Terror websites, take down or leave up? Answer.

Alas the eternal question:
whether it be better to suffer the AQ web sites
or by opposing them end their command and control, make them deaf, take down the web site.
The terrorist websites are what allow the terrorist to grow, recruit, as long as there is even a small cadre of AQ.
Kill the websites and you kill their command and control.

If we had recognized the dangers poised by the Internet we could have KILLED the websites right away.
Without the Internet AQ would have died long ago like so many others. But who Knew?

AQ is hunting on line for the 1% who will kill, out of a Muslim population of 1.5 billion.
He will always find them, one percent of any population on earth is psychotic, sociopath.
The demographic is always there, always will be.

Imagine for a moment your web site gone, gone and all copies, backups gone from the servers.
Only backup is what you may have personally.

That is the case many AQ web masters find themselves in.

But they are far more than webmasters.
Actually independent contractors, originally unwanted, unappreciated.
Not completely trusted by AQ or the Taliban.
The most recent hostage video was not released on the web site.

The first terrorist websites were developed without any input from AQ.

A webmaster recognized the communication engine inherent in a web site and the media
theater that could made for propaganda.
At this point in time their reputations are still at stake, they put much of themselves into the sites, hours and hours.
Taking one down does much damage to moral and reputation. And AQ view of the Internet.

The first webmasters built the web site and posted everything he could find, quotes, vids, messages, built a forum
and let AQ post what they wanted. The first webmaster had to convince AQ the benefit of the WWW
by demonstration.

AQ are not webmasters, kill the webmasters and AQ will wither.

Kill their command and control, the websites.

I have no idea what intel is being collected from these websites.

I do know they are learning it fast, They built a volunteer net for DOS attacks.
http://www.al-jinan.org/

And to finally burn the top hacker publicly.
http://warintel.blogspot.com/2007/07/cyber-alert-islamofascist-head-hacker.html

We were able to track their response to that post and discovered
their IT experts were in Islamic computer science Grad schools in India.
And we burned them also.
http://warintel.blogspot.com/2007/07/al-qaeda-s-it-mentorsadvisers-in-india.html

We recently discovered a post indicting they wanted more "JEW" websites to attack
They are preparing to become active again on some level.
We have deployed some of the very best botnet expert civilians in USA on that.

Question of balance, civilians cannot balance this, the data is lacking at our level to make decisions.

They will be as good as we are at cyberwar in 5 years.

We have had the benefit of Intel collection, vs shutting them down for 6 yrs now.

WE have a trained cadre of "experts" that can chase down and using their surfers
get the terrorist web sites shut down? mypetjawa etc. 20 so far.
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/188910.php

There is a case to be made for loosing the dogs of war, killing the websites.

The paradigm speaks to "terror websites" finally moving to friendly servers
in safe terrorism sponsor countries. Which could be attacked without legal ramifications.

Which would evolve into a cyberwar.

Cyber war is inevitable, question becomes when.
Now, when we have all the advantages or later when they have the technology also?

If they would use a Nuke, cyberwar is a weapon you would not disabuse them of.

The best time to kill the websites is when AQ is going down, in trouble. NOW?

We have picked up a couple of post hating the shutting down of their websites.
The pain that has caused them, the users.

The webmaster finding another host, re up loading everything, all wasted unneeded time.
Loss of data not backed up and re-uploading any backups they do have.
Destruction of their creations. Loss of face, reputation, and so many places for security
holes. And out of circulation for weeks sometimes, and forcing them to fewer and fewer sites.

Their IT skills and their development of cyber warfare abilities
parallels Irans attempt to develop Nukes.

We have to stop it.

Taking out webmasters is one way to slow them.

It seems best to NOT leave the websites up.

Gerald