For all of us who love the Internet and technology, we must occasionally take a break from cheering on the democracy and the community building that exists in this virtual world and acknowledge that we share space with slime. We’re sitting right down the subway car from more than a few tin foil weirdoes, as well some deranged sickos and dangerous terrorists.
Today, Kristof writes about how terrorists have used the Internet to broadcast pictures of decapitations and enlist supporters.
Yet the jihadis themselves release these “beheading videos” on the Internet as part of their booming propaganda machine, and they are wrenching not only for their brutality but also because they underscore the insurgents’ increasing technological edge. If there’s any area where we should have the supreme advantage fighting terrorism, it’s the Internet – yet Islamic extremists sometimes run rings around us in cyberspace, using it to recruit and train terrorists and to communicate with each other in amazingly sophisticated ways…..
The jihadis also use the Internet for communications. They know that the American intelligence community uses sophisticated computer programs that scan e-mail messages, so some of them share a single e-mail account, and the person writing the message doesn’t send it but saves it as a draft. Then the recipient logs in and reads the draft without it ever actually being transmitted.
Likewise, the jihadis have communicated on gaming forums and even once on a bike forum. Sometimes they use the “live chat” function on Japanese gaming sites, where the only eavesdroppers are teeny-boppers.
Also in our cramped, little subway car are the pervs, who keep bumping against us at every sharp turn. A friend recently pointed out to me how the Internet has helped out pedophiles. The Times reported on how one boy was lured into Internet pornography by adults who showed him how to use webcams and paypal accounts.
We’re elbow to elbow with scum, and we may never be able to rid of them. They love the anonymity and secret corners of the web, while we love the open conversation. There’s not much that can be done about it, other than supporting legal means of monitoring their activity and perhaps just spitting in their general direction.
Apt. 11d 