[Infowarrior] - S Terrorist Use of Social Networking Facebook Case Study

[Richard Forno]

(U//FOUO//LES) DHS Terrorist Use of Social Networking Facebook Case Study

December 5, 2010 in Department of Homeland Security

Due to its format, the following document cannot be conclusively dated. However, it is believed to have been created within the last month.

TERRORIST USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
FACEBOOK CASE STUDY

	• For Official Use Only
	• Law Enforcement Sensitive
	• 2010

Terrorists have traditionally sought to exploit new and alternative media, particularly on the Internet, to spread their propaganda and to a lesser extent, operational and tactical guidance to prospective supporters through websites, forums, blogs, chat rooms etc. In recent years, Islamic terrorists have expanded the purview of their online endeavors into social networking sites, websites that create and foster online communities organized around shared affinities and affiliations that connect people based on interests and relationships. In most cases, social networking sites are openly viewable to any participant on the site.

As part of this trend, jihad supporters and mujahideen are increasingly using Facebook, one of the largest, most popular and diverse social networking sites, both in the United States and globally, to propagate operational information, including IED recipes primarily in Arabic, but in English, Indonesian, Urdu and other languages as well. While some tactical information is available on Facebook, the majority of extremist use of Facebook focuses on disseminating ideological information and exploiting the site as an alternative media outlet for terrorist propaganda. However, to a lesser degree, the site is used as a gateway to radical forums and jihadi sites with explicit radical agendas (and easily downloadable operational information) and as a platform to promulgate some tactical and operational information.

Terrorist Use of Facebook:

• As a way to share operational and tactical information, such as bomb recipes, AK-47 maintenance and use, tactical shooting, etc.
• As a gateway to extremist sites and other online radical content by linking on
Facebook group pages and in discussion forums.
• As a media outlet for terrorist propaganda and extremist ideological messaging.
• As a wealth of information for remote reconnaissance for targeting purposes.


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