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Old 10-12-2018, 06:14 AM
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Arrow Eye on Extremism - October 12, 2018

Eye on Extremism - October 12, 2018
RE: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#in...VQRfzdfNHQWRxB

Agence France Presse: Kurds In Syria Say They Hold 900 Foreign IS Fighters

“Syrian Kurdish forces battling the Islamic State terror group hold around 900 of the organization’s foreign jihadists, a spokesman said on Thursday, a sharp increase from a previous figure. In lengthy battles against IS in the war-torn country, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have rounded up thousands of alleged IS members, Syrian and otherwise. That is a sharp rise from the figure of 520, given by another Kurdish official last month. “The war is ongoing and until now we are arresting terrorists,” Mahmoud explained, referring to ongoing battles against IS in eastern Syria. “The numbers have increased over the past months from the battles between our forces and IS,” he said. Kurdish authorities have said they will not put any foreign jihadists on trial, and repeatedly called on their home countries to take them back. But Western countries, reeling from IS-claimed terror attacks on their own soil, have been reluctant. “Most countries have been flouting their responsibility,” Mahmoud said. According to Kurdish foreign affairs official Abdel Karim Omar, Syrian Kurds also hold 550 women and around 1,200 children from the families of IS members.”

The Wall Street Journal: Turkey Is Expected To Release American Pastor On Friday

“The U.S. and Turkey are expected to begin mending a rupture in relations with the likely release on Friday of North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson from detention and house arrest in Turkey, where he has faced terrorism charges, people familiar with the matter said. Mr. Brunson, who has been held since 2016, is due to appear in court near the coastal town of Izmir, where a judge is expected to drop some charges and, at most, sentence him to time already served, these people said. One person said Mr. Brunson also could be released on technical grounds. In any case, he is expected to be handed back his passport and put on a plane to the U.S., the people said—an outcome people close to him said they would consider a victory. Officials on both sides urged caution, warning a previous deal between Turkey and the U.S. for Mr. Brunson’s release had collapsed at the last minute.”

JNS: Time For Tech Companies To Say ‘No’ To Farrakhan’s Brand Of Hate

“Google and social-media outlets must back up their statements with action and demonstrate that hate, prejudice and cleverly veiled incitements to violence will not be welcome online. The “white man,” according to Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, is “worthy to be hated. Worthy because of the evil that he does!” The quote is from a July 2016 radio interview posted to Twitter. That tweet has since received more than 10,000 “Likes” and has been retweeted more than 10,000 times. For decades, Farrakhan has openly espoused anti-white, anti-gay and anti-Semitic views in interviews and public appearances. In recent years, social media has given his abhorrent propaganda a new and greater reach. It is long past time that tech companies took decisive action to eliminate Farrakhan’s brand of hate speech from their sites.”

Haaretz: Thousands Of Syrian Refugees Face Starvation As Russia And Assad Try To Force U.S. Out

“Thousands of Syrians stranded on Jordan's border with Syria are running out of food as routes leading to their camp are closed by the Syrian army and Jordan is blocking aid deliveries, relief workers and refugees said on Thursday. The Syrian army has tightened its siege of the camp, in Rukban, near the northeastern Jordanian border with Syria and Iraq, preventing smugglers and traders from delivering food to its 50,000 inhabitants, mostly women and children. Jordan wants the United Nations and Russia to put pressure on Damascus to give the written authorizations needed to allow supplies into Rukban from Syrian government-held territory. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said recently that his country, already burdened with hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war-torn Syria, could not be made responsible for delivering aid to the camp.”

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento ISIS Suspect Faces Certain Execution If Sent Back To Iraq, Lawyers Argue

“Lawyers for the Sacramento man accused of being an ISIS terrorist who killed a police officer in Iraq in 2014 have set forth a key part of their defense argument: Omar Ameen wasn’t in the war-torn country at the time of the alleged killing. Ameen, a 45-year-old father of four who has lived in Sacramento since early 2016, faces a court hearing in federal court Monday as part of the government’s efforts to extradite him back to his home nation of Iraq to face charges in the June 22, 2014, slaying of a police officer in Al-Anbar province. But Chief Assistant Federal Defender Ben Galloway argues in court documents filed in advance of the hearing that sending Ameen back to Iraq virtually guarantees his execution by hanging. “In the end, the sentence for any such offense is usually death by hanging, accomplished within hours of presidential ratification of the sentence,” Galloway wrote, adding that Iraq has one of the highest rates of execution in the world. Ameen, an auto mechanic arrested Aug. 15 at his Arden Arcade apartment on Eastern Avenue, is being held without bail at the Sacramento County Main Jail and is due in court Monday for a hearing to establish that he is, indeed, the suspect named by Iraqi authorities as Omar Ameen. Galloway does not dispute that, saying in his court filings that Ameen “acknowledges being the person identified in the Iraqi arrest warrant” and will waive an identity hearing.”

