Violent extremists like the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, have become increasingly sophisticated at creating dense, global networks of support online, networks that are helping these groups run virtual circles around governments and communities. And it is activities like these that have raised a disturbing prospect, one that has serious implications for fighting extremism: We could lose the information war.
It’s with this troubling reality in mind that the Obama administration will this week hold a Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, where it will underscore the importance of technology companies in the fight against terrorist recruitment.
This is critical. As Robert Hannigan, director of Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (the National Security Agency’s sister organization), emphasized, technology companies’ services “have become the command-and-control networks of choice for terrorists.”
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