http://www.hstoday.us/single-article/jihadists-have-infested-world-s-second-biggest-streaming-music-service/5b3a76220513466575f0f6cd925b1cbc.html
Jihadists Have Infested World's Second Biggest Streaming Music Service By: Anthony Kimery, Editor-in-Chief 11/08/2014 ( 1:45pm) [image: Bookmark and Share] <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=xa-4a8ac57416db70f7> As a prelude to a major comprehensive report on the history of online jihad by Al Qaeda in Afghanistan to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria to be released next week by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor, MEMRI Executive Director Steven Stalinsky made available to *Homeland Security Today* his new report on how jihadists of all [image: http://www.hstoday.us/uploads/RTEmagicC_ISIS_SOUNDCLOUD2.jpg.jpg]stripes have infested SoundCloud, a Berlin-based social networking platform created in 2007 that allows users to upload and share audio content for free. “The company started off as an online stage where musicians could collaborate with each other, and much of the content that can be found on it consists of original albums or tracks uploaded by musicians,” Stalinsky wrote in his report. “However, the company has evolved into the ‘YouTube of audio’ where musicians can upload their latest original work, supporters can upload political candidate speeches and more. With 175 million monthly listeners, SoundCloud is now the second biggest streaming music service in the world.” And it hasn’t gone unnoticed by jihadists. “While YouTube and the Internet Archive are known as favorite platforms for jihadists to share videos, the most recent addition to the social media lineup for this group is SoundCloud,” Stalinsky said. Stalinsky reported that, “Among these users and listeners are ardent supporters of Al Qaeda, the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) and other jihadi groups who have taken advantage of this social sound platform. User avatars include images celebrating 9/11, the black flag used by Al Qaeda and its offshoots, and martyrs from Syria, Iraq and other jihadi fronts, including leaders of Al Qaeda affiliates such as Jabhat Al Nusra (JN), Islamic State and other organizations.” Stalinsky said, “It should be mentioned that recently jihadists on Twitter now tweet links to their favorite tracks on SoundCloud,” and that, “Content on [image: http://www.hstoday.us/uploads/RTEmagicC_ISIS_SOUNDCLOUD_01.jpg.jpg]SoundCloud is being disseminated via other social media. For example, the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula media wing Al Malahem tweets files from the ISIS radio station Al Bayan in Ninawa, Iraq which broadcasts news summaries and latest developments.” In addition, “voice recordings of jihadist groups’ commanders are also disseminated,” Stalinsky said. But SoundCloud’s terms of service is not being enforced, Stalinsky said, pointing out that, according to SoundCloud's terms of service, a user "must not use the platform to upload, post, store, transmit, display, copy, distribute, promote, make available or otherwise communicate to the public ... any content ... that promotes violence [and] terrorism.” The terms of service “goes on to state that the users ‘hereby represent and warrant to SoundCloud … your content … is not and will not … promote violence, terrorism,’” Stalinsky said. “As part of their online media strategy, jihadi groups have in recent years begun using Western websites and technologies, uploading videos to YouTube and to the Internet Archive, creating official Facebook pages, tweeting news flashes from the jihadi fronts, posting images on Instagram and other services, and using numerous other social media as they emerge,” Stalinsky explained. “Jihadis have also come to depend on free web hosting and services such as Internet Archive.org, where content can be uploaded anonymously, reliably and at no cost. *Homeland Security Today <http://www.hstoday.us/briefings/daily-news-analysis/single-article/is-releases-beheading-video-of-uk-national-as-jihadists-work-to-keep-propaganda-videos-available-on-net-archive-in-part-supported-by-us/074dbc5ae17e5089b81fdcf3c6dbb587.html>* earlier reported <http://www.hstoday.us/briefings/daily-news-analysis/single-article/is-releases-beheading-video-of-uk-national-as-jihadists-work-to-keep-propaganda-videos-available-on-net-archive-in-part-supported-by-us/074dbc5ae17e5089b81fdcf3c6dbb587.html> that the San Fransisco-based Internet Archive.org where ISIS beheading and other violent propaganda videos were uploaded is institutionally supported by the US government through the National Science Foundation and Library of Congress. Users are prohibited from acting in any way that might give rise to civil or criminal liability; not to harass, threaten or otherwise annoy anyone; and not to act in any way that might be harmful to minors, including, without limitation, transmitting or facilitating the transmission of child pornography, which is prohibited by federal law and may be reported to the authorities should it be discovered by the archive.” The Internet Archive also cautions that, "Because the content of the collections comes from around the world and from many different sectors, the collections may contain information that might be deemed offensive, disturbing, pornographic, racist, sexist, bizarre, misleading, fraudulent or otherwise objectionable.” Soon after *Homeland Security Today* published links to ISIS beheadings and other violent videos, the videos were quickly and quietly removed by the archive. “The use of social media in the current conflict in Syria and Iraq highlights the global jihad movement's complete dependence on the Internet and on US-based social media companies,” Stalinsky said, noting, “A large number of jihadis who