Syria
The Independent: Idlib: Residents Of Last Rebel Stronghold Declare Their Hatred For All Sides In Syria's Civil War

“People in Idlib hate all those with power over them,” says Ahmad Abu Omar, 33, a history teacher living in the province, the last opposition enclave in the west of Syria. He says that the three million people of Idlib fear a return of government forces, but are almost equally hostile to the armed opposition groups now ruling Idlib because they have spread violence and chaos. He sees Turkey and Russia, who this week started implementing their ceasefire agreement to prevent a government offensive into the province, as acting solely in their own interests. Abu Omar, in an exclusive interview with The Independent from Idlib city via Whatsapp, describes the mood as war weary and disillusioned. The province south west of Aleppo was once a stronghold of the armed opposition after the original uprising of 2011. Hostility towards the government in Damascus is still intense, but so is antipathy towards its opponents. “At the beginning you could see the youth rushing to fight [against government forces],” says Abu Omar. “But now nobody cares about fighting and religious belief can no longer motivate people to fight for those in control here [the armed opposition].”

ABC News: Heavy Clashes Between IS, US-Backed Fighters In Syria

“U.S.-backed fighters braved a sandstorm to battle the Islamic State group in eastern Syria on Thursday in heavy clashes that killed several fighters on both sides. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group, said it was fighting to retake the village of Sousah, where the extremists took advantage of the poor visibility to launch a counteroffensive. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting began Wednesday and killed at least 10 U.S.-allied fighters, with the fate of 35 others unknown. It said 18 IS militants were killed. The IS-linked Aamaq news agency reported 18 deaths among the SDF fighters and posted photos online of what it said were some of the bodies. In recent years the SDF, with U.S. air support, has driven IS from much of northern and eastern Syria. The extremists have also suffered a series of defeats at the hands of Syrian government forces and Iraqi forces, losing virtually all the territory that once made up their self-styled caliphate.”

Iran
The New York Times: U.S. Warns That Iran Could Use Fraud To Duck Sanctions

“Weeks before it is to reimpose another round of punishing sanctions on Iran, the Trump administration warned the world’s banks on Thursday that Tehran might try to use duplicitous means to soften the sanctions’ bite and continue to fund terrorism. Iran’s bankers and officials have used front companies, fraudulent documents and other measures to generate revenue for the country’s terrorist activities, the administration said. “Any country that allows its central bank to be involved in deception in support of terrorism requires the highest levels of scrutiny, particularly when the country itself is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism,” said Sigal Mandelker, the Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. The warning is part of a coordinated campaign by the administration to persuade banks and corporations around the world to sever all commercial ties with Iran, not only because of looming American sanctions but also because it says Tehran diverts even seemingly innocuous transactions toward illicit ends. No new sanctions or penalties were announced on Thursday.”

The National: Mike Pompeo Offers US Support As Belgium Questions Iran Diplomat

“The Iranian diplomat extradited by Germany to Belgium has undergone questioning in prison near Antwerp over his alleged role directing a plot to bomb an opposition rally featuring high profile Western politicians including Rudy Giuliani. Assadollah Assadi, who worked as station manager in Vienna for Tehran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), was sent to Belgium on Wednesday. All four people connected with the cross-border assassination attempt – the rally was held near Paris in June – are now in custody in Belgium, where prosecutors are building a case for trial later in the year. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, welcome the latest developments including the German decision to proceed with extradition after Austria waved diplomatic immunity requirements. “The scale of this plot, which involved arrests of numerous suspects across Europe – including in Belgium, France, and Germany – reminds us that Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism,” Mr Pompeo said. “This plot also lays bare Iran’s continued support of terrorism throughout Europe.”

