new Whitehouse Working Group

[Demosthenes]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/ ... ted-states

Working to Counter Online Radicalization to Violence in the United States

Quintan Wiktorowicz
February 05, 2013
10:02 AM EST
Share This Post
The American public increasingly relies on the Internet for socializing, business transactions, gathering information, entertainment, and creating and sharing content. The rapid growth of the Internet has brought opportunities but also risks, and the Federal Government is committed to empowering members of the public to protect themselves against the full range of online threats, including online radicalization to violence.

Violent extremist groups ─ like al-Qa’ida and its affiliates and adherents, violent supremacist groups, and violent “sovereign citizens” ─ are leveraging online tools and resources to propagate messages of violence and division. These groups use the Internet to disseminate propaganda, identify and groom potential recruits, and supplement their real-world recruitment efforts. Some members and supporters of these groups visit mainstream fora to see whether individuals might be recruited or encouraged to commit acts of violence, look for opportunities to draw targets into private exchanges, and exploit popular media like music videos and online video games. Although the Internet offers countless opportunities for Americans to connect, it has also provided violent extremists with access to new audiences and instruments for radicalization.

[LaVidaRoja]

Any particular member of Quatloos on this group?

[AndyK]

If she told you, she'd have to kill you.

[The Observer]

Any particular member of Quatloos on this group?

We are not at liberty to say.

However, I do know of one person who will be forcibly returned from retirement in the Carolinas and reissued his hobnailed boots, truncheon and cattleprod. Not because of his prowess and experience, but mainly because he has been angering his former co-workers bragging about how great retirement is.

[AndyK]

They already know how great retirement is -- especially when looking forward to less-than-cost-of-living pay raises, possible furloughs, and Congressional micro-management.

Quite a few of my friends have count-down clocks on their desks showing the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until they can get out.

[Cathulhu]

What Andy said. I used to keep a countdown, before I retired five years ago.

[Burnaby49]

They already know how great retirement is -- especially when looking forward to less-than-cost-of-living pay raises, possible furloughs, and Congressional micro-management.

Quite a few of my friends have count-down clocks on their desks showing the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until they can get out.

Quite true. I had a guy at work who had a count-down clock as his screen-saver. It showed the the exact time in hours, minutes, and seconds until he retired. Since he started it years before he actually retired it had a long run until he got to a reasonable goal.

It was almost, at least to me, like he was rushing to his eventual demise. I stayed engaged and involved until the actual day I retired.

[notorial dissent]

Personally, I think something like that would be incredibly depressing to look at. Were I of a certain mind set, I would say it did not speak well of his devotion to duty, or dedication to his job as it were, and would tend to make me rather suspicious of why he was there.

[Burzmali]

I'm curious, any word on whether they are looking at recruitment of extremists inside existing mainstream titles or are they looking specially at games made by extremists? Either is rather more effort than it seems it would be worth (unless the FBI is determined to "catch" some 300lb couch potato in NH who lives in his mother's basement of planning to blow up the Space Needle).