The example of Shannen Rossmiller raises important questions about the proper role of private organizations and citizens in the Global War on Terrorism. Rossmiller’s actions starkly highlight the difference between passive monitoring of jihadist web forums and active participation in these same forums. In the case of Rossmiller, the line has been crossed. Without the proper coordination with intelligence and law enforcement organizations, Rossmiller?s active contact with potential terrorists may engender two main risks of actively participating in jihadist web forums.
First, when not properly coordinated with intelligence and law enforcement organizations, active participation runs the risk of compromising on-going investigations. It appears there are a handful of on-line jihadists who are more active and serve as facilitators and organizers of on-line and off-line terrorism. For example, Younis Tsouli (aka Irhabi 007) appeared to have many on-line and off-line connections with terrorists around the world, including cells in Toronto, Atlanta, London, and Sarajevo (Terror Web Watch). As a result, any investigation of Tsouli was best left to intelligence and law enforcement organizations because only these organizations have the legal authority to act on the information gathered in an investigation. Moreover, should a private organization or citizen initiate an independent investigation of another terrorist in Tsouli?s mold, it is possible that the suspected terrorist operative would have been spooked and changed his/her tactics or outright disappeared from the view of intelligence and law enforcement organizations. Should this happen, it is possible that intelligence and law enforcement organizations would not be able to follow the suspect’s trail to other active terrorist cells and, thus, would miss the opportunity to disrupt active terrorist plots.
Additionally, when actively participating in jihadist web forums, private organizations and citizens run the risk of compromising their own identity and personal safety. For example, Rossmiller’s identity was exposed due to her participation in the investigation and trial of Army Spec. Ryan G. Anderson. As a result, she has made herself a target of active and potential jihadists; therefore, local, state, and national law enforcement must dedicate additional resources to protecting Rossmiller.
These arguments are not intended to deter private organizations and citizens from contributing to the Global War on Terrorism. Rather, they are meant to distinguish the difference between helping and hurting this effort. There is a role for private organizations and citizens in combating jihadists’ use of the Internet, as there is no question that the policing of the entire Internet is beyond the capacity of any one national intelligence or law enforcement organization. Even with sophisticated artificial intelligence such as smart robots and spiders, there will always be content on the Internet that intelligence and law enforcement organizations may not be able to identify and act upon in a timely fashion. Therefore, it is within intelligence and law enforcement organizations’ interests to work with private citizens and organizations in an effort to uncover potential terrorist plots.
Should private citizens and organizations feel compelled to contribute to intelligence gathering efforts, they should only engage in passive monitoring. Passive monitoring entails studying the multitude of jihadist web forums and possibly silently tracking the IP address and locations of on-line jihadists. Passive monitoring of jihadist web forums does not entail many of the same risks of active participation as detailed above, and it can still generate valuable information for intelligence and law enforcement organizations such as potential terrorist plots, connections between on-line jihadists, and possibly the physical location of active and potential jihadists.
