There are.... TERRORISTS IN YOUR COMPUTER!

The hacker groups Anonymous and Lulzsec have been getting a lot of attention lately, despite the fact that all they have really done is create minor disruptions. Nonetheless, I have been hearing an ever increasing amount of talk about the need for better internet security. And no doubt, there have been even more worrying signs that cyberspace may be the next front line in international antagonisms. The future of "cyber warfare" is a topic I'd much rather leave to experts in the field. I have a hard enough of a time trying to get my computer to wake up from sleep mode.

The other day, however, I heard a segment on the radio talking about the possibility that these hacker groups, notably Anonymous and Lulzsec, could be infiltrated by terrorists. This claim, of course, presumes that these hackers are not terrorists by virtue of their action and that only jihadists classify as terrorists. The entire segment was about how international terrorists could infiltrate the groups and turn them against the Western regimes. Ladies and gentlemen, there are terrorists in your computer.

Again, the underlying assumption here is that only jihadists or islamic fundamentalists can be terrorists, and that cyber attacks may be the next place they chose to go after American interests. This simply highlights the cumbersome nature of the words we choose to use. Anonymous isn't a terrorist organization, or at least I don't think it is, unless they are infiltrated by groups like al Qaeda. I can't help but feel as though a certain degree of islamaphobia underscores the very segment I heard on air.

If McCarthy had internet connection, no doubt he'd have suggested the very same thing. I know this is a cliché parallel to draw, but its fairly apt. Since 9/11 our phantoms have been terrorists out to destroy us by whatever nefarious methods they may have. And now, there is a small group who genuinely fear that terrorists will wage war against the US via cyberspace. Now, there's already evidence that state actors have already begun attacking one another (linked above) but this is not enough for people. We need the boogeymen to be everywhere. Oh, and the boogeymen are all only muslims.

What bothers me is that the threats of cyber attacks have to be instantly coupled with terrorism, and that our definition of terrorism has to be so narrowly defines (though the use of the word "terrorism" itself is problematic already). There are, of course problems with the notion that terrorist organizations have a vetted interest in using cyber attacks. Such attacks expose attackers to being located and are limited in the scope of their possible damage. But beyond that, there's still the question of why we feel the need to associate terrorism with the threat of cyber attacks.

Let's also forget the notion that the hackers who comprise Anonymous and Lulzsec are not automatically manipulatable. Just because a "terrorist" infiltrates an organization does not mean that the organization will then go along with whatever this individual suggests. But these problems don't phase these commentators at all- terrorists are everywhere!

I'm not going to say that this is impossible, I just don't have that kind of information. Still, the leaping to that conclusion is troubling. At best, its just a way to sell the product of news commentary- terrorism sells. At worst, its islamaphobic paranoia that's divorcing itself from careful analysis of the situation at hand. In any event, even if Anonymous takes down facebook like they said they would, they better leave Penny Arcade alone.