Open Source Homeland

Money trumps religion.

Money fuels terrorism in South Asia, says Dhaka daily : Asia World
Dhaka, Sep 17 - ‘Huge sums of money’ are being used to push youth in South Asia towards religious fundamentalism and terrorism, a Dhaka daily has said while calling for neutralising the source of terror funding.

‘Religious fundamentalist groups which are carrying on their missions in some of the countries, including Bangladesh, are known to have motivated a large number of young men through spending huge sums of money,’ The Daily Star said in an editorial Monday.

It welcomed the initiative by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations whose officials will meet in New Delhi this month to deliberate on the necessity of getting to the roots of funding of terrorist organisations that operate in the region.

The content is there; let’s use it.

nsf.gov - News - Scientists Use the “Dark Web” to Snag Extremists and Terrorists Online - US National Science Foundation (NSF)
Terrorists and extremists have set up shop on the Internet, using it to recruit new members, spread propaganda and plan attacks across the world. The size and scope of these dark corners of the Web are vast and disturbing. But in a non-descript building in Tucson, a team of computational scientists are using the cutting-edge technology and novel new approaches to track their moves online, providing an invaluable tool in the global war on terror.

Funded by the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies, Hsinchun Chen and his Artificial Intelligence Lab at the University of Arizona have created the Dark Web project, which aims to systematically collect and analyze all terrorist-generated content on the Web.

This is no small undertaking. The speed, ubiquity, and potential anonymity of Internet media–email, web sites, and Internet forums–make them ideal communication channels for militant groups and terrorist organizations. As a result, terrorists groups and their followers have created a vast presence on the Internet. A recent report estimates that there are more than 5,000 Web sites created and maintained by known international terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda, the Iraqi insurgencies, and many home-grown terrorist cells in Europe. Many of these sites are produced in multiple languages and can be hidden within innocuous-looking Web sites.

 Apparently in the context of the Tactical Interoperability Communication Scorecards and the drive toward multi-jurisdictional and cross-disciplinary coordination of existing systems and future networks, San Francisco and Oakland announceed a promising program:

Inside Bay Area - SF, Oakland mayors announce new communications system
SAN FRANCISCO _ Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums was joined by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced the launch of a communications system they say would allow public agencies from cities around the Bay Area to effectively communicate in the event of a major disaster such as an earthquake.

Officials billed the effort _ which, when completed, they say, will allow seamless radio communication _ as the “nations largest urban area collaboration.”

“Its unprecedented,” Dellums said.

 Chock-full of details on how al Qadeda uses cell phone video, hundreds of websites, and web-based forums to spread propaganda.

Capital Sources: Keeping an Eye on Al Qaeda - Newsweek: World News - MSNBC.com
Where are most of these sites hosted?
I guess your question is about what kind of ISPs [Internet service providers] they use. Many of them use American ISPs. Where are the physical locations of the individuals running them? That is a different question. Some of their people appear to reside in the West, from the U.K. and Europe to the United States. Others are in the Middle East: Jordan, UAE [United Arab Emirates], Saudi Arabia and other places. The beauty of their system is that it’s a virtual network, embodied in a virtual Al Qaeda propaganda organization called “al Fajr Center.” Because the Internet can put together people from all over the world in a meeting place on a specific URL, the geographic differences don’t play a role.

The government of San Francisco really gets it– their “Empower San Francisco” program is, on its face, all about helping citizens get in touch with city services and to deepen relationships in communities. At the same time, they see involved citizens as potential leaders after a disaster, and offer workshops on ” How to organize your neighborhood to be prepared for a disaster”. More here: EmpowerSF.org :: Welcome to the Network