NAIROBI Kenya April 2 -Violent extremists have adopted emerging technologies to recruit vulnerable Kenyans, especially young people, and to ultimately mobilize them to violence.
Security experts have warned that these extremists have also become more adept at exploiting social media, smaller websites with targeted audiences, and encrypted chat applications to radicalize, recruit, fundraise and propagate their narratives.
The director of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) Dr Rosalind Nyawira has also warned that though the agencies have secured the physical space where radicalization was manifesting, the violent extremists were now using technology including the digital platforms.
“Violent extremists have the technology, and they are using it. We have worked very hard to secure the physical spaces where radicalization was manifesting but they have moved online. We must be predictive and see ahead of them and where they are going now,” she said.
Dr Nyawira made the remarks during the National Strategy to Counter Violent Extremism (NSCVE) review public participation exercise.
In 2016, the government developed the National Strategy to Counter Violent Extremism to drain our society of radicalization and recruitment into violent extremism.
However, due to this morphing nature of terrorism, there is an urgent need to review this 2016 strategy to align with the evolving trends.
Rahma Ramadhan, a researcher with Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies (CHRIPS), has also said the extremists were using local languages, further complicating efforts to detect.
“Violent extremists using digital platforms have turned to local language, which is less commonly used and challenging to detect through technology,” Ramadhan said.
According to the US National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2040 report, “technological advances, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and the ‘Internet of Things,’ may offer opportunities for terrorists to conduct high-profile attacks by developing new, more remote attack methods and to collaborate across borders.”
Other terrorists and extremists utilize generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to produce propaganda, create malware, and develop hacking skills, according to experts.
Apart from the government interventions and efforts to proactively address extremists’ use of emerging technology, parents have also been advised to closely monitor what their children can access in the online spaces where radicalization seems to flourish.
Latest research shows that extremists are getting younger and spending more time online, including by playing active roles there.
Experts also warn that those who spend more time online also face an increased likelihood of engaging with hateful or potentially radicalizing content.
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