Khalid Masood, who attacked the UK Parliament, had sent an important WhatsApp message that British security forces failed to decode. The extremist was a prior suspect and was under surveillance; had security forces understood the message they may have foiled the attack.
Social media remains a battlefield between security bodies and extremists, who now consider these platforms their modern arm. One of the basic reasons behind Al-Qaeda’s collapse is that its leaders abstained from these means of communication.
Osama Bin Laden, in his last years, relied on sending envoys who would deliver oral or written messages to evade security forces, who can now listen, record, translate, recognize voices and determine locations easily.
New extremists believe modern technology gives them greater reach, enables them to attract more youths, and provides free propaganda that is worth the risk. WhatsApp is a landmark portal to the world, or what we think is the real world. Those who benefit most are users who make, market and distribute information to others, who in turn send it to more than 1 billion people worldwide, unaware of the motives.
Can all this information be monitored? If WikiLeaks’ latest disclosures are true, it means all phones are prone to surveillance. The disclosures reveal that US intelligence has managed to develop systems capable of hacking into devices.
Social media is cursed and appreciated at the same time, since on the one hand it helps extremists mobilize and cause damage, but on the other hand it helps security bodies arrest criminals. But besides the security and military aspects, countries have failed to confront ideology, and to halt the attempted brainwashing of millions day and night.
Spying is effective in besieging extremists groups and individuals, but it cannot win the first phase of the extremist act: The intellectual phase. Most of the activities in this phase are not coded, and actually happen publicly. People are being brainwashed by messages sent via broadcasts, including advice, information, news, ideas, speeches, discussions, jokes, lessons, pictures, drawings and videos.
Although these messages are open to everyone, comprehending and confronting them was tougher than decoding the most complicated, confidential codes.
By Abdulrahman Al-Rashed
