Terrorism eclipses hate as Internet concern, says watchdog group

VANCOUVER (CP) - The promotion of terrorism has eclipsed hate-mongering as a trouble area on the Internet, says a prominent watchdog organization. In its latest report, the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies says the two issues are closely linked but it's increasingly concerned about the web's role in terror recruitment, training and financing.

It says there are thousands of web sites, blogs, news groups and video-streaming sites that contain problematic material, including such mainstream sites as YouTube.

The centre's 2007 report, presented Friday, highlights 600 sites analyzed by volunteer researchers around the world.

"While 10 years ago the main issue was one of hatred, since 2001 the terrorist groups have come to dominate what we now see on the Internet as being the most problematic," Lou Adler, director of national affairs for the Toronto-based Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, said in an interview.

The report includes several Canadian sites, some familiar for their racist views, but a couple that appear to support Islamic holy war against the West.

Jihadunspun.com, which the report says is based in Vancouver, seems to carefully avoid breaching Canadian law governing hate-promotion by purporting to relay news from other media, Adler said.

"But it is a problematic site because when you take a look at the stories they cover and the way in which they deal with it . . . (they) look to justify acts of terrorism and try to diminish the role of terrorism in the world and over the Internet."

Jihad Unspun publisher Khadija Abdul Qahaar refused to address the report's concerns.

"We respectfully decline comment on any so-called report from the Wiesenthal Center whose lack of credibility is well known," he said in an e-mail to The Canadian Press.

Adler defended the centre's move from monitoring hate groups to tracking terror links.

"Terrorism is based on hate," he said. "You have to hate someone to become a terrorist.

"The second thing is that it's a form of communication. They raise funds, they recruit people, much in the same way that the people in England wanted to set off the car bombs by using cell phones as detonators. They were able to get instructions on how to do that on the Internet."

With millions of users worldwide, the web is a powerful tool for terrorists, Adler said.

"You don't need millions anymore to create havoc within society," he said. "All you need is one person who's prepared to sacrifice himself or who comes to believe that violence is the way in which to do things."

The report, issued as a CD-ROM, singles out Blakstone, a British Muslim hip-hop group whose angry lyrics urging action and condemning Muslim leaders who collaborate with the West play over images of violence in Iraq and Palestine.

The report also identifies video games that it claims promote hatred, such as one where the player scores by gunning down illegal Mexican immigrants as they try to cross the U.S. border.

Adler said the centre's international researchers use Canada's hate laws as the standard for measuring what is offensive.

Internet providers hosting offensive sites often remove them when contacted but in many cases, the information comes from overseas web servers.

Not always though. A site called bcwhitepride.org was originally based in British Columbia but now is run by a New Jersey resident using a server in Chicago.

The site's operator, Hal Turner, did not respond to a request for comment.

Adler said groups like his know they can't do much to stop the proliferation of hateful and violence-laced material. Their job is to educate people, especially parents and teachers.

"The Internet is a wonderful form of communication but there is a dark side to it," he said.

© The Canadian Press, 2007