Int’l community must fight Daesh on cyber front — officials

DEAD SEA —‏ Fighting the Daesh terror group in cyberspace requires the concerted efforts of the public and private sectors along with civil society organisations, all the way benefiting from UN expertise and relevant international laws, panellists said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Saturday.  

At a session titled “Addressing Digital Extremism”, attended by HRH Prince Feisal and Sharif Nasser Bin Nasser, speakers said the international community has to counter Daesh efforts to recruit more fighters and supporters online, noting that extremists from around 90 countries have joined the group.

Jean-Paul Laborde, executive director of the UN’s counter-terrorism executive directorate, said Daesh releases 40,000 tweets daily.

The UN official said terror groups have links with organised crime, which requires enacting laws enabling a degree of invasion of privacy to deal with terrorists but without violating freedom of expression.

Laborde stressed the need for the public and private sectors, the media and civil society to work as a team to counter the terrorist
cyberthreat, benefiting from UN expertise.

Also speaking at the session, US Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel said social media websites should work with governments to counter terrorist spread and prevent the weaponising of information, noting that the threat is not limited to the Middle East.

Daesh, he added, effectively exploits cyberspace as it uses religion to recruit young Westerners, pointing out that extremists capitalise on the feelings of injustice and lack of involvement prevalent among young Arabs.

Falah Mustafa Bakir, minister and head of the department of foreign relations of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, argued that the marginalisation of Sunni Muslims paved the way for Daesh to enter Iraq.

He said the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq is fighting Daesh on a large front, describing the militant group as a threat to all as it includes fighters from some 90 nationalities.