Protection Against International Cyber-Terrorism

Topic Overview

Technology, in the past decades, has advanced at unprecedented rates. As a result, policy, in the international arena, has not been able to keep up with these rapid technological advancements. Technology has been the key to the global market and the incredible interconnectedness of countries today. As a result of the underdeveloped policy surrounding technology and its increasing influence on the social, economic, and political climate in international politics, cyber security and the threat of cyber terrorism are of the utmost importance for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

Background

In the 21st century, the internet has been a key for many terrorist groups to recruit followers, disseminate propaganda, spread their ideologies to radicalize individuals, hack into confidential data, and also garner funds. In many ways, it has allowed many radical groups, like the Islamic State, to not only survive but also grow at a rate that would not have been possible without the use of social media websites and the rest of the internet. As the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, it is your responsibility to build on the already existing policies to help stop the threat of international cyber terrorism and set up protocol that outlines how to combat this issue.

In the past two decades, the United Nations has collaborated with many international organizations to help accrue data and monitor the developing threat of cyber-terrorism in the international community. The Group of Governmental Experts (GGE), which began in 2004, has been accumulating data from participating countries to suggest policy decisions to the United Nations on how best to prevent cyber attacks. At the most recent meeting of the group on October 5, 2016, Camino Kavanagh, a cyber security expert, “explained that a divide exists between development and internet governance in relation to international security. Human rights concerns have emerged from international cyber security concerns...that some states have engaged in mass surveillance and censorship. Controlling the cyber sphere can undoubtedly infringe on internet users’ freedom of speech and expression” (Smart 2016).

The issue of cybersecurity is a difficult issue to simply combat, because mass surveillance is an infringement on individual’s right to privacy. However, the internet has been used as a tool to educate individuals on how terrorist organizations organize and recruit. It has also aided in stopping illicit activities before they occur outside of the chatrooms or forums. As a result of the increasing reliance on the internet by terrorist organizations, intelligence agencies have been able to compile increasing data on Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and how they relate to terrorist activity.

In May 2012, the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, based in the United States, was able to respond to several propaganda postings by allegedly al-Qaeda out of the Arab peninsula by posting counter advertisements to highlight that the victims of al-Qaeda were actually Yemeni nationals. These efforts are just one example of how organizations are launching coordinated efforts with social media websites like Facebook and Youtube to help counteract the spread of terrorist activity.

Policy Goals

As the United Nations Education, Science, and Cultural Organization, it is your responsibility to consider the human rights of the individuals on the internet, the increasing importance of cybersecurity as it pertains to preventing terrorist attacks as well as information breeches, and also to consider how technology has altered the international community. With all this information in mind, please make sure to think carefully about the complexities of the topic at hand and try to draft policies that will help address an increasingly complex issue that has little to no precedent to work upon.

In thinking about your country’s policies, here are some things to consider…

  • How would your government view monitoring their citizens’ Internet activity as a means to mitigate cyber terrorism threats?
  • Is cyber terrorism a threat to your country’s socio-economic and political livelihood? Is this an issue your country feels a necessary issue to get involved in?
  • Has your country taken any steps internally to tackle the issue of cyber terrorism?
  • What are some short term and long term solutions to combatting the threat of cyber terrorism in the international community?

Helpful Links:

Breakdown of Cyber Terrorism by GIAC:

On a Multinational Partnership to End Cyber Terrorism:

CSIS Paper on Cyber Terrorism:

UN CTITF 2011 Publication:

UNODC on the Use of the Internet for Terrorist Reasons:

On 2016 GGE Meeting: