[Infowarrior] - Congress examines Net as 'terror tool'

[Richard Forno]

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071128-congress-to-examine-the-intern
et-as-a-tool-for-homegrown-terrorism.html

Congress to examine "the Internet" as a tool for homegrown terrorism

By Jacqui Cheng | Published: November 28, 2007 - 10:03PM CT

The House of Representatives last month passed a bill known as the Violent
Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, which asks
the National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and
Homegrown Terrorism to develop tools to monitor and combat "homegrown
terrorism" along with the promotion of ideologically-based violence within
the US. In particular, the bill cites the Internet as a tool used to
facilitate "violent radicalization." Despite some of the alarmist coverage
of the bill, however, there is only one mention of the 'Net.

The bill was introduced earlier this year by Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), and it
passed by a 404 to 6 margin. It's off to the Senate now, where it may still
stagnate and disappear. Given its heavy support in the House and focus on a
hot-button issue, though, we can expect that members of the Senate will at
least consider what is being proposed in the name of fighting terrorism.

Here's the section of the bill that has some observers up in arms:

    The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization,
ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the
United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of
terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens.

The section quoted above is, in fact, the only specific mention of the
Internet in the bill. The remainder of the "findings" only vaguely address a
need to understand, prevent, and combat homegrown terrorism in the US‹all of
which are noble goals‹with the Internet being the only tool singled out.

The bill also calls on the DHS to establish a grant program to prevent
radicalization, create university-based centers of excellence for the "Study
of Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism" in the US, and study the
methodologies used by other countries to prevent radicalization and
homegrown terrorism.

It's no secret that terrorists use the Internet to aid communications‹it is,
after all, extremely quick and mostly anonymous. Indeed, the head of US
Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, warned us last year that terrorists can
"train themselves over the Internet" without ever having to set foot in a
training camp. The 'Net can be used to spread propaganda, engage in
psychological warfare, recruit, network, and coordinate attacks. But so can
plenty of other communications tools. Cracking down on 'Net propaganda can
be difficult, too, because of the cross-border nature of the Internet, but
that hasn't stopped the EU from trying to ban the distribution of
bomb-making instructions online. Should this law pass, it is possible that
such restrictions would be proposed for the US, but any proposals would
still have to pass a Congressional vote and judicial review.

The bigger bone of contention is that the law will simply fund paranoia
towards dissidents and could even set off another wave of McCarthy-style
hysteria over "terrorists" in the US. Because the bill leaves all
definitions up to the committee, critics like Philip Giraldi worry that it
will be used to target just about everyone who dislikes some aspect of
government policy. Writing for the left-leaning  Huffington Post, Giraldi
argues that the act "could easily be abused to define any group that is
pressuring the political system as 'terrorist,' ranging from polygamists, to
second amendment rights supporters, anti-abortion protesters, anti-tax
agitators, immigration activists, and peace demonstrators. In reality, of
course, it will be primarily directed against Muslims and Muslim
organizations."

Similar claims are made in a lengthy piece at The Indypendent, and a
follow-up piece on blogosphere reaction shows just how hyped-up the rhetoric
here has become ("Stop S. 1959 or lose Internet free speech," one poster
wrote). Such rhetoric seems more than a bit over the top, since the
commission doesn't have the power to make laws or to rewrite the
Constitution. Still, if the issue concerns you, now would be an excellent
time to contact your senator.