Internet An Ideal Tool For Extremists - FBI

Modern information technology is facilitating new organizational models used by extremist groups, according to the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC). Technologies such as Internet relay chat (IRC), Web-based bulletin boards, and free e-mail accounts are enabling extremist groups to adopt a structure known as "leaderless resistance," according to an unclassified document published Nov. 10 by the NIPC. "An extremist organization whose members get guidance from e-mails or by visiting a secure Web site can operate in a coordinated fashion without its members ever having to meet face to face," said the report, which was prepared by NIPC cyber-terrorism experts. Extremist groups have adopted the leaderless resistance model in part to "limit damage from penetration by authorities" seeking information about impending attacks, the NIPC said. Besides offering a medium for secure communications, Internet technologies also enable extremists to provide a "steady stream of propaganda" aimed at recruitment and indoctrination. The report also said that electronic communication tools such as IRC and America Online's ICQ chat software enable widely dispersed members to share information "in support of a common (and sometimes violent) goal."