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Terroristen 2.0 Terroristen 2.0 Het gebruik van internet door terroristische groepen in het sociale media-tijdperk Anne van Groningen Javaplein 34C 1094 HZ Amsterdam 3364585 MA Scriptie Internationale Betrekkingen in Historisch PerspectieF Universiteit Utrecht Begeleider: ProF. Dr. I.G.B.M. Duyvesteyn 10 maart 2015 Inhoudsopgave Voorwoord .............................................................................................................................................. 2 I. Het internet: zegen en vloek ......................................................................................................... 3 Cyber utopianism vs. cyber anxiety .................................................................................................. 3 Tussen mythe en realiteit: cyber 9/11 en digital Pearl Harbor ..................................................... 4 Terroristen en het internet in een veranderende omgeving .......................................................... 7 De noodzaak van een actuele benadering ...................................................................................... 11 II. Casus: Islamitische Staat ............................................................................................................. 15 Introductie ........................................................................................................................................ 15 Toetsing kerngebruiken .................................................................................................................. 17 Internet als communicatiemedium ............................................................................................ 17 Internet als Financieringsmiddel ................................................................................................ 22 Internet als netwerkmiddel ........................................................................................................ 23 Internet als rekruteringsmiddel ................................................................................................. 26 Internet als bron van inFormatie ................................................................................................ 28 Overige gebruiken ....................................................................................................................... 30 Het internetgebruik van IS .............................................................................................................. 30 III. Casus: Al Shabaab ........................................................................................................................... 32 Introductie ........................................................................................................................................ 32 Toetsing kerngebruiken .................................................................................................................. 34 Internet als communicatiemedium ............................................................................................ 34 Internet als Financieringsmiddel ................................................................................................ 39 Internet als netwerkmiddel ........................................................................................................ 41 Internet als rekruteringsmiddel ................................................................................................. 44 Internet als bron van inFormatie ................................................................................................ 46 Overige gebruiken ....................................................................................................................... 47 Het internetgebruik van Al Shabaab .............................................................................................. 48 IV. Analyse ............................................................................................................................................ 49 Een succesvolle aanpassing: terroristen 2.0 ............................................................................. 49 Gevolgen: ingebeeld en echt gevaar ........................................................................................... 53 Een moeizame aanpassing: overheden 1.5 ................................................................................ 56 Beleidsimplicaties: contraterrorisme 2.0 .................................................................................. 59 Tweerichtingsverkeer in het virtuele domein ........................................................................... 62 V. Conclusie ........................................................................................................................................... 64 BibliograFie ........................................................................................................................................... 69 1 Voorwoord Voor u ligt de scriptie ‘Terroristen 2.0. Het gebruik van internet door terroristische groepen in het sociale media-tijdperk.’ Deze scriptie is geschreven in het kader van de master Internationale Betrekkingen in Historisch PerspectieF aan de Universiteit Utrecht. Het idee voor het schrijven van deze scriptie ontstond tijdens mijn stage aan de Nederlandse ambassade in Colombia, waar ik van februari tot en met juli 2014 stage liep. Tijdens het monitoren en analyseren van de politieke ontwikkelingen in het land kwam ik erachter dat de Colombiaanse rebellengroepen (FARC, ELN) actieF gebruik maakten van sociale media voor het verspreiden van propaganda en de communicatie met hun achterban. Toen in juni 2014 ISIS wereldnieuws werd na het uitroepen van het kaliFaat en de groep zich door de publicatie van gruwelijke video’s op het internet dagelijks van een grote hoeveelheid media-aandacht wist te verzekeren, werd mijn interesse voor het gebruik van internet door militante groepen versterkt en besloot ik mijn scriptie hieraan te wijden. Van oktober 2014 tot en met februari 2015 ben ik bezig geweest met het bronnenonderzoek en het schrijven van deze scriptie. Het bronnenonderzoek voor deze scriptie is reeds in januari 2015 afgerond. Het is daardoor mogelijk dat geraadpleegde websites, bekeken video’s, online tijdschriFten en overige bronnen nu niet meer beschikbaar zijn. Dit is echter niet te voorkomen en laat tegelijkertijd het belang van dit onderzoek zien, omdat de online aanwezigheid van dergelijke bronnen nog altijd wordt betwist. Als laatste wil ik graag mijn begeleider, mevrouw I.G.B.M. Duyvesteyn bedanken voor haar begeleiding tijdens dit traject. Ik wens u veel leesplezier toe. Anne van Groningen Amsterdam, 10 maart 2015. 2 I. Het internet: zegen en vloek Cyber utopianism vs. cyber anxiety Het internet is niet meer weg te denken uit ons dagelijks leven. In Nederland heeFt 94% van de bevolking toegang tot internet, in de Verenigde Staten is dat ruim 84%. IJsland staat bovenaan de wereldranglijst met een internetpenetratie van 96%. 1 Ruim 83% van de Nederlanders is dagelijks online2 en gebruikt het internet vooral voor het versturen en ontvangen van e-mails, het opzoeken van inFormatie en actieF zijn op sociale media.3 We regelen onze bankzaken op internet, kopen nieuwe kleding online en houden via sociale media contact met vrienden en Familie over de hele wereld. Wij zijn onderdeel geworden van het wereldwijde web en vice versa. Computers en het internet hebben ons zonder twijFel veel opgeleverd. Binnen enkele muisklikken heeFt iedereen ter wereld met een internetverbinding toegang tot inFormatie over welk onderwerp dan ook. Het internet is naast een efFectief communicatiemiddel ook een belangrijk instrument gebleken voor toegang tot kennis, iets dat veel mensen in de wereld daarvoor niet hadden. Er heerste euforie toen duidelijk werd dat het internet, met name de sociale media, een belangrijke Faciliterende rol speelde tijdens de protesten in Iran in 2009 en in de Arabische wereld in de jaren daarna. ‘The revolution will be twittered’, schreeF The Atlantic over de volksopstand in Teheran na de Iraanse presidentsverkiezingen van 2009.4 Tim Rutten van de The Los Angeles Times noemde Twitter “tyranny’s new nightmare”5 en ten tijde van de Arabische Lente werden termen als Facebook revolution en YouTube uprising aangehaald om de massale protesten te kunnen duiden. “The internet can be considered the First weapon oF mass construction, which we can deploy to destroy hate and conflict and to propagate peace and democracy,” zei Riccardo Luna, hoofdredacteur van de Italiaanse Wired in 2010. 6 De Italiaanse versie van het Amerikaanse tijdschriFt nomineerde dat jaar het internet voor de Nobelprijs voor de Vrede. Volgens Wired had het internet de basis gelegd voor een nieuw soort maatschappij, waarin iedereen die verbonden is met het internet de zaden voor vrede kon zaaien.7 Tegelijkertijd ontstond er echter ook bezorgdheid over de schaduwzijde van het internet. Onze hersenen zouden schade kunnen oplopen door overmatig internetgebruik, met slaapproblemen, leerproblemen en zelFs ‘digitale dementie’ tot gevolg.8 De bevrijdende rol die het 1 The World Bank Data, Internet users (per 100 people), http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.USER.P2?order=wbapi_data_value_2013+wbapi_data_value+wbapi_data_value- last&sort=desc (versie 15 januari 2015). 2 EuroStat Newsrelease, ‘More than 60% of individuals in de EU28 use the internet daily’, 18 december 2013, http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/4-18122013-BP/EN/4-18122013-BP-EN.PDF (versie 31 oktober
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