Internet no safe haven for terrorism

People have benefited enormously from the development of the Internet. However, terrorist organizations are also making extensive use of this global network to turn it into a new battlefield. Terrorists spread propaganda, glorify extremist ideologies and promote violence via the Internet, and they use it to recruit terrorists and incite individuals to commit terrorist acts by sharing operational instructions, explosive making methods and practical guides. The Internet is also used for fund-raising by many terrorist groups. Furthermore, some terrorists have launched cyberattacks against key institutions and networks.

There should be no safe haven for terrorism on the Internet. To counter online terrorism, efforts should be made to work out national legislation to criminalize the use of the Internet for terrorism. National laws must provide investigators and prosecutors with the necessary tools to investigate and prosecute terrorist offenses on the Internet. Special care is needed to collect and preserve digital evidence to ensure a smooth litigation process against suspected Internet terrorism.

Efforts should be made to strengthen the capacity of the "watchdogs" to prevent and counter the use of the Internet for terrorism. In this age of mega-data, more experts should be trained to identify and remove hidden or disguised terrorist materials, videos and other harmful information on the Internet and prevent potential cyberattacks by terrorists.