Terrorist Use of the Internet: Information Operations in Cyberspace

New CRS report address US federal government efforts to address cyberterrorism, includes comment on the Kill Switch Bill.

New Study Documents Growing Role for Private Companies in Policing Online Communications

A new EDRI study finds that powers traditionally employed by law enforcement agencies and the judiciary “are silently being delegated by governments to ISPs and corporations under the guise of industry “self-regulation”. The report details significant efforts to entrust intermediaries with policing powers, surveys the impact of “voluntary ‘self-regulation’” on online content and draws attention [...]

UN focuses on use of Internet to counter appeal of extremist violence

Using the World Wide Web to craft and deliver effective counter-narratives to fight the appeal of extremist violence was the focus of a three-day, United Nations-organized counter-terrorism workshop which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “There is no single counter-narrative just as there is no single audience – we will aim to look at many [...]

UN report confirms gap between law and reality, torture, secret detentions and police harassment in Tunisia under Ben Ali

The United Nations just published a report on its website which describes the fact-finding mission of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the protection of human rights while countering terrorism in January 2010. On the basis of the evidence he gathered, he observed a pattern of unacknowledged detention being used vis-à-vis terrorist suspects. During the [...]

YouTube is letting users decide on terrorism-related videos

YouTube and its parent company, Google, have been criticized by lawmakers for refusing to prescreen militant speeches and propaganda videos that have been cited in more than a dozen terrorism investigations over the last five years. Now the LA Times reports that rather than submit to policies that many argue would amount to an erosion [...]

Study of legal provisions and practices related to freedom of expression, the free flow of information and media pluralism on the Internet in the OSCE participating States

The report presents the initial stage of research into the first comprehensive study of legal provisions and practices related to freedom of expression, the free flow of information and media pluralism on the Internet in the OSCE participating States. Read the preliminary report by Dr. Yaman Akdeniz here.

European Commission adopts internal security strategy

The “EU Internal Security Strategy in Action” adopted today comprises 41 actions to be regulated in the coming four years and is imed at implementing the extra powers in the field of home affairs acquired by the EU once the Lisbon Treaty came into force. It also responds to requests from the European Parliament to [...]

F.B.I. Seeks Wider Wiretap Law for Web

The NY Times reports that Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, traveled to Silicon Valley on Tuesday to meet with top executives of several technology firms, including Google and Facebook,  about a proposal to make it easier to wiretap Internet users. Mr. Mueller wants to expand a 1994 law, [...]

Cheering for Osama: How Jihadists Use Internet Discussion Forums

This report from the not entirely uncontroversial Quilliam Foundation – which focuses exclusively on Arabic-language websites – should be understood in the context of three important trends in the Arab world: rapidly rising Internet usage, high levels of youth unemployment, and the continuing lack of real political change and sufficient peaceable outlets for legitimate political [...]

U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet

Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone. Essentially, officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications — including encrypted e-mail transmitters [...]