Of all the challenges facing the world, few are as important as stopping terrorism in its tracks. In just the past few years, extremist groups like ISIS have grown in number and marched across the Middle East, spreading violence and unrest wherever they go. The acts they have undertaken are shocking and disturbing to much of the civilized world, and many countries are realizing the urgent need to stop these terrorists before their war continues to spread. Luckily, the tools to fight extremists are more varied and effective than ever before, including one that might not be thought of as a key in the battle against terrorism: big data. Many in the business world have already seen how useful big data is, and governments and intelligence agencies have quickly adopted big data analytics to identify, track down, and eliminate threats. Though the technology is still in its beginning stages, big data is already proving to be a vital component in the fight.
Knowing exactly how the military and intelligence agencies in the U.S. and abroad are using big data is still a tricky endeavor. Military strategies and techniques are justifiably kept classified, but based on how big data is used in other industries, one can reasonably surmise how it is used in the War on Terror. To better fight an enemy, its important to understand them first, and few things can help in this matter quite like big data. Much like businesses use data to understand their customers, the military can use data to figure out what motivates terrorists. Once backgrounds and motivations are properly understood, the data can then be used to discover more about terrorist networks, going beyond who supports groups like ISIS and learning more about who acts an informants, who supplies them, and who finances them.
Big data may also be used to predict who has a higher propensity toward joining terrorist groups. A massive data mining project conducted by the Qatar Computing Research Institute in Doha analyzed data from social media to find the origins of support for ISIS. More specifically, researchers looked at more than 3 million tweets that were sent over a three month period, pinpointing key patterns and characteristics among tweets supportive of ISIS and those that opposed it. Based off of their findings, researchers were able to create an algorithm that could classify users as anti- or pro-ISIS with 87 percent accuracy. Being able to predict who might join ISIS at a later date could prove an invaluable tool in limiting the growth of extremists groups.
Social media data is just one area where governments can find out more about terrorists. The U.S. military is also using big data to track terrorist movement. This is achieved through the use of drones — or unmanned aerial vehicles — that gather surveillance data on areas where suspicious activity may occur. The data is streamed in real-time, and when combined with data gathered from other sources and teams, it can be used to make connections and identify where terrorists are and predict where they will be in the future. Terrorist movement can also be determined by tracking the spread of diseases like polio, which is especially helpful since many terrorist groups are opposed to vaccinations. Find where outbreaks are occurring, and the chances are higher that terrorists are or have been there.
Big data is especially important when it comes to sharing information across multiple channels and across multiple agencies and countries. The Dfuze system is one such database, where governments can analyze terrorist attacks and share information, essentially facilitating improved communication between nations. In this manner, specialists can identify more patterns and trends that can help them prepare for future attacks, possibly even preventing them. With 40 countries actively using Dfuze, the system only looks to be getting more powerful in stopping terrorists.
As always, the more data becomes prevalent, the more governments will have to address concerns over how that data is used. Privacy becomes a major issue, especially when it comes to agencies monitoring things like social media communications and cloud computing servers. The issue will likely continue to be hotly debated until more reforms are made. In the meantime, its clear that big data will provide a valuable role in rooting out terrorists and stopping them before more innocent people are harmed. The technology is only getting better and more precise, which should limit terrorist groups ability to spread fear and chaos.
