Technological Facilitation of Terrorism

Abstract

This article notes the difficulty in defining cyberterrorism and several problems associated with identifying the potential misuses of the Internet and the World Wide Web by terrorist groups. In particular, the use of digital steganography has recently been identified as an emerging and alarming trend by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. This technological innovation is used as a case study of the complexities surrounding cyberterrorism, its definition, and how democracies can deal with these advances in communication technology. Supplementing this discussion is a review of the various social, regulatory, and legal forms of social intervention related to controlling electronic communications. The conclusion of this article includes an analytical framework from which additional research into these issues could be conducted and suggests how policy solutions for said complexities could be formulated.