InfoAnda - Extremist websites offer intelligence 'gold mine': experts

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Q&A: Jarvis Cocker delves Further into rock | Entertainment | | 23 May 2009
Dissident goes on trial, could face death penalty | 28 December 2009
Brittney Griner racks up 19 points as Baylor pummels Chattanooga | 14 November 2011

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival | 6 August 2009

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Extremist websites offer intelligence 'gold mine': experts

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Search Search: Extremist websites offer intelligence 'gold mine': experts AFP - Saturday, April 18 EL ESCORIAL, Spain (AFP) - - Western governments are increasingly unwilling to close or filter extremist websites, viewing them instead as an intelligence "gold mine" on terrorist activities, experts say. ADVERTISEMENT "Almost all Western governments are thinking along the same lines -- that it's better to monitor these (sites) than to try to censor everything on the Internet," said Dr Peter Neumann, director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR). He spoke to AFP on the sidelines of the two-day Conference on Terrorism and Cyber Security which concludes Friday in El Escorial, outside Madrid, under the auspices of the Council of Europe human rights body and the Organisation of American States. Raphael Perl, head of the Action Against Terrorism Unit of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said extremist websites and forums have now become a "gold mine" of information for intelligence agencies. "Governments are trying to maximise their efforts to use the Internet as a source of intelligence gathering on terrorists, particularly Al-Qaeda," he told AFP. "But of course this has human rights implications too, as not everyone who is monitored is necessarily a terrorist." Mike Smith, the head of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee, agreed. "It's a window into their operations, but there's a dilemma there that has to be resolved," he said. In a report published last month, Neumann's ICSR said that closing down or restricting user access to extremist websites is "crude, expensive and counterproductive." The terrorism expert said many governments had initially believed there was "some technical gadget that allows them to filter out all the extremist info. "But the more they learn about technology the more they realise it's not actually possible, and they come to the conclusion that what they really should be doing is monitoring things that are going on the Internet," said Neumann, whose book "Old and New Terrorism" is to be published this year. Terrorists also are avoiding Internet because they believe they are being monitored and this "deters these (terrorist) activities from taking place," he said. But Perl said Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups are now taking measures to hide their online activities and "stay below the radar screen," including using "steganography", a system of coded messages. "It's a continual cat and mouse game" between intelligence services and terrorists, he said. Still, he suggested, there are limits. Sometimes websites do become "so radical and so dangerous to the public" that they are eliminated, Perl said. "Sometimes you need to make a show against a particular site.., to show that governments are on the offensive too," he said. But even then, "another site pops up, it's like squeezing a balloon." Neumann said the "three biggest Jihadist web forums" were closed down late last year, apparently by Western intelligence agencies. "But there's been a lot of argument about what has happened as a consequence. Some governments say the traffic has simply gone to other sites," he said. Rather than just closing down such sites when they become too offensive, Neumannl suggested their producers be prosecuted. He said extremist websites are often based in countries like the United States, where they are legal due to the national laws on free speech. "We should focus on the people behind the websites not necessarily on the websites," he said. Neumann also downplayed chances of a major terrorist attack on the Internet. "Terrorism is about creating a form of theatre, visual attacks. I don't think cyber attacks would deliver that." Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article 0 users recommend Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Internet Portals & Search Engines Extremist websites offer intelligence 'gold mine': expertsAFP - Saturday, April 18 Germany bids to block child porn sitesAFP - Saturday, April 18 Court jails The Pirate Bay foundersAFP - Saturday, April 18 Sony Ericsson says Android phone to take timeReuters - Saturday, April 18 Related Articles: Technology Obama names first US chief technology officerAFP - Sunday, April 19 U.S. cybersecurity review done, heads to Obama soonReuters - Saturday, April 18 US videogame sales slump in MarchAFP - Saturday, April 18 Stockholm court jails The Pirate Bay founders for a yearAFP - Saturday, April 18 Intel, Google results don't light investors' firesReuters - Saturday, April 18