have gone to Syria use Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Ask.FM, Kik and other social media to communicate, plan attacks, fundraise and keep in touch with family and friends.” Robert Hannigan, the new director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) -- the UK's security and intelligence organization -- wrote an article in a UK newspaper <http://www.hstoday.us/briefings/daily-news-analysis/single-article/uk-s-new-intel-director-says-us-tech-firms-aid-terrorism/939a0d9f7e2a5a9e8cd6d0f7028aa311.html> warning that the Web is the terrorist’s command and control network of choice. Hannigan, who assumed the position of GCHQ director on November 3, accused some US tech companies of being in denial about the misuse of their services. In his article in *Financial Times*, Hannigan wrote ISIS is the first terrorist group whose members have grown up on the Internet. “They are exploiting the power of the Web to create a jihadi threat with near-global reach," he said. "The challenge to governments and their intelligence agencies is huge – and it can only be met with greater co-operation from technology companies.” “No other group has been as effective in the art of propaganda since the Cold War era Soviets,” G.L. ‘Chip’ Lechner III recently wrote in a *Homeland Security Today* report <http://www.hstoday.us/briefings/daily-news-analysis/single-article/the-rise-of-the-media-mujahedeen/f8fd5c61f6e5786272ddab14928a2620.html>. “One area IS has no equal is the use of social media (Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Ask.FM, Kik) which the group has used with unsurpassed self-confidence. Probably the most brazen action taken by the group has been the release of the android application, “The Dawn of Glad Tidings.’” Lechner said, “The application was released in April 2014 and was available on the Google Play Store, Google’s official app marketplace. ‘The Dawn of Glad Tidings’ allowed the group to send Twitter messages using the accounts of individuals that had the app installed, and, thus, keep users abreast of pending actions and needs. It’s one of the many tools ISIS has used to manipulate the perception on social media that their content was bigger and more popular than perceived prior to the application’s creation. Hashtag manipulation has also been one of ISIS’s fortes.” Recorded Future, an all-in-one Web intelligence platform, from source collection and processing to analysis and reporting, reported in September <https://www.recordedfuture.com/isis-twitter-activity/> based on an analysis -- in conjunction with Sky News -- of jihadists' use of social media that ISIS is jumping from account to account, giving Twitter fits in trying to keep up. “Twitter’s current enforcement tactics are struggling to keep up,” Recorded Future said. “ISIS supporters will create a new account, usually under a very similar name, almost immediately after their profile is suspended by Twitter,” the Recorded Future analysis said, noting that, “The new user handle is then promoted by other ISIS-related Twitter accounts.” “Despite Twitter’s efforts to shut down accounts, the number of users that talk favorably about ISIS since August 20, 2014 [post-release of the James Foley beheading video] is still quite large at over 27,000 accounts,” Recorded Future reported. “Terrorists fundamentally thrive on being vocal. Only by having their voice heard is their message of fear disseminated. ISIS would not have filmed and uploaded the decapitation of Foley had they not wanted the video shared via social media,” wrote Dr. Shane Shook, chief strategy officer and vice president of West Coast Operations for ZeroFOX, in his *Homeland Security Today* report, *Your Favorite Social Networks are Now Weapons of Terror <http://www.hstoday.us/focused-topics/counternarcotics-terrorism-intelligence/single-article-page/your-favorite-social-networks-are-now-weapons-of-terror/6e969fd463f1722ba28a19b3af9d9fb6.html>*. “Therein lies the value of the Internet for terrorists: ‘propagande par le fait,’ or ‘propaganda of the deed.’” Stalinsky said the following SoundCloud jihadists’ accounts “highlight some of the thousands of jihadi user accounts on SoundCloud, whose numbers are growing daily, as well as how they are being used.” The "YassmineOkasheh" account features a number of songs, anthems and sermons commending the beauty of jihad and martyrdom, including a recording glorifying Osama Bin Laden. Posts are typically hashtagged #jihadi or #nasheed; as of this writing, this account has 30 tracks and 83 followers. “UmTwinz.” This page, although it has no original content, has compiled a playlist of 23 tracks either from or about American born jihadi sheikh Anwar Al Awlaki, who was killed in Yemen in a US drone strike. Thirteen of the tracks on this playlist are sermons in English by Al Awlaki, each of which has received 200-300 plays. The “AbuSayfullah” account consists exclusively of songs (nasheeds) glorifying ISIS. Although it has only 24 followers, the play count for each of the 29 tracks averages 300-400 plays, with the “ISIS Nasheed” having been played more than 1,400 times. The “Shabab As Syam” account consists primarily of nasheeds and sermons targeting members of ISIS and other jihadists around the world, including Chechnya and Palestine. It also posts links to English and Arabic news reports about ISIS and Jabhat Al Nusra. It currently has 32 tracks and 63 followers. 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![http://www.hstoday.us/uploads/RTEmagicC_ISIS_SOUNDCLOUD2.jpg.jpg]stripes](http://www.hstoday.us/uploads/RTEmagicC_ISIS_SOUNDCLOUD2.jpg.jpg]stripes){kind=link}
![http://www.hstoday.us/uploads/RTEmagicC_ISIS_SOUNDCLOUD_01.jpg.jpg]SoundCloud](http://www.hstoday.us/uploads/RTEmagicC_ISIS_SOUNDCLOUD_01.jpg.jpg]SoundCloud){kind=link}