Cyber warfare

Yaakov Lappin, Jerusalem Post, Israel, Iran wage cyber warfare in the battlefield of the future " What may begin as an enemy intelligence-gathering mission could later turn into a virus that disrupts military operations." Analysis and speculation

Iran's Dubious Digital Revolution

usnews.com, Iran's Dubious Digital Revolution "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has taken steps to reach the country's powerful youth constituency since his election in June 2013, using Twitter and talking about the importance of the Internet in an effort to connect. The country has a young, tech-savvy population, more than half of which is under the age of 30, making it an important voice in determining the country's future."

'Facebook has no comment for the eight Iranians sentenced to long prison terms for posting messages'

venturebeat.com, Facebook has no comment for the eight Iranians sentenced to long prison terms for posting messages, "This week, eight Iranian students and adults were slapped with jail sentences ranging from seven to twenty years in prison for posting Facebook messages deemed inflammatory by the Islamic government. Their fate elicited a “no comment” Thursday from the Menlo Park-based company."

Little Chechnya on the Steppes

BBC Radio 4, Little Chechnya on the Steppes, "Award-winning travel writer Oliver Bullough journeys into the frozen heart of Central Asia to meet the 'White Hats'. This exiled community of Chechens survived everything that Stalin threw at them and now live an isolated and ascetic life on the steppes of Kazakhstan."

Social Networking in Cyber Spaces: European Muslim's Participation in (New) Media

KU Leuven - Call for Papers: Social Networking in Cyber Spaces: European Muslim's Participation in (New) Media, 27-28 November 2014. "The increasing growth of the Internet is reshaping Islamic communities worldwide. Non-conventional media and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are becoming more popular among the Muslim youth as among all parts of the society. The new channels of information and news attract new Muslim publics in Europe. The profile of the people using these networks range from college students to Islamic intellectual authorities. Such an easy and speedy way of connecting to millions of people across the globe also attracts the attention of social movements, which utilize these networks to spread their message to a wider public. Many Muslim networks and social movements, political leaders, Islamic institutions and authorities use these new media spaces to address wider Muslim and also non-Muslim communities, it is not uncommon that they also address and reach certain so-called radical groups."

Sounds interesting (+familiar territory for several readers of these pages)

Iranian hackers use Facebook to spy on U.S.

Iranian hackers use Facebook to spy on U.S. - Al Arabiya News:

"In an unprecedented, three-year cyber espionage campaign, Iranian hackers created false social networking accounts and a fake news website to spy on military and political leaders in the United States, Israel and other countries, a cyber-intelligence firm said on Thursday."

Allegations re ballot stuffing (in Egypt)

dailynewsegypt.com, PEC denies authenticity of video showing ballot stuffing

Egypt: Media presents election as forgone conclusion

indexoncensorship.org, Egypt: Media presents election as forgone conclusion

Why the Internet Is Not Increasing Terrorism

Taylor & Francis Online :: Why the Internet Is Not Increasing Terrorism - Security Studies - Volume 23, Issue 2  "Policymakers and scholars fear that the Internet has increased the ability of transnational terrorists, like al Qaeda, to attack targets in the West, even in the face of increased policing and military efforts. Although access to the Internet has increased across the globe, there has been no corresponding increase in completed transnational terrorist attacks. This analysis examines the causal logics—which have led to the conventional wisdom—and demonstrates both theoretically and empirically that the Internet is not a force multiplier for transnational terrorist organizations. Far from being at a disadvantage on the Internet, state security organs actually gain at least as much utility from the Internet as terrorist groups do, meaning that at worst the Internet leaves the state in the same position vis-à-vis terrorist campaigns as it was prior to the Internet." Have yet to read this.

Why are Iranian men wearing the hijab?

alarabiya.net, Why are Iranian men wearing the hijab? "Earlier this month, Iranian women flooded Facebook with pictures of themselves with their hair uncovered to spark a debate the freedom to choose whether or not to wear the hijab."

Rouhani on the web

Mehrdad Balali, IOL SciTech, Time to embrace internet, Iran leader says, 27 May 2014 "Iran should embrace the Internet rather than see it as a threat, President Hassan Rouhani has said, in remarks that challenge hardliners who have stepped up measures to censor the Web."

'Terrorists Exploit Social Networks'

Magharebia, Imrane Binoual, eurasiareview.com, Terrorists Exploit Social Networks "Videos, audio recordings, messages and speeches from terrorist organisations blanket YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and blogs. Maghreb extremists have embraced the virtual arena, using online networks to attract recruits and spread propaganda."

Papal visit

Guardian, Pope Francis makes unofficial stop at Israeli terrorism memorial, 26 May 2014

BBC News, Pope prays at Israel's West Bank separation barrier

'Fajer Al Bashaer' app

vocativ.com, Now Available in the Android Store: An App for Terrorists "The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)—a jihadi group that even Al Qaeda’s leadership severed ties with for being too extreme—has blazed new trails in cyberspace. Its app, paradoxically called Fajer Al Bashaer (Dawn of Good Omens), delivers news and links to articles about ISIS “successes” in Syria, where the group is based. The app’s developers say their goal is to “assist the victory of the Islamic state by conveying its messages to Muslims everywhere.”"

'Counter-Terrorism: The Electronic Jihad'

Strategy Page, Counter-Terrorism: The Electronic Jihad "In April 2014 a Moslem man (Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi) from Nigeria pled guilty in an American court to charges that he had participated in an al Qaeda operation in Yemen to promote Islamic terrorism via the Internet. Babafemi faces up to 30 years in jail for going to Yemen in 2010 and joining al Qaeda. He later returned to Nigeria and was arrested there and extradited to the United States in 2013. He is one of an increasing number of Islamic terrorist sympathizers who stay out of the battleground areas and provide support via the Internet. Terrorist leaders now recognize this sort of support is important for jihad (struggle) and it is encouraged."

Concerns over online extremism

Belfast Telegraph, Concerns over online extremism, 21 May 2014 " Fears have been raised about online extremism a year after the death of soldier Lee Rigby, as deadly jihadist material remains widely available online."

Central Asia Digital Islam Project

Registan, The Central Asia Digital Islam Project: How the Internet and Social Media are Reshaping the Islamic Marketplace in Central Asia "Advances in communications technology and large-scale migration are rapidly eroding these obstacles, however, allowing Central Asians to increasingly participate in trans-national Islamic discourses through digital media."

Aleppo's most wanted man (and video impact)

Guardian, Aleppo's most wanted man - the rebel leader behind tunnel bombs "The giant plumes of dirt and rubble that ballooned several hundred metres skyward as the hotel crumbled, killing 30-50 Syrian troops, have fast become one of the most jaw-dropping images of Syria's civil war. In three years of aerial blitzes, scud missiles, chemical attacks and suicide bombs, little else had been captured so spectacularly and in real time (video).

"That was one of the best things about the operation," said Assad. "The effect on morale was immediate. Ever since, the men have wanted to fight more than before. We have called this "Operation Aleppo Earthquake".

UAE privacy laws

The National, Be aware of UAE privacy laws when posting Facebook content, TRA warns, 20 May 2014 "Posting content about other people on Facebook without their consent could be breaking the law, regulators warn."

#Happy Iranians arrested

BBC, Iranian Pharrell fans arrested for Happy tribute video "A group of Iranian fans who created a tribute to Pharrell Williams' hit song Happy have been arrested."