| dc.description.abstract | Islamic State, being a nefarious global terrorist
organization, has showcased its exploitation and
adaptability of various online technologies throughout the
history. This research investigates its evolving Web3 and
Generative AI exploitation tactics by using exploratory
qualitative content analysis of discussions on IS-friendly
communication platforms, websites and online whistleblowers
then triangulated with recognized secondary
resources. Pro-IS online entities demonstrate a concerning
ability and interest to adapt and exploit emerging
technologies like Web3 technologies (including
decentralized communication, hosting, finance, and
Metaveres) and Artificial Intelligence (including AIgenerated
videos, voice cloning, AI images and chatbots)
for experimenting new tactics for propaganda, recruitment,
and fundraising by evading extreme counter terrorism
content moderation and detection mechanisms. It was
observed that decentralized chat platforms and
cryptocurrency are widely used by pro-IS entities while
exploitation of decentralized web and virtual platforms
were also susceptible for exploitation. There is a wide use
of AI generated images, and textual contents. Exploiting AI
audio-visuals and AI chatbots are still on experimental
phase but possess an alarming threat. The global threat
implied by these exploitations cannot be negated hence
early counter terrorism actions must be taken to mitigate
this emerging threats. These findings highlight the urgent
need for a multi-stakeholder approach to counter this
threat. Collaboration between tech companies,
governments, counterterrorism agencies and international
organizations is crucial to keep emerging online
technologies to be safe from terrorist exploitations. | en_US |
