How has the Internet Influenced Terrorism - Research Proposal Example

introduction

The internet is a system of computers connected through a network such that, making use of transmission control protocol (TCP), the interconnected devices can send and receive information. The technology was established in the 1960s, where it was used by the united states department of defense The technology continued to undergo a series of improvements. Currently, it can be used by almost anybody in almost every corner of the world. A wide range of devices that can connect to the network has also been developed. Internet access is currently one of the basic requirements in almost every organization or business.

A large number of people depend on the use of the internet to perform their daily activities. The interconnection between the devices makes it simple and very convenient to send or receive information. Other than communication, it is Alsop possible to share a lot of resources over the internet. Some of this resource includes videos, audios, and images. The use of the worldwide web and the universal resource locater makes it very convenient to share various types of data and resources. However, despite the many benefits of the internet, it can provide a conducive environment for terrorists to plan and execute their activities.

Terrorism is one of the activities associated with the deaths of people, suffering, and destruction of property. It is against the low, and therefore, in most cases, it is planned and executed secretly. The use of the internet has also promoted this activity since terrorists can easily communicate and plan their activities without being noticed. They can also use the internet to hold meetings and conduct training virtually, making it very hard for the government and other law enforcers to identify their plans and activities. This research aims to identify how the use of the internet has influenced terrorism.

Research questions.

The research questions guiding the study are;

• How do the terrorists use the internet?
• Has the use of the internet promoted terrorist activities?

Hypothesis.

In this study, it is hypothesized that the use of the internet has promoted terrorist activities.

Review of the Literature

The discovery of the internet and its and breakthrough is one of the life-changing achievements made so far. However, it is has become one of the powerful tools used by the terrorists in planning their attack. Since it is possible to communicate secretly over the internet, terrorist uses this to plan their activities. Most of the terrorist activities make use of the internet in one way of the other.

planning

Terrorists can make use of sophisticated technology while planning for their activities. Through the use of highly encrypted mediums of communicating over the internet, it becomes possible for the terrorists to communicate in secret where it is almost impossible for the government and law enforcers to identify the sender or the receiver of the message been transmitted. Also, the data transmitted is highly encrypted, and hence it is not possible for those fighting against terrorism to get its content. The capability of the internet to bridge any distance between two or more terrorist territories makes it simple to give instructions and recommendations of the possible attack methods. They can also make use of cyberspace, which contains vast information that can be useful in their planning

Training.

Terrorists can deploy the internet to training their members. Terrorist organizations can make use of virtual training where they can be training their members online without having to meet physically. The training can be performed online through the use of available technologies such as zoom, where they can interact without having to meet physically. Also, the terrorist organization can send tutorials to their members in videos, audios, or images. An example of a magazine published online, aiming at training terrorists on how to undertake certain terrorism activities, is Inspire(Lemieux et al., 2014). Terrorists can use the internet as a virtual training camp. Instructions on how to use the variety of anonymizing and hacking tools are also available on the internet, which helps in promoting illicit communications over the internet with ought being noticed by these fighting against terrorism. The use of the internet makes it possible for the terrorists to an online community that they can use in the sharing of ideas and tactical materials that can be used to conduct their illegal activities.

Dissemination of propaganda.

Terrorists make the use of the internet as a means of communication to pass their ideologies and justifications to promote their terrorist activities. Such information is usually misleading and maybe a way of inciting violence among certain groups of people. Usually, the terrorist organization targets the vulnerable and marginalized groups of people in society since it is easy to convince them to join or start terrorism activities.

Through the use of highly encrypted and password protected websites, the terrorist can spread their propaganda. They can also be able to recruit new members to support their activities. It is also possible for the terrorists to use social media in recruiting members in their organizations This is because a large number of internet users are youths and minors. Most of those under this category are very idol in the social media and other online applications, which makes it easy for the terrorists to catch their attention a convince to join their organization. The minors may also join such an organization after accessing the misleading propagandas published by the terrorists over the internet.

