New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) The Islamic State, in recent years, has proven to be one of the leading terror outfits when it comes to the use of technology. When it commenced operations in Syria and Iraq in late 2013, the focus was heavy on creating fear. For this, it had set up Hollywood-style studios where it shot beheading videos.

While some of them were real, many were fake, and these videos were shot and circulated to create a perception of how lethal the outfit is. This worked well for the outfit, and many even ended up joining the group. Later, the Islamic State relied heavily on propaganda and radicalisation through its encrypted communication channels. It even has magazines today and sends out regular newsletters to its subscribers.

The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also been a boon for the Islamic State. It has used the technology extensively to generate content in the form of videos. The videos are currently available in many languages thanks to the technology available.

While the Islamic State has used such technology to further its agenda, it has now been advising its followers to also use AI carefully. The outfit has realised that using technology extensively also has its drawbacks. Currently, it is engaged in lessons on how to use the technology and not end up getting tracked by the security agencies.

Indian intelligence officials say that the Islamic State uses its Voice of Khorasan to send out messages to its followers. For the last couple of months, the message has been largely around how to avoid getting tracked by the security agencies. There are lessons on how AI can be used for anonymous private research.

In an article published in the Voice of Khorasan, it says that chatbots should not be used to share sensitive information, as this could be used by the agencies to track them. The Islamic State suggests that its followers should use tools such as Brave Leo to share sensitive information, and this protects privacy. “AI is like fire and can be used to light a home and also burn it down.”

The emphasis is largely on being a responsible fighter and the need to take precautions while operating. The Islamic State advises that its mujahideen should be aware of all the available technology. The article says that AI can end up learning too much about you, and all measures should be taken to be cyber-conscious.

While advising the mujahideen to learn technology, it also urges them to prepare their children from a very young age for the use of technology. An Intelligence Bureau official says that the advice comes in the wake of security agencies closing in on Islamic State operations across the world, where the use of technology is concerned. The outfit realises that many of its operatives are being careless while using technology, and hence, such frequent tutorials are being imparted, the official said.

This marks a complete shift in the operations of the Islamic State, which had, until last year, maintained that using technology such as AI could be un-Islamic. Today, it tells its followers that using AI is a religious obligation, and it even goes on to equate it to a prayer or pilgrimage.

Officials say that the outfit has been constantly evolving, and this is what makes it a very lethal terror group. They are constantly evolving and realise that while technology is important, it could be equally dangerous as the same tools could be used to track them down.

Even for its India operations, the Islamic State has taken a very different approach. It would not spend its resources on planning terror attacks through the conventional modules which groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammed have. The focus is propaganda and radicalisation. The outfit has been pushing such content heavily into the Indian market with the intention of radicalising a large number of youth.

The outfit expects that once these persons are radicalised, they would use technology extensively to strike in the country, officials say. While doing so, the outfit is also ensuring that the same technology should not end up causing their downfall, officials also point out.

–IANS

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