Terrorism and Technology

An-Nahar, Lebanon, October 22

The technology that Western nations developed with the aim of serving humanity has turned into a dagger that extremist groups wield on our side of the globe. These organizations have become extremely capable in using these technologies to carry out terrorist operations on the one hand, and to mitigate efforts to fight them, on the other. Technology is the backbone of extremist organizations and the secret to their survival – whether they reside on the outskirts of cities or in the vast deserts they use as their havens. Through it, they communicate with their fighters, conduct encrypted meetings that last for long hours, and share instructions to carry out operations. Technology also allows these groups to monitor their activity and manage their fighters in real time. Therefore, if we are truly interested in fighting terrorism, we must confront the countries that manufactured these cutting-edge technologies but failed to prevent them from being abused. For example, the Telegram app is widely used by criminal networks and extremist groups for daily encrypted communication. When Telegram finally agreed to delete suspicious accounts, terrorist groups simply created new accounts that allowed them to continue using the platform. Today, the Islamic State is still using this technology to conduct its activities around the world. Extremist organizations have exploited cyberspace and used technology for their own benefit. They succeeded in investing in cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, and made profits of tens of millions of dollars. A report by the US Treasury indicated that ISIS possesses nearly $100 million in cash. Some of this money comes from selling oil in territories it controls, but a lot of it comes from criminal online activity. The United States succeeded in confronting ISIS, and even in overthrowing its so-called “caliphate,” but it failed to confront the organization through cyberspace. Indeed, technology has become the most difficult realm in which to confront terrorism, and even the strongest Western nations have become unable to confront terror groups that have succeeded in developing technology for their benefit. It is simply impossible to defeat terrorism without focusing on technology. It doesn’t matter how much military force is used in the battlefield, terrorist groups will continue to exist and flourish so long as cutting-edge technologies are being made available to them. – Mounir Adib (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)