Internet and social media platforms now toolkits of terror groups: EAM Jaishankar 

Focus on online recruitment, drones, crypto currency as CTC highlights terrorists use of new technologies.

Terrorism is still one of the “gravest threats” to humanity said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, highlighting terror threats from the use of emerging technologies on the second day of the UN Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) held in Delhi on Saturday, October 29, 2022.

The meet began, like the first day in Mumbai with a moment of silence for victims of terrorism, and officials and Ministers from various countries, made interventions on the use of the internet, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) including drones, crypto currency and other online means of financing terrorism. 

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“In recent years, terrorist groups, their ideological fellow-travelers, particularly in open and liberal societies and ‘lone wolf’ attackers have significantly enhanced their capabilities by gaining access to these technologies,” said Mr. Jaishankar. 

“Internet and social media platforms have turned into potent instruments in the toolkit of terrorist and militant groups for spreading propaganda, radicalization and conspiracy theories aimed at destabilising societies,” he added. 

Drawing parallels between the 2008 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the 2005 7/7 London suicide bombings, British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly said the terror strikes had claimed victims from across the world, and called on the international community to “starve” terror groups of financing. He said the advent of technology had dramatically changed the nature of attacks and of recruitment by terror groups. 

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