Financing of terrorist activities

Conducting a terrorist activity requires a lot of resources, some of which are very expensive since they are illegally obtained. Most terrorist organizations cannot afford to purchase such equipment, so they have to be sponsored to succeed in their activities. The use of the internet provides a wide range of methods that can be used by the terrorists to collect money for funding their activities. (Jacobson, 2010). Money can also be acquired through fraud and theft since most of the terrorist organizations have their computer expects that they can use to steal money using the v various online payment methods. Also, their potential sponsors can send their support anonymously using the available online payment methods. They can also use their website, pretending that they a legit origination, and request the public to support their operations, such as charity work. This means that the public will unknowingly support terrorism by sending their contributions.

Execution.

Execution, not terrorism activities can be conducted online. Some of the weapons used by terrorists are highly sophisticated, where they can be controlled online. This makes it easy for terrorists to conduct their activities in a certain, far from their location. In such a case, it because difficult for the law enforcement personnel to identify who conducted the attack since the weapon that caused the destruction was controlled remotely. Alternatively, a terrorist organization can use the internet to send signals to the execution team, telling them when and how to execute their plan. They also will latter guide them on how to escape from the scene in a way that it will not be arrested. Also, the terrorist may need to communicate with the victims, maybe requesting some money or giving them some conditions they must comply with.

A lot of research has been done to identify how terrorists use the internet to plan and implement their activities. However, the solution to this problem is yet to be identified. Maybe it's because of the rapidly changing technology used on the internet. Detailed research on how the use internet has influenced tourism activities will help the law enforcement personnel win the fight against terrorists.

Methodology

The choice of research methods to apply in a study is critical as it affects the study's outcomes. Choosing the best techniques to apply helps make sure that the findings are reliable and can be used to make an informed decision. A qualitative research design is applied in this study. This will help in getting a proper explanation of how the use of the internet is influencing terrorist activities. As opposed to quantitative research design that applies mathematical or statistical models, qualitative does not apply any computations since the data used is non-numerical.

A case study is a qualitative research technique applied in this research. The aim is to get a deep understanding of how has the use of the internet has influenced terrorism activities. Using a wide range of data sources, it is possible to understand if the use of the internet has favored or promoted terrorist activities. After analyzing the various ways in which terrorist activities are benefiting after using the internet as a tool in planning and executing their activities, this can be realized.

The Codding technique will be utilized to identify the segments of the data relates to our research questions. The data segments relating to our research questions will help in identifying the potential themes that will be useful in getting a proper understanding of the case at hand. This will be a proper way of identifying if our null hypothesis will be rejected or not. If the null hypothesis is not rejected, then the conclusion that the use of the internet has promoted terrorism will be arrived at, else we can conclude that the use of the internet does not influence terrorist activities.

Data collection.

The type of data used in a study has a direct impact on the findings and conclusion. Therefore, one needs to use high-quality data so that the results obtained from the data analysis can be reliable. Various methods can be employed in data collection. The choice of data collection techniques depends on the type of research and the preferences of the researcher. In our research, second-hand data from secondary sources will be used. This means that there will be no need to go to the field to gather data, which might be quite expensive.

The data is obtained from already published journals, articles, and books, containing information on how terrorists use the internet when undertaking their activities. The reliability of the data sources is critical in obtaining high-quality data. It is for that reason why the secondary data sources should be carefully selected and obtained from facts. This is the information been verified, and hence the results obtained from its analysis are reliable and can be depended upon in making an evidence-based decision. Other primary data sources, such as interviews, may be applied in such a case study. This can be an opportunity for the researcher to acquire first-hand information from the respondents. However, a researcher using such a technique to acquire data should ensure a proper choice of the respondents, to avoid biasness in the data obtained. Biased data will produce biased results and hence making a poor decision. This is why we decided to use secondary data that has already been proven to be accurate and free from biasness.

Analysis and Finding

The use of the internet provides a wide range of advantages that a person can enjoy when using it. Some of the benefits that terrorists can enjoy when using the online platforms are the anonymity in communication, fast means of data transfer, few or no regulations, easy to use, and no forgetting that it can provide a multimedia environment. A platform providing such benefits creates a conducive environment for the terrorists to plan and execute their services.

Anonymous communication.

