Researchers studying the online habits of terrorists, hate groups and young people are advocating calm in the face of a recently released RCMP report.
RCMP Sgt. Marc LaPorte said that al-Qaida groups, their Somali affiliates, al-Shabaab, and others are “actively recruiting” people in Ontario via the Internet.
The report, Youth Online and At Risk, warns parents that terrorist groups are using more diverse tools in their online recruiting campaigns, such as games, graphic visuals and music.
“If we look at the investigations that are associated with national security,” said LaPorte from RCMP headquarters in Toronto, “all the major ones have had links to these types of Internet interactions.”
David Skillicorn is a professor in the Queen’s University School of Computing who specializes in counterterrorism, fraud, radicalization, data mining and law enforcement.
He said that while the RCMP’s report is valid, the effect of radical content on the Internet “is pretty small across the board.”
“At some level, this report is unobjectionable. It’s entirely reasonable, good advice,” he said.
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