An introduction by the Editors

To state that computer-mediated technologies play an ever-increasing role in our lives is a truism that borders on the redundant. Yet paradoxically we seem uncertain about exactly how those technologies influence and change our behavior; we think we know they do, but how? That void is filled by speculation and assertion that is sometimes grounded in fact, at other times based on ideology. But whatever view is taken, such accounts also often serve as a blanket explanation of things that we are unsure about. This seems particularly to be the case with explanations of the role of computer technologies in terrorism. We know that computers play a part in the contemporary expression of terrorism, and we know that many terrorists engage with the Internet (as of course do most people); but we are unclear as to exactly how this technology facilitates, influences or causes terrorist behavior, or even if in fact it does any of these things.

This collection of papers has been developed to contribute to this debate, and to identify some threads that might merit further analysis and development. The collection mirrors the uncertainty outlined above in that there is no overarching theme, and there is no particular position that all papers subscribe to. What the editors hope is that the papers extend and explore arguments, and in doing so contribute to the growing body of academic work in this area.

We have quite deliberately chosen not to use the term “Cyberterrorism” in the title of this collection. We share with Giacomello (2014)a concern about terminology, and have chosen “Computer-assisted terrorism” to embrace not only actions specifically related to targeting computers and networks (which Giacomello suggests we should label “cyberterrorism”) but to also include circumstances where computers and information technologies are used in terrorism. Most of the circumstances referred to in this collection of papers involve communication of some form, particularly but not exclusively through social media. Arguably this in fact characterizes most if not all contemporary terrorist activity involving computers, and the role, therefore, of computers in such circumstances is essentially to facilitate contact and dissemination of materials, but that could occur in other ways.

Teasing out what is special about computer-mediated as opposed to other forms of communication is one important theme that characterizes this collection. Of fundamental importance is how we might understand the extent and nature of any threat arising from computer-assisted terrorism; Mueller and Stewart offer challenging views on this that help place the issues into a broader context. Exploring further the theme of how we might characterize computer-assisted terrorism, both Williams and Taylor critically address these issues from conceptual perspectives. Holt et al. approach that issue from the perspective of the content, as opposed to process, of computer-assisted communication, and Holbrook through a case study further explores this issue. Walker and Conway extend that analysis into the ways in which legal provisions have tried to develop “tactics” to control and limit the impact of computer-assisted communication.

Our aspiration in developing this special issue was to raise questions, to explore different ideas, and to challenge some of the rather trivial assertions that so often seem to be deployed when thinking about the role of computers in terrorism. The role of computers in criminal activity extends beyond terrorism of course, and perhaps one theme that does emerge from this collection is that terrorism is not especially different from more general criminal activity in the way computers play a part in terms of facilitation of communication. On the other hand, it is often argued that the significance of the dissemination of ideological material distinguishes computer-assisted terrorism from other forms of computer-mediated criminal activity. Our view is that, taken as a whole, the papers in this volume question this assertion, and suggest that the significance of the role of ideological dissemination in shaping terrorist behavior needs at the least to be explored further.

We look forward to seeing many of the ideas expressed in this volume explored further in the future. Many can be framed within an empirical context, and this surely is the way forward to establish a clearer conceptual and empirical base for understanding the role of computers in terrorism.