ENEMY OF THE STATE PART FIVE: THE REAL ENEMY

People like Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald who aggressively oppose the mass digital surveillance of the American public conducted by the NSA claim that the NSA clings to the terrorist threat as an invalid excuse for their actions that Greenwald considers to be unconstitutional violations of rights to privacy in particular. However, in light of a recent report by the Wilson Center, terrorism truly has taken to the digital world. For example, the report opens with a reference to one of many scenarios in which murders and injuries of Americans could have been prevented if suspicious online activity tying one to terrorist groups or ideals had been investigated and pursued. In this case, a man named Arid Uka killed two US servicemen and injured two others, and yet, this could have been prevented. In the report, it is said that “After he was arrested, investigators reviewed the history of Arid Uka’s Internet activity. It showed—most obviously in his Facebook profile—a growing interest in jihadist content, subsequent self-radicalization, and ultimately his viewing of the aforementioned video, which led him to take action in an alleged war in defense of Muslims…Arid Uka is a typical case of the new trend of terrorists being engaged through the newest online platforms, commonly known as the ‘new media’ or ‘social media.’” The report goes on to reference cyberterrorism expert Evan Kohlmann’s explanation of the turn of terrorists to social media, as he says, “Today, 90 percent of terrorist activity on the Internet takes place using social networking tools. . . .These forums act as a virtual firewall to help safeguard the identities of those who participate, and they offer subscribers a chance to make direct contact with terrorist representatives, to ask questions, and even to contribute and help out the cyberjihad.” Made evident in not only these passages but also all throughout the Wilson Center report (to read more of the Wilson Center report, see here: http://www.edline.net/files/_0bJTm_/414a430c9af41b733745a49013852ec4/STIP_140501_new_terrorism_F.pdf) terrorism is now largely present online, especially in social media. Thus, Snowden and his supporters like Greenwald are incorrect in their allegations that the NSA is using the terrorist threat as merely an excuse for their mass surveillance, and in Snowden’s release of the NSA documents, he was also handing this information over to the terrorists that now will most likely proceed to reconfigure their tactics and use of the Internet therein. In other words, Snowden and Greenwald have essentially put the American public in the hands of the terrorists that wish to harm them.