Countering the influence of terrorist organizations in the digital landscape

Digital terrorism thrives as extremists exploit social media, urging Pakistan to counter online radicalization.

We are living in a digital age where almost everyone has access to the internet. The digital ecosystem is widely dominated by technology such as algorithms, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and cybersecurity.

As the world gears up to cherish this digitalization, unfortunately, terrorist organizations are manipulating the technological modernisation to exploit the local grievances of people to leverage their ends by propagating disinformation against the state.

Social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and WhatsApp have granted them an opportunity to coordinate, communicate, and convince prospective radicals. The effect of online and offline radicalization is proving to be challenging to counter owing to its complexity.

Social media that works on algorithms attracts like-minded individuals to the unrestricted plethora of violent footage and content along with the possibility of connecting actors across the globe.

The advancement of mass media has entirely changed the dynamic of radicalization and aggravated the threats of cyberterrorism because of the accessibility, availability, and affordability of the internet. Terrorists and extremists use social media as a major tool to echo their ideas.

This article will now delve into the case study of how the TTP and BLA are potentially radicalizing the youth in the context of Pakistan.

Recently, a student from Punjab University, Talal Aziz, who surrendered to authorities, revealed how the proscribed terrorist organization Baloch Liberation Army leadership, which is based in the mountainsides of the country or abroad, is recruiting students through digital platforms across the country.

Historically, the BLA had recruited a multitude of students through their egregious dark web passages and encrypted message tactics on Telegram. The recruitment of Baloch women for suicide attacks is the sheer evidence of BLA’s chilling technological evolution in spreading propaganda videos that glorify the violence and terrorists as martyrs.

In addition to that, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have made their presence known on social media since the Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan established their dominance over Kabul.

TTP operates under the guise of Islam by transmitting or posting “out of context” Islamic verses and scripture without mentioning their origin in order to escalate social chaos and justify their political violence and jihad.

The TTP ideological and social radicalization via social media outlets in the tribal region or peripheries has an inexorable effect on the minds of youths who are uneducated, unemployed, and far from political awareness.

The reason youth succumb to such an option is, firstly, their interaction or connectivity with the internet, and secondly, they feel that their sense of disenfranchisement could only be solved through violence, which was poured into their minds by being exposed to heavily inundated content on social media that organically indoctrinated them toward their ideologies.

Digital terrorism is not a national phenomenon threatening one state but a borderless issue that deserves international attention. Terrorists take advantage of the anonymity and reach of the internet as a means to instill fear, tyrannize populations, and disrupt societies through staunch propaganda, sabotaging critical infrastructure, and instigating violence.

The threat of cyber terrorism and online radicalization are national security issues and need to be cautiously considered by the government in order to escape any prevailing threat that we might face in the future.

The dynamics of warfare are changed because when Pakistani forces cracked down on the physical space of terrorists, they opted to manipulate the country’s cyber vulnerabilities, which require urgent policy reassessment, despite the Cyber Security Wing in the Federal Investigation Agency for the implementation of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the laws related to cyber terrorism.

Pakistan’s digital shortcomings persist, and effective countermeasures are decisively required to combat cyber radicalization.

To address this delicate issue, Pakistan should espouse a multifaceted approach, taking the international community in confidence. Pakistan should invest in advanced technology in an effort to safeguard our digital infrastructure from cyberattacks.

Collaborating with countries that are known for their advanced technological expertise and research, like China, America, and the UK, which have gone through the same vessels, we should adopt their model, typically addressing digital terrorism. Furthermore, Pakistan should develop a national strategy that comprises cyber surveillance, partnerships with tech companies, a robust legislative framework, promoting counter-narratives, and community engagement.

In the cyber surveillance, the monitoring should be strict enough that ordinary citizens shouldn’t have access to extremist content, especially on daily usage social media apps. After all these measures, further steps are up to the judiciary and armed forces.