CorpComms Magazine

As much as 90 per cent of organised terrorism on the Internet takes place on social media sites, according to a recent study by Professor Gabriel Weimann at the University of Haifa in the North of Israel.

Weimann found that social media platforms which include Facebook and YouTube are being targeted by Islamist radicals to recruit new members and to gather intelligence. The study also found that people are readily accepting 'friend requests' on social media channels, allowing the terrorist organisations to recruit new members from further afield.

The research also pointed to more basic forms of social media, such as forums, being used by Islamist radicals to make preparations for terror attacks. Such forums are also being used to gain expertise in bomb-making, according to Weimann.

Weimann made reference to reports from Lebanon which stated that Hezbollah was trawling through the Facebook accounts of the Israel Defence Forces to search for intelligence.

Weimann told The Jerusalem Post: 'Facebook has become a great place to obtain intelligence. Many users don't even bother finding out who they are confirming as (a) 'friend' and to whom they are providing access to a large amount of information on their personal life. The terrorists themselves, in parallel, are able to create false profiles that enable them to get into highly visible groups.'

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