The Value of the Internet for Terrorists - ALQAEDA - Dissertation Example

It considerably extends their ability to manipulate the ways target audiences perceive them and to stage manage not only their own image, but also the images of their enemies. Although, for many groups, their target audience may be small, an Internet presence is nonetheless expected. Regardless of the number of hits a site receives, a well-designed and well-maintained Web site gives a group an aura of legitimacy (Conway, 2005). The Internet can serve as a mass media tool for the terrorist's such as TV or radio, newspaper or journal.

Through web, worldwide broadcast can be made of events, in their original and uncensored form. Although a few filters at a few sites, chat rooms, websites, and bulletin boards are generally uncontrolled. This climate is ideal for an fund starved group to explain its actions or to offset both internal and international condemnation, especially when using specific servers. The Internet can target sympathizers as well as true believers with different messages, oriented to the target audience (Thomas, 2003).

While the danger that cyber-terrorism spread through the Internet is today frequently debated, precious little is known about the enormity of the threat posed by such abuse of the Internet. The Internet has been converted into a forum for terrorist groups and individual terrorists, both to spread their messages of hatred and violence and to communicate with one another as well as other sympathizers (http://www.adl.org/ , 2006). The apparent virtues of the Internet-ease of access, lack of regulation, a vast potential audiences, and fast flow of information, among others, have been turned to the advantage of groups committed to terrorizing societies.

As the paper declares the Internet can serve as a mass media tool for the terrorist’s such as TV or radio, newspaper or journal. Through web, worldwide broadcast can be made of events, in their original and uncensored form. Although a few filters at a few sites, chat rooms, websites, and bulletin boards are generally uncontrolled. This climate is ideal for an fund starved group to explain its actions or to offset both internal and international condemnation, especially when using specific servers.

The Internet can target sympathizers as well as true believers with different messages, oriented to the target audience. According to the research findings while the danger that cyber-terrorism spread through the Internet is today frequently debated, precious little is known about the enormity of the threat posed by such abuse of the Internet. The Internet has been converted into a forum for terrorist groups and individual terrorists, both to spread their messages of hatred and violence and to communicate with one another as well as other sympathizers.

The mass media, policymakers, and even security agencies while focusing on the proliferating threat of cyber-terrorism, have paid insufficient attention to the more routine uses made of the Internet. These uses are numerous and, from the terrorists' perspective, an invaluable tool with infinite possibilities. It is imperative that the security agencies continue to improve their ability to study and monitor terrorist activities on the Internet, and explore measures to limit the usability of this vulnerable medium by modern terrorists.