Understanding Terrorism Concepts

Defining Terrorism

• Terrorism, from a government perspective, is all criminal acts against a state or organization intending to instill terror in individuals or the public. (League of Nations Convention, 1937).
• From an academic view, terrorism is used for idiosyncratic, criminal, or political reasons.
• Unlike assassination, the direct violence targets are not the primary goals.
• Victims are often randomly or selectively chosen to spread a message through orchestrated violence.

Terrorism Characteristics

• Terrorism involves acts of violence against innocents.
• It often features methodical or serial operations with advance planning.
• It lacks moral restraints and aims to gain attention through unpredictability and fear-mongering for an audience.
• Often involves political demands.

Terrorism Classification by Motivation

• Individual Terrorism: Often overlooked due to lower impact, excluding group involvement.
• Political-Social Terrorism: Motivated by overturning a government, successful groups often labelled as patriots or freedom fighters.
• Nationalist Terrorism: Driven by a shared social identity and perceived oppression, often leading to large memberships and enduring groups from persecution.
• Environmental Terrorism (Ecoterrorism): Driven by an ideology centered on conservation and animal rights. Examples include the ELF and ALF.
• State-Sponsored Terrorism: Governments perpetrating acts against citizens or supporting acts against other governments, highlighting examples like Nazi Germany and North Korea.
• Religious Terrorism: Considered the most dangerous and persistent type due to religious extremism, appearing across various religions.

Cyberterrorism

• Cyberterrorism is using the internet for terrorist acts, including large-scale computer network disruption through tools like viruses.
• A controversial concept.
• Aims to cause alarm and panic through disruption.
• Employs computers, networks for destruction and harm for political or ideological objectives.

Cyberterrorism as a Concept

• Unlike physical terrorism, cyberterrorism focuses more on communication.
• It features a transmitter (terrorist), recipient (audience), communication channel (victims), message, and desired reaction.

Cyberterrorism Types

• Simple-Unstructured: Basic hacks using pre-made tools, with minimal target analysis, command, and control.
• Advanced-Structured: More sophisticated attacks on multiple systems, potentially modifying or creating tools, with elementary target analysis, command, and control.
• Complex-Coordinated: Coordinated attacks causing mass disruption against varied defenses, creating complex tools, strong target analysis, command and control, and organization learning.

Terror Online Activity

• Propaganda, information dissemination: Terror groups use the internet to spread their ideology.
• Recruiting & Fundraising: Online tools help recruit new members and gather funding.
• Justification for Acts: Groups might claim victimhood or lack other avenues, presenting a peaceful rhetoric to achieve goals.
• Training: Utilizing readily available online resources (legitimate & illicit) for practical training, like bomb-making.
• Research & Planning: Gathering crucial information (e.g. blueprints, manuals) and planning attacks using online resources.
• Communication: Decentralized, cheaper, and harder to detect.
• Attack Mechanism: Attacks can be swift or slow, targeting critical infrastructure like centrifuges.

Terrorism and Crime

• Criminal Activities: Identity theft, copyright infringement, cyber warfare, as well as spreading computer viruses.
• Traditional Cyber Crimes: Identity theft, virus distribution, copyright infringement, are still cyber-crimes associated with both physical and cyber-crimes.

Organized Crime

• Organized Crime: Transnational, national, or local groups engaging in illegal activities, largely for profit.
• Examples: Trafficking in nuclear materials, human smuggling, identity theft.
• Origins: Criminal gangs.
• Growing reliance on technology for more profitable crimes.
• Characteristics: Hierarchical structure, violence, recognizability, longevity, exclusive membership.
• Activities: Extortion, bank fraud, ATM fraud, money laundering, human smuggling, confidence scams, and property theft.

Cybercrime/Organized Crime Groups

• Cyber gangs: Groups formed online employing networked systems for non-violent or violent criminal acts.
• Differences (Organized Crime vs Cybergangs): Organized crime tends towards violence and physical manipulation, while cyber gangs focus on digital tools and often lack physical structure.

Confronting Contemporary Organized Crime

• Diversity amongst groups: More involvement in these organizations.
• Economic motivations: Hacking and cyberattacks are driven by economic incentives.
• Implementing financial controls: KYC (Know Your Customer) policies in banking reduce fraud.
• "Know Your Customer" (KYC) policies in financial institutions.
• Innovative hacking methods: Traditional hacking methods are growing in sophistication.
• Convergence: Transnational organized crime and terrorism are merging.
• Global cooperation: International cooperation through treaties is crucial.
• Local empowerment: Resource allocation for local responses.
• Education & accountability: Addressing educational needs and accountability for online platforms.

Intersection of Organized Crime and Terrorism

• Differences: Organized crime is economically driven, while terrorism is ideologically motivated. Organized crime aims to corrupt, and terrorism to replace, existing governments.
• Similarities: Sophistication, similar methodologies, use of the internet, often thrive in regions with minimal government controls and law enforcement.