Other News on Saturday, 18 April 2009
Arab peace plan as part of Palestinian state push: U.S. | International |
U.S. ends Zimbabwe travel warning, sanctions stay | International |
G8 farm ministers plot world food strategy | International |
Text for U.N. racism meeting approved | International |
Intel, Google results don't light investors' fires | Technology |
Videogames sales rebound seen despite setback | Technology |
Heidi Klum pregnant with fourth child | Entertainment |
Actors union and Hollywood producers reach deal | Entertainment |
Accused Tyra Banks stalker on trial in New York | Entertainment |
Playboy names University of Miami top U.S. party school | Entertainment |
Race car driver Castroneves acquitted in tax trial | Entertainment |
More aid needed for struggling Pakistan: Holbrooke | International |
China's Wen says key currency countries need watching | International |
China plans $10 bln ASEAN infrastructure fund | International |
Red Cross hostage in Philippines walks free | International |
Eurozone interest rates won't go to zero: ECB chief
North Korea seeks rare talks with South on factory park | International |
Britain's MI5 seeking real 'Q'
China coal mine warehouse blast kills at least 18 | International |
Ailing Citigroup returns to profit after heavy losses
Accused Colombia FARC rebels extradited to U.S. | International |
GM needs $5 bln more government aid 'soon'
Bolivia aims to untangle plot to kill Morales | International |
Citigroup posts $1.6 bln net profit
Court finds The Pirate Bay founders guilty
Obama shields CIA officers over US 'torture'
Germany starts bid to nationalise Hypo Real Estate
US environment agency deems CO2 a health risk
New pollution limits seen for cars, big plants
U.S. cybersecurity review done, heads to Obama soon | Technology |
Sony Ericsson says Android phone to take time
Beyonce announces U.S. tour dates | Entertainment |
Drew Barrymore terrified of Grey Gardens role | Entertainment |
Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN leaves Oprah atwitter | Entertainment |
Yusuf Islam's past, present in harmony on new album | Entertainment |
Director Kevin Smith to play Carnegie Hall | Entertainment |
China's premier says economy better than expected
Vietnam reduces taxes to push up demand: govt
Tori Amos explores rules of attraction on Sin | Entertainment |
Pakistani c.bank buys 56.2 bln rupees of T-bills
China sets up 10 bln dlr fund for SE Asia: Wen
Director Kevin Smith to play Carnegie Hall
Vietnam announces stimulus plan to help farmers
Actors union relents in tentative studio deal
China hauls US to WTO over poultry
Producers, actors in 'tentative' labor deal
China looks to farmers to boost economy
Actors union and Hollywood producers reach deal
Taiwan's economy to contract 3.59% in 2009: think tank
New rules, market for Vietnam unlisted firms: officials
Sony Ericsson to cut 2,000 jobs after losses
Congress weighs far-reaching global warming bill
Iran sentences US reporter to 8 years in jail
Obama to convene cabinet to cut gov't spending
Wanted: Computer hackers ... to help government
Top CIA officials enforced waterboarding policy
CIA interrogators inflated suspect's importance
US environment agency deems CO2 a health risk
Obama and US critic Chavez shake hands at summit
Obama names first US chief technology officer
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 606
U.S. cybersecurity review done, heads to Obama soon
US videogame sales slump in March
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,274
Stockholm court jails The Pirate Bay founders for a year
US military ponders options to combat piracy
Intel, Google results don't light investors' fires
Videogames sales rebound seen despite setback
Oprah makes Twitter debut with SHOUT out to fans
Private equity firms win battle for bankrupt Polaroid
Extremist websites offer intelligence 'gold mine': experts
Germany bids to block child porn sites
Toshiba to raise $5 bln: reports
Searchers seek bodies after Indonesia plane crash
US envoy leads Indonesia's Earth Day celebration
Indonesia detains Afghans trying to reach Australia
Small plane carrying 9 crashes in Indonesia
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01