Government Veterans to Take Fight to Extremists on Online Battleground--- how much is that costing us? they're already on the dole, so do they get more?
On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 12:34:46 PM UTC-5, Travis wrote: > > > > > > > > http://time.com/3418918/counter-extremism-group-isis-twitter-internet/ > > > Government Veterans to Take Fight to Extremists on Online Battleground > > Sept. 22, 2014 > The Counter Extremism Project aims to wage cyberwar with groups like ISIS > > A group of top former government officials on Monday launched a new > organization devoted to fighting global extremism, including a program that > will study the digital strategy of groups like the Islamic State of Iraq > and Greater Syria (ISIS) in an effort to combat their success at spreading > propaganda online. > > The nonpartisan group, known as the Counter Extremism Project, said one of > its initial goals will be to amass data on how ISIS distributes information > and recruits sympathizers on the Internet. Over time, the group will try to > help the U.S. government and global partners squelch the terrorists’ > organizing advantage online, where government officials have lagged behind > their enemies. > > “You’ve got to think of the cyber-realm as a new battlefield, and we’ve > been kind of absent,” Frances Townsend, the group’s president, told TIME. > “We’ve not done it very effectively.” > > The swift rise of ISIS has showcased the group’s proficiency on social > media, where they have used platforms like Twitter > <http://time.com/3319278/isis-isil-twitter/>to lure foreign fighters and > sow terror through both polished propaganda and crude videos, such as the > beheading of American journalists and a British aid worker. > > In recent months, the U.S. State Department has ramped up its efforts > <http://time.com/3305202/isis-barack-obama-social-media/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+timeblogs%2Fswampland+%28TIME%3A+Swampland%29> > > to neutralize ISIS’s success at recruiting on the Internet by pointing out > the group’s religious hypocrisy and penchant for brutal violence. But ISIS > remains a step or two ahead of counter-terrorism efforts, flitting from > platform to platform and finding new ways to disseminate their brutal > message. > > “The U.S. government doesn’t seem … to be that nimble,” says Townsend, a > former Homeland Security adviser to President George W. Bush. The group > will try to “build that tactical capability to counter that and push back.” > > It’s not clear how the new organization will succeed where others have > failed. Townsend said the “Counter Narrative Program” will start by > collecting ISIS propaganda, learning how they tailor their message to > target different audiences and providing translation services so that > academics, journalists and researchers can study the terrorist group’s > techniques. > > From there, the program will craft a counter-messaging campaign, Townsend > said, which might, for example, note ISIS’s record of human-rights abuses > and its record of atrocities committed against women, children and > civilians. But she said that it was too early to discuss specific tactics. > “We’re going to take baby steps before we can walk or run,” Townsend says. > > The Counter Extremism Project is modeled after United Against Nuclear > Iran, a hawkish research and policy group, and shares some of the same top > advisers. In addition to Townsend, the new organization’s leadership > includes Mark Wallace, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and > senior adviser to Republican presidential candidates, and former > Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. > > Another key element of the group’s mission will be to research and expose > the financial networks that have propped up the rise of groups like ISIS. > It will have offices in New York and Brussels, plus an additional location > in Europe and likely a second office in Washington. The size of the > organization will hinge on its fundraising prowess. > > To encourage wealthy patrons, the Counter Extremism Project is structured > as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that will shield the identity of its > donors. “As a fundraising technique,” Wallace explained at a press > conference on Monday, “keeping our donors secret inspires them to give.” > > > > > __._,_.___ > ------------------------------ > Posted by: "Beowulf" <[email protected] <javascript:>> > ------------------------------ > > > Visit Your Group > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmcWZzb2NhBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0MTE1NzIzMTY-> > > > > [image: Yahoo! 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