Open Source Collection Methods for Identifying Radical Extremists Using Social Media

摘要

As social networking within the rapidly expanding domain of the Internet continues to provide a forum for the uncensored expression of ideas, the Intelligence Community (IC) faces new platforms through which violent extremists communicate and threaten national security. Sufficient evidence suggests that "jihadi groups have grown more sophisticated in their use of the internet." Identifying and monitoring these radical extremists is a challenge the IC now faces as a fourth domain, the Internet, is added to the traditional domains of terrorism and warfare: land, air, and sea. While a robust discussion of the need for structured methods exists within the IC, this new domain-specific challenge increases the need for new analytic techniques that analysts can use to address the problem.