Every passing century has seen something dynamic happening, something that became revolutionary, that changed life along with it and from then on. The industrial revolution, the rise of nation states, democracy and sophisticated technological advancements were a few powerful impulses that brought about paradigm shifts in the way people lived, associated and traded.
While these ideas were very positive to human growth, they were not without evils. Very soon ‘industrial revolution’ resulted in the destruction of nature for economic growth, democracy became a wrapper” to shield arrogance in many nations and technological advancements began ’serving the wicked’.
The last decade of the 20th century witnessed one such impulse rock the world with grand conviction. Christened ‘internet’, its sheer strength is its ability to connect people and enable them to share information almost instantly. The result, businesses grew, economies improved, profits surged and the world soon became a very closely-knit society nicknamed ‘global village‘. Today, the very concept of nation state itself is fast disappearing.
A Terrorist siteWhile there are a lot of positives about the Internet, its emergence as a potent terror weapon is often overlooked. Terrorists use it as a medium to build popularity and spread their message of brutality. They brainwash surfers and slowly build up a network of supporters. Some are even recruited into the militant organization. Often during terror attacks on a nation, media and the Internet become the medium of communication between the affected government and the criminals.
Osama bin laden Releasing ‘videos of torture‘, threatening through mails and messages, accusing protesting leaders, claiming responsibility for attacks and truce negotiations are happening over the Internet today. It is true that clandestine ‘terror camps’ are responsible for training new recruits, but one does not easily realize that the Internet itself is serving the purpose indirectly.
Cyber threats need not come through viruses alone, they can also come from ‘online terrorists’. While companies make software that removes viruses from the network, the same cannot be used to weed out criminals.
Recently, the Saudi Internet security specialist, Khaled Al-Firm, presented that the terrorist organization ‘Al-Qaeda’ has a strong Internet presence with websites ranging anywhere between 5600 and 17000 along with 9000 additions each year.
The need is for strong cyber laws against online brainwashing, be it anti-religious or anti-national. Countries will have to come together to enact stringent cyber laws to root out cyber-terrorism. The world has to rise up to accept and counter the truth that ‘Terrorists are Online‘.
News Source: Fox News
