New Wave of Terrorism
It is not too late for Indonesia to make improvements in anticipating and dealing with cyberterrorism threats. The government needs to involve all elements of society to free our cyberspace from PAP content.
Over the last two decades, cyberspace has become the digital domain of operation for terror networks to spread their influence.
Terror acts also spread through mass media, such as satellite television and the internet, while social media is mostly used by terror networks to spread propaganda and recruitment. All of these are motivated by the intent to spread fear.
In Indonesia, the phenomenon of cyberterrorism is not new. Many acts of terror have occurred because of the rife provocative, agitative and propaganda (PAP) content in the cyber world.
This has also brought about the birth of lone wolf terrorists, namely terror perpetrators who act independently having been led ashtray by PAP content on the internet.
The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) records that in the last five years there have been six acts of lone wolf terrorism with the perpetrators having been radicalized by terror networks’ PAP content on the internet.
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This was seen most recently in March, when a woman working alone attacked the National Police headquarters. In 2018, two women were busted for plotting to attack the Mobile Brigade headquarters with the women found having been exposed to radicalism on social media.
With recruitment and propaganda being a concern, the BNPT found a case of a 16-year-old Indonesian who induced his family to go to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) movement of Iraq and Syria.
Having been influenced by radical terror content on Facebook, he took his family with him to Syria, including his father who was a civil servant (PNS) official.
The case has aroused concern about the prevalent links between terror network propaganda on social media and lone wolves. In addition, the internet and social media have also played an important role in recruitment carried out by terror networks.
Yet terror networks will not restrict their use of technology to social media only. In the future, terror networks will certainly use other technological sophistications to fuel their movements.
Race against time
Sophisticated cyberterrorism is indispensable to the fourth wave of world terrorism.
The first wave was marked by the emergence of anarchist groups in the late 1800s. The second wave occurred in the colonialism era. The third wave occurred in the Cold War era. The fourth wave has been marked by acts of terrorism that exploit religion. Cyberspace has become a means used by terror groups in the fourth wave.
The exposure of lone wolf terror acts, radicalism propaganda and the recruitment and training of terrorist groups’ members have shown how cyberspace is utilized by terror groups in this fourth wave. Cyberterrorism continues to develop at the pace of technological developments.
The potential threat of terror networks through their use of technology is also getting larger. “Tomorrow’s terrorist may be able to do more damage with a keyboard than with a bomb” warned the United States National Academy of Science in 1999.
With terror networks currently making use of social media in their movements, it is not impossible that in the future they will take advantage of digital features communities use every day.
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Streaming movies and podcasts could become propaganda tools. Video games with encryption and chat features could facilitate terror networks to communicate and recruit members.
All these can be accessed easily by anyone connected to the internet. Given the development of technology, which has subsequently prompted a more developed modus operandi of terror networks, it is not impossible for terror groups to create their own platforms.
We need to be cautious about terror groups potentially developing artificial intelligence to carry out their actions. In the era of big data, terror networks also have the potential to use that data for their malicious operations.
The magnitude of the cyberspace-based terror threat may result in a separate wave of modern terrorism: the fifth wave. With its potential threats, cyberterrorism must be anticipated and should be a serious concern for all countries.
Technological advancement calls for efforts to prevent it from being exploited by terror networks. Otherwise, it will backfire. Currently the world is in a race against time in dealing with cyberterrorism.
Post-pandemic threats
The abating Covid-19 pandemic will lead to the opening of various international events in Indonesia. It is reported that more than 25 international events will be held in the country, including the 2021 World Superbike in Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara, and the Group of 20 Summit in Bali.
These come with the lurking threat of terrorism. The eased post-pandemic restrictions will allow an increase in the movement of terror networks.
Cyberterrorism is among the threats that can disrupt the implementation of those events. The threats can be in the form of applications and social media use for terror cells to coordinate movements or to influence the public by disseminating hoaxes and propaganda content that can create lone wolves.
The Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) data show there are currently 197 million Indonesians who use the internet. With such a huge number of users, Indonesia is no doubt a potential target for cyberterrorism.
Unfortunately, the government has not shown its seriousness or readiness in dealing with this new wave of cyberspace-based terrorism.
So far, the efforts have been merely incidental by forming cyber patrols, followed by take downs and arrests.
Up to October, the Communications and Information Technology Ministry, in collaboration with the BNPT, has handled 22,665 pieces of content related to radicalism and terrorism. The BNPT has proposed only 24 social media accounts and one web page be taken down.
It must be admitted that actions have been crucially taken. However, these efforts are still not enough. The government must not only use a reactive approach to reduce this potential threat, but also actively fight cyberterrorism.
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The government should be more active in counternarrative efforts against the propaganda spread by terror networks.
Sophisticated technology must be mastered to deal with cyberterrorism. We can tap into big data and artificial intelligence to analyze the patterns of terrorist mobility.
There are many technologies that can be utilized, such as facial recognition detecting and biometrics mining.
In addition to these efforts, the legal aspects of counterterrorism must also be strengthened. The only legal umbrella in effect for cyberterrorism is Law No. 5/2018 on terrorism, Law No. 11/2008 concerning information and electronic transactions (ITE) and Law No. 9 of 2013 concerning the prevention and eradication of criminal acts of terrorism financing.
These ordinances lack detailed and specific provisions to deal with the threat of cyberterrorism. The role of non-governmental parties in dealing with cyberterrorism has not yet been specifically regulated in our legal scope.
The US has comprehensive regulations regarding cyberterrorism contained in the USA Patriot Act. The regulation not only regulates law enforcement aspects, but also the role of intelligence and the involvement of the private sector in dealing with cyberterrorism.
Alexander Sabar
Indonesia can initiate a legal umbrella that specifically regulates cyberterrorism as Uncle Sam does.
It is not too late for Indonesia to make improvements in anticipating and dealing with cyberterrorism threats. The government needs to involve all elements of society to free our cyberspace from PAP content.
Alexander Sabar, Doctoral Student of the University of Indonesia Criminology Program and Alumnus of the FBI National Academy, the United States, 249th Session, 2012.
This article was translated by Musthofid.