Forbes: Here's How Iran Hides Its Secret Oil Trade

“The Trump administration is worried about rising oil and gasoline prices resulting from the latest set of sanctions that it will implement against Iran’s oil and gas industry just two days before the midterm elections. President Trump has good reason to be concerned about the political implications. To stem the rise of oil prices, he has been attacking the OPEC oil cartel relentlessly on twitter and at rallies with the aim of convincing OPEC to increase production. The price of the international oil benchmark, Brent, is up 50% in the last year and gasoline prices are nearing $4 per gallon in some parts of the country. Speculators are increasingly predicting $100 oil by the new year, but now the Trump administration has announced that it is considering waivers of sanctions to some of the major importers of Iranian oil. The waivers would presumably go to countries that have showed a good faith effort to comply with the sanctions but perhaps are too reliant on Iran to end all imports yet. It would be a mistake for U.S. policy makers to consider waivers at this time because new evidence suggests that a great deal of Iranian oil is still making its way to these countries - often through surreptitious means.”

Iraq
Reuters: Officer Killed, Three Soldiers Seized In West Iraq: Sources

“An army officer was killed and three soldiers were captured in western Iraq after militants attacked their vehicle, security sources said on Thursday. The attack took place late on Wednesday in the town of Akaz, five kilometers (three miles) from the Qaim district of Anbar province. The unit was delivering food to other troops, the sources told Reuters. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Islamic State militants are active in the area. Usually militants kill soldiers and take officers captive whom they view as higher value targets, the sources said, but the reverse happened on Wednesday night. At least eight people were killed and 12 wounded in a suicide car-bomb attack on a security checkpoint in the same area last August. Iraq declared victory over Islamic State last December, dislodging the group from all the territory it held after its self-proclaimed caliphate, which also encompassed part of Syria, collapsed earlier in 2017. Security forces retook Qaim, which lies 300 km (185 miles) west of Baghdad in the Sunni province of Anbar, on the border with Syria, in November. It was one of the last remaining territories in Iraq held by Islamic State. The group’s fighters have since then waged a campaign of killings and abductions.”

Afghanistan
Radio Free Europe: 'At Least 15 Police Killed' In Taliban Attack In Northern Afghanistan

“At least 15 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in a Taliban assault in the northern province of Kunduz, reports say, as the militants escalate their offensive ahead of this month’s general elections. A member of the provincial council, Amruddin Wali, said 15 members of the paramilitary border police were killed when Taliban fighters attacked a checkpoint in the Qala-e Zal district on October 11. Another member of the provincial council, Sayed Assadullah Sadat, also put the death toll at 15, but added that 13 border police were also wounded. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, Afghan special forces, backed by air strikes, killed at least 21 Taliban, including senior commanders, in an operation in the central province of Wardak, according to Afghanistan's main intelligence agency. The National Directorate of Security said in a statement that the militants had gathered to plan attacks aimed at disrupting the parliamentary elections set for October 20. The Taliban has ramped up attacks on Afghan security forces and government facilities throughout the country in recent months, vowing to do everything in its power to block the vote, which the group called an "American conspiracy to further justify the foreign occupation." The militants has said that they will target anyone who tries to help the election process to succeed, especially the Afghan security forces.”

Voice Of America: Taliban To Let Red Cross Resume Afghan Relief Operations

“The Taliban announced Thursday that it would allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to fully resume operations in Afghanistan, restoring safety guarantees that had been withdrawn a few weeks ago. The Islamist insurgency had pulled the guarantees in August after accusing the relief group of failing to meet its stated obligation to monitor detention conditions and provide medical aid to Taliban prisoners in Afghan jails. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said talks between its political negotiators and ICRC officials in Qatar led to the decision to again allow safe passage to Red Cross staff working in Afghanistan. The insurgent group maintains its "political office" in the Gulf state. An ICRC spokesperson confirmed to VOA's Afghan service the two sides reached an agreement on the security issue, but did not share further details. Millions of people displaced by escalating hostilities in Afghanistan are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The United Nations said this week that the conflict and the worst drought to grip the country in years have displaced nearly 470,000 Afghan civilians this year. A U.N. report disclosed Wednesday that conflict-related incidents caused more than 8,000 civilian casualties, including about 2,800 deaths, in the first nine months of this year, showing continuing high rates of civilian casualties. The ICRC is an independent and neutral organization that has been working in Afghanistan for more than 30 years, including in areas controlled by the Taliban.”

Yemen
Al Arabiya: Austria Offers To Host Yemen Talks As Griffiths Seeks To Renew Negotiations

“The UN’s envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has resumed efforts to secure another round of consultations between warring parties in the Yemeni crisis in November, while the Austrian government has offered to be the host country. After meeting with Oman’s Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi in Muscat on Thursday and discussed latest Yemeni developments, Griffiths met with a Houthi delegation to discuss the opening of Sanaa’s airport and “other steps to build trust”. Griffiths' renewed efforts were met with an offer from the Austrian government to host the next round of talks in Vienna. The Muscat talks were preceded by meetings of the UN official in Riyadh with Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr.”

The National: UN Experts Call On Houthis To Release Bahai Prisoners

“A panel of experts from the UN on Wednesday called on Wednesday upon the de facto authorities of the Houthis in Sanaa to immediately release a dozen Baha’i minority members being prosecuted for unfair charges. On September 15, criminal proceedings were initiated against 24 individuals, including at least 22 who are from the Baha’i minority. Of those 22 are eight women and a minor. “The defendants were not investigated nor were they informed by the prosecution of the pending charges against them prior at the start of the trials,” the report of the UN experts stated. “The charges include apostasy, the teaching of the Baha’i faith, and espionage, the latter punishable with the death penalty if convicted,” it continued. “We are very concerned at the criminal prosecution of these persons based on charges connected to their religion or belief,” the UN experts said. “We are particularly concerned that some of the charges include crimes that carry the death penalty.”

Arab News: OCHA Condemns Houthi Attack On Ksrelief Camp

The Office of Coordination of Relief and Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) condemned a rocket attack by Houthi militias on a King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) camp in Hodeidah province. During its 26th meeting in Riyadh, the participants called on the international community to stand firm against a humanitarian outrage that violates all international principles and human rights. They also pointed out that international silence about such actions makes the militias more likely continue to target humanitarian centers.

Al Arabiya: Internal Conflicts, Assassinations, And Tank Attacks Between Houthis On The Rise

“Assassinations have become common between Houthi militias, majorly caused by internal divisions and splits between top leaders. Those who split from the militias are said to be killed directly in assassination attacks or through blowing up their houses. Militias in Sanaa attacked the house of Doctor Abbas Mohammed Zaid and stole documents and devices from him. Abbas Mohammed Zaid is the brother of the 14th most wanted man by the coalition forces supporting the legitimate government in Yemen - Hassan Mohammed Zaid, the minister of sport in the Houthi government that is not recognized internationally, and one of the Houthi leaders. The Zaid family is considered a supporter of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, and it helped him enter Sanaa in September 2014. Conflicts and splits have been increasing within the Houthi leadership lately, the biggest such incident happened a few days ago, when Abdul-Malik al-Houthi had a bloody confrontation with the mufti of the Houthi militias in Saada and Majz district specifically. Houthi militias attacked the house of the mufti with tanks, missiles, and mortar bombs, killing more than 30 people, injuring dozens, and blowing up houses owned by supporters of the mufti. The Houthi militias are also suppressing demonstrations that went out recently in Sanaa complaining about the plunging living standards, as soaring prices put basic commodities out of reach of many people. Houthis arrested more than 50 female activists from among the students of Sanaa University, and killed one of the security guards.”

Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon: ISIS Member Arrested For Plotting Attack Against Army

“Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) foiled a terrorist operation targeting Lebanese army units in the north, following the arrest of a minor belonging to ISIS, who was preparing to detonate an explosive device in an army patrol. In a statement on Wednesday, the ISF said it had arrested a member of ISIS in Akkar just as he was about to complete the setting of an explosive device aimed to target a Lebanese army patrol in the area. “Based on information about orders to [ISIS members] to carry out terrorist acts in the countries they reside in, and following surveillance and tracking operations, a special force from the Information Branch conducted a swift security operation and managed to apprehend a person, born in 2002, in Akkar," a statement by the ISF said. The statement added that the arrest came shortly before the boy managed to complete the setting of an explosive device that he was planning to plant on a local highway to target a Lebanese army patrol. The detainee admitted that he belonged to a number of groups affiliated with ISIS, with whom he discussed his intention to move to Syria, before being advised of working for the terrorist organization in Lebanon because access to Syria was very difficult. The person was asked to carry out attacks against the state while pledging allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in return for advice on how to manufacture explosives. The boy then spent the next five months researching instructions and information on improvised explosive devices using nitrate and other substances, before being arrested.”

Middle East
Reuters: Israel Says It Has Destroyed A Gaza Tunnel Built By Militants

“Israel destroyed a cross-border tunnel on Thursday running from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, which it said was dug by the Palestinian Hamas group with the aim of carrying out attacks. There was no immediate comment from Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel in the past decade and is the dominant Palestinian armed force in Gaza, where an Israeli security fence runs along the frontier. “In the past few hours our forces have neutralised a terrorist attack tunnel belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation, which penetrated Israel from the central Gaza Strip,” a military statement said. Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus told reporters on a conference call that the tunnel, which he said was the 15th detected and destroyed in the last year, ran 200 meters into Israeli territory. Earlier on Thursday, the army said rocket alert sirens that had sounded in Israeli communities near the border with the Gaza Strip were a false alarm. Palestinian gunmen used tunnels to blindside Israeli forces during the 2014 Gaza war. Israel has since been developing detection technologies and laying down an underground wall which will remove the threat posed to Israel by these tunnel by 2019.”

Egypt
The Defense Post: Egypt Court Sentences 17 To Death Over Church Suicide Bombings Claimed By ISIS

“An Egyptian military court on Thursday sentenced 17 people to death over a series of suicide bombings of churches that left dozens dead. Seventy-four people were killed in the attacks in 2016 and 2017 targeting Coptic Christians in Cairo, Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. The bombings were claimed by Islamic State. The court also sentenced 19 people to life in prison and 10 others to between 10 and 15 years, judicial and security officials said on Thursday, October 11. Christian sites of worship across Egypt have been repeatedly targeted in attacks claimed by IS, prompting the authorities to impose a state of emergency 18 months ago.”

Libya
Associated Press: Egypt’s President Wants Libya To Hand Over Captured Militant

Egypt's president says he wants a prominent militant captured in Libya this week extradited so that he can be "held accountable." Thursday's comments by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi were the first official word in Egypt on the capture of Hisham el-Ashmawi by a self-styled Libyan military force allied with Egypt. El-Ashmawi was captured in the city of Derna, a longtime militant bastion. He is the prime suspect in a series of high-profile terror attacks in Egypt, including a 2013 attempted assassination of Egypt's interior minister at the time. El-Sissi said: "We want him so we can hold him accountable. Libya's chaos has enabled the rise of Islamic militants. A 2015 audio recording attributed el-Ashmawi has him proclaiming allegiance to the Islamic State group's rival, al-Qaida, led by Egyptian militant Ayman al-Zawahri.”

Africa
Daily Post: Boko Haram Training Camp Bombed

“The Nigerian Air Force says its Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole has destroyed a Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) Training Camp in Malkonory, and also destroyed a BHT vehicle near Tumbun Rego in Northern Borno. Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. “The attack on the Training Camp was undertaken Oct.11, on the heels of credible intelligence reports indicating that several structures, cleverly camouflaged under thick vegetation in the settlement, were being used to harbour and train BHT fighters,” he said. Daramola said that a NAF Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform subsequently confirmed features such as training dummies and trenches along with a large number of adult males within the camp. “Consequently, the ATF detailed NAF Alpha Jet aircraft to attack the camp in successive strikes resulting in the destruction of many of the structures, which were seen to be engulfed in flames, as well as the neutralisation of several BHTs,” he said.”

Daily Nation: Al-Shabaab 'Brides' Acquitted 3 Years After Arrest

“A Mombasa court has acquitted three women accused of being members of Al-Shabaab and conspiring to commit a terrorist attack in the country. Chief Magistrate Evans Makori said the prosecution failed to prove the alleged membership to the terror group or even that the videos the suspects were found with were to be used to instigate terror activities. "Other than extreme graphic contents of the accused mobile phones and other electronic devices, there were no other items ordinarily used for commission of a terror attack," Mr Makori ruled. The magistrate noted that prosecution failed to link Ms Halima Adan, Ms Ummulkheir Sadri Abdalla and Ms Khadija Abubakar Abdulkadir to the militants or even that they were en route to Somalia to join the group. Mr Makori said that the prosecution did not tell the court the Al-Shabaab base where the suspects were allegedly going to when they were arrested at El-Wak in Mandera in 2015