INTERNET RADICALIZATION AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SPREADING RADICAL IDEAS AND MATERIALS ON THE DARK WEB

Abstract

INTERNET RADICALIZATION AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SPREADING RADICAL IDEAS AND MATERIALS ON THE DARK WEB

Professor Marjan Nikolovski , PhD

University „St. Kliment Ohridski “Bitola, Faculty of security – Skopje

Davor Arsic, MSc

University „St. Kliment Ohridski “Bitola, Faculty of security - Skopje

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the potential danger arising from internet radicalization and the wide space of the deep internet which is not controlled and offers opportunities for extremist groups to draw materials related to radicalistic ideologies. Internet radicalization is one of the types of hybrid threats that is not institutionally sufficiently controlled. Technological development in the last few decades has been in constant growth. Society cannot be imagined to function normally without the use of special tools and programs on the Internet. The Internet brings the world together, but only virtually. Various social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. enable quick and easy communication with people who are on the other side of the planet. With that, information spreads rapidly and easily, because the rate of internet users is enormous. Extremist groups use these networks pretty well, especially for their purposes related to the recruitment and training of fighters, so that they can then go to various battlefields in the Middle East and in recent years in Ukraine. The paper aims to make a normative analysis of the existing laws, by-laws for the prevention and inhibition of this type of hybrid threats. Analysis of existing reports and comparative analysis with legal solutions in the Republic of North Macedonia with the Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Design / methodology / approach

The paper will be systematized in the following order: Analysis of international acts and documents brought by relevant institutions of the European Union, which are in the direction of preventing internet radicalization as a type of hybrid threat. Comparison of domestic legal regulations with the legal regulations of neighboring countries. Defining terms for internet (online) radicalization, danger of internet radicalization, which are socially vulnerable groups that can be subject to this kind of threat. As a case study - ISIS who annually recruited over 30,000 members using internet tools. Comparative analysis and comments on the existing legal solutions in the Republic of North Macedonia and the efficiency of the application of the legal provisions in the Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Findings: The danger arising from internet radicalization represents a security threat both for the Republic of North Macedonia and for the entire Western Balkans. The surface internet and especially the "deep internet" is a suitable ground for the spread of radical ideas, another type of hybrid threats, fake news, disinformation and the spread of hate speech that has become a part of our everyday life. The Western Balkans is still a vulnerable area. Fear is rising that online recruitment by extremist groups could result in foreign fighters joining Russia's invasion of Ukraine, following the Ukrainian president's public call that all foreign fighters are welcome in Ukraine. Analysis of documents from Eurostat according to their statistics since 1998 when there were only 12 websites related to terrorism and violent extremism, an increase of 6940 websites with such extreme material was recorded, and Eurostat statistics show that in 2014 there is an increase of up to 80% of such websites whose main content is extremist ideologies and terrorism as phenomena.

Originality / Value:

The paper is original, founded on the basis of own efforts and theoretical insights into the problem of internet radicalization to which the competent authorities, the legislator, perhaps even the state itself, pay the least attention. Also, analysis of documents, internet searches, analysis of secondary data searched on Eurostat for this type of security threat. Internet extremism in the Western Balkans is strongly related to the demographics of the population and the history of the region. Extremist ideologies do not have influence on one country only, but many. Extremist ideologies that prevail in the Western Balkans have loyal internet users who are limited in political and ideological terms and are easy targets for action. Such regionalized extremist narratives are closely related to the history and longstanding inter-ethnic conflict in the region.

Keywords: internet radicalization, extremism, deep web, foreign fighters, security threats.