Through the use of the internet, the criminals who conduct terrorist attacks can communicate in a way that no other person can get the information being transmitted. This can be a way of providing a safe means of communication since they feel more secure using it when using another medium of communication. The fact that terrorists can communicate without the fear of being caught makes it possible for them to plan and execute their activities more efficiently.

There is a large number of internet users.

There is a massive number of people who use the internet. Over 4 billion people are active internet users. Due to many users, it becomes easy for terrorist organizations to get a large number of audiences, who can listen to their propagandas. This makes it possible for them to get a large number of followers who can be convicted and accept to be recruited. Also, the large number of internet users makes it easy for terrorist organizations, through their websites, to reach out to a large number of potential sponsors. The more significant number of sponsors they acquire, the more they get enough money to fund their illegal activities and hence making them more successful.

Multimedia environment.

The use of the internet provides a multimedia environment where it is possible to share audio, videos, pictures, and documents online. Tis provides a conducive environment for the terrorist to share resources such as tutorials, which can be used to train their members online. It can be hard for the terrorists to physically conduct their training since law enforcers can quickly identify their training grounds. However, with the use of the internet, the terrorist can hold an online training camp. In such a case, it will be challenging for any government to realize if such an activity is taking place and, hence, not possible to arrest them.

The terrorists can share photos and videos of areas or buildings that they are planning to attack. Sharing of images and videos makes their members get a clear understanding of their targeted areas, and they can execute their plans more effectively. We can, therefore, say that the use of the internet promotes terrorist activities, by making them more successful than when they would have planned them without sharing off videos and pictures.

The fast and convenient medium of data transmission.

The internet provides a fast means of transmitting data. The information can be sent and delivered successfully in milliseconds. Communication over the internet in real-time means that the sender sends a message, and the receiver gets its immediately. Terrorists take advantage of this feature when planning their activities. They can be able to plan for an attack within a short time. Also, it is possible to control dangerous weapons remotely. With the fast data transfer rate provided by the internet, the terrorists can execute an attack while still in their hind outs. In such a case, it can very hard for the respective authorities to stop such an incident.

Cheap and easy to use.

Using the internet is not expensive, which is why a massive number of people can afford it. The technology is also simple to use. Although this is advantageous to many users, it is also an advantage to the terrorist since they spend less when using the technology to plan and execute their attacks. Despite the internet being an essential tool in the lives of many, it is clear that it also provides an essential platform for the terrorists to undertake their activities. Therefore, we fail to reject our null hypothesis and conclude that the use of the internet has promoted terrorism.

Conclusions and recommendations.

The internet has helped terrorists to promote their activities. However, it is possible to use the same technology to counter their plans, which can lead to a decrease in terrorist activities. Law enforcers can use the internet to gather information about terrorisms and acquire enough knowledge that can be used to counter terrorist activities. The internet can also be used as a source of evidence involving the illegal activities conducted by terrorists, which can be used to prosecute then. This can be a very effective way of fighting cases of terrorism in the world.

One of the ways terrorists use the internet is to anonymously communicate and conduct some other activities. They use highly sophisticated tools to perform their activities over the internet without the law enforcers not detecting them. However, if those fighting against corruption can also develop highly sophisticated tools, they can detect and prevent any terrorist activity. This can be a way of compacting terrorism.

Terrorists use the internet, mostly through the use of social media, to spread their ideologies, aiming at changing people's attitudes towards terrorism. They can convince many people that their activities are not bad, or they can use the network to incite violence against certain cultures, religions, races, or even countries. The government and other law enforcers can also use the same internet to counter the terrorists' doings. They can take as an opportunity to create a negative image against terrorism. This will ensure that internet users do not want to be associated with such illegal activities in any way. Also, it is possible to promote peace among the various groups of people in the world and prevent violence cases from happening.

The national governments should always have a backup plan that can be executed if a terrorist attack has occurred. Law enforcers should be highly trained to deal with the occurrence of such incidences. A backup plan is a way of reducing the effectiveness of any attack, and hence save the lives of people and property. Also, by realizing that the government will always have a backup plan, the terrorist will be discouraged since most of their activities will fail. It might not be possible to detect and prevent all the terrorist activities, and therefore, planning on how to deal with them when they occur is also of great importance.