I have just printed my PhD thesis for submission to the University of Cambridge. The title is 'Militant Islamist radicalisation: does the Internet atomise?'. The following is a summary of the thesis extracted from part of the summary. In a nutshell, I was exploring how ideas traverse the Internet. The State is feeling the first … Continue reading PhD thesis summary
Tag: violent radicalisation
Teaser of research on memes and atomization in webforums
Brief teaser of data mining and statistical analysis: The graphs below are from a small part of the dataset provided of harvested forums. The original forums were harvested by the Dark Web project at the University of Arizona Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. I have data mined them for indications of references to al Qaeda, militant media … Continue reading Teaser of research on memes and atomization in webforums
Internet is Fecund but Hazardous (PhD –> the gyst)
The new book, A History of the Internet and the Digital Future, is due in September 010. While I’m waiting for that I’ve been wrapping up my PhD work. And I think I now have answers – at least, almost final answers. Or at least some pre-almost-final answers. Since 2005 various Governments of EU Member … Continue reading Internet is Fecund but Hazardous (PhD –> the gyst)
Violent radical content on the Internet – first outputs of IIEA study
As part of the IIEA study on non-legislative measures to prevent the dissemination of violent radical material on the Internet for the European Commission, the following outputs were released in December 2009: Request For Comments document: An initial overview of the legal environment regulating child abuse, hatred and racism, copyright infringement, and terrorist content on … Continue reading Violent radical content on the Internet – first outputs of IIEA study
Speech at European Commission public private dialogue.
I spoke at the European Commission Public Private Dialogue to fight online illegal activities, Brussels, 27 November 2009. My talk below... Text of statement by Johnny Ryan, Senior Researcher, Institute of International & European Affairs, at the European Commission Public Private Dialogue to fight online illegal activities, Brussels, 27 November 2009.. Preliminary remarks: It is … Continue reading Speech at European Commission public private dialogue.
Measures to prevent the spread of violent material on the Net across the EU?
The IIEA and the European Commission have just signed a contract to begin a study on non-legislative measures that might prevent the spread of violent radical content on the Internet. Our job is to examine the measures currently in practice, determine whether any are appropriate and functional, and whether these would work if applied across … Continue reading Measures to prevent the spread of violent material on the Net across the EU?
Revision note for University of Cambridge Students on secret world intelligence topic
This is a revision note I have drafted for final year pre exam revision for University of Cambridge undergraduates who were supervised by me on Militant Islamist Radicalization on the Internet. Good luck, make use of this, and keep in touch! The challenge now is to apply the Internet-focused information and approach from our sessions … Continue reading Revision note for University of Cambridge Students on secret world intelligence topic
The militant Islamist call and its echo
Published on openDemocracy (http://opendemocracy.net/article/democracy_terror/islamism_web) On the internet, in gymnasiums, bookshops and video-clubs, recruitment propaganda is viewed by and debated among prospective Islamist militants. This wide-ranging material contains four recurrent themes; understanding them is the first step to forming an effective counter-narrative to dissuade the next generation of would-be militants from embracing violence, and channelling their … Continue reading The militant Islamist call and its echo
Europe’s World article: security & defence dossier “EU must take its anti-terrorism fight to the Internet”
DOSSIER SECURITY AND DEFENCE: EU must take its anti-terrorism fight to the Internet by Johnny Ryan [profile] See article on Europe's World website. Johnny Ryan leads the radicalisation & recruitment project at the Institute of European Affairs, an Irish policy think-tank. Militant Islamist radicalisation and recruitment on the Internet is a strategic problem. In the … Continue reading Europe’s World article: security & defence dossier “EU must take its anti-terrorism fight to the Internet”
Islamists on the internet: brotherhood of belief
This title should have read "Islamist militants on the Internet". Published in Magill, May 2005. In Britain the speed with which the Muslim diaspora embraced the internet was demonstrated by the British Muslim Parliament's order to all mosques and Muslim schools to install web access as early as 1996. With so many young Muslims in … Continue reading Islamists on the internet: brotherhood of belief