etc. Most of the time they seem like white people though

I guess that is a better way to state it. Many posters come off as sympathizers with extremist views. But who knows really, because we all heard peoples statements about those two men who committed this act of terrorism. Almost all of them, say that these boys didn't exhibit any outward warning indicators. They "seemed" like any other American.

Cirque

I agree with you to a certain point. However, extremism is a broad term. There are just too many different shades of grey concerning people who believe their own government is out to get them. False flags do happen and our government has done some frightening things to their own people. Foreign governments are equally irresponsible, if not worse in the subjugation of their citizens life/rights. There are reasons for people to be suspicious.
Are their disinformation agents on forums? Probably. Anti-American radicals? I've seen it on ATS too many times to count. There's also a lot of trolls who just likes to get people riled up with anti American sentiment and false flag screaming. They might not necessarily have agendas.
Let's look at the marathon bombings from my point of view. Do I believe it was a false flag operation? No. Do I believe the government is lying about intelligence concerning the event? Yes. Do I believe the American peoples rights were thrown out the window in the night and following day of the shootout? People were stopped and stripped, with no consequence. House to house searches were conducted. Swat teams were breaking into nearby homes, without warrants, if there was movement in the windows. The entire city was shut down the next day, without actual martial law being declared. Businesses were not allowed to conduct business. You could not be on the streets. As far as I know, this has to be one of the largest manhunts in history, if not the largest.
There are reasons for people to be afraid. There are reasons people are screaming false flag and fear/hate our government, and it was all perpetrated by our government. The online perpetrators can just relax and sit this one out.

reply to post by CirqueDeTruth


I found this the other day and I find it amazing that everything about the case is exactly what has happened to these bombers. I'm not saying they are innocent either.

In 1993, three eight year old boys were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. Within days, the police had arrested three teenagers for the crime – Jesse Misskelley, Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols. When the police were asked to rate, on a scale of 1-10, how confident they were that these three had committed the crimes, they responded, “Eleven!” The whole town cheered.

It came out during the trial that these three young men were picked up by police because they were “odd.” Damien Echols had a funny first name, a name he chose because, police claimed, he wanted to be Damian from the Omen horror movies. (He actually chose the name to honor Father Damien, the Catholic priest who worked in Hawaii with the lepers – Father Damien was later sainted by the Catholic church.)

And futher in the piece

I believe that thin slicing put them in jail. It helped an entire community make a rash decision and justify their actions in convicting three teens of murder. Once the town was able to identify the bogeyman, they could rest easy again.

Now I know this may be irrelevant to the thread but one of the bombers actually commented on the piece if it's the same guy of course and from the link and you would think that he was just a normal person along with it. I understand things can change in the space of a couple of years but here's his comment.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
August 31, 2011 at 11:42 pm
In this case it would have been hard to protect or defend these young boys if the whole town exclaimed in happiness at the arrest. Also, to go against the authorities isn’t the easiest thing to do. Don’t get me wrong though, I am appalled at the situation but I think that the town was scared and desperate to blame someone. It’s because of stories like this and such occurrences that make a positive change in this world. I’m pretty sure there won’t be anymore similar tales like this. In any case, if they do, people won’t stand quiet, i hope.

Ironic how things pan out, hey?

Reply from possible bomber from 2011

Originally posted by DarknStormy
reply to post by CirqueDeTruth

 

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
August 31, 2011 at 11:42 pm
In this case it would have been hard to protect or defend these young boys if the whole town exclaimed in happiness at the arrest. Also, to go against the authorities isn’t the easiest thing to do. Don’t get me wrong though, I am appalled at the situation but I think that the town was scared and desperate to blame someone. It’s because of stories like this and such occurrences that make a positive change in this world. I’m pretty sure there won’t be anymore similar tales like this. In any case, if they do, people won’t stand quiet, i hope.

Ironic how things pan out, hey?

Reply from possible bomber from 2011

I'm interested in this statement line "It's because of stories like this and such occurrences that make a positive change in this world."

Motivation for this crime perhaps? Justification? Him in his mind saying, "I'll wake the public up?"

Very interesting, indeed.

I searched - didn't find a thread like this yet - but has anyone seen a thread or good source for a compiled list of statements these two terrorists made on social media?

Cirque