Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Feds Consider Searches Of Terrorism Blogs

Dan Lidor, left, and Aaron Hixson participate in Homeland Security's Cyber Storm II at Washington's U.S. Secret Service headquarters in March. By Andrew Councill for USA TODAY

From USA Today:

WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Department may soon start scouring the Internet to find blogs and message boards that terrorists use to plan attacks in the USA.

The effort comes as researchers are seeing terrorists increasingly use the Internet to plan bombings, recruit members and spread propaganda. "Blogging and message boards have played a substantial role in allowing communication among those who would do the United States harm," the department said in a recent notice.

Homeland Security officials are looking for companies to search the Internet for postings "in near to real-time which precede" an attack, particularly a bombing. Bombings are "of great concern" because terrorists can easily get materials and make an improvised-explosive device (IED), the department said.

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