Terrorism on the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Terrorism on the Internet - Essay Example The attack on the World Trade Center was one where terrorists wreaked an unprecedented level of destruction and the attention of the world was drawn sharply to the dangers posed by the terrorist threat. Sterne (2003) defines terrorism as â€Å"as an act or threat of violence against noncombatants with the objective of exacting revenge, intimidating, or otherwise influencing an audience.† Over the years, the face of terrorism has changed – it is no longer restricted to state sponsored terrorism, but has evolved into specialized local cells, with individual terrorist elements spreading threat in order to achieve their own selfish political or other ends. Sterne clarifies that in this context, terrorism is not the kind of enemy that can be combated on an all out open combat basis. She defines terrorism as â€Å"a kind of virus, which spreads as a result of risk factors at various levels: global, interstate, national and personal."[www.buzzflash.com]. With increasing globalization, the use of the Internet has widened to encompass a new sphere of activities that are facilitated through the electronic medium{Kusher 1998). It is now possible to achieve on an individual basis, a scope of activity that would have previously necessitated the availability of a vast amount of resources and several people. But through the cheap electronic medium, it has become possible for computer savvy individuals to engage in several criminal and terrorist activities that are characterized by the compromising of sensitive information and by large scale destruction. Since most commercial and Government activity has now become e-based, terrorists can cause a great deal of damage by hacking into the databases of Government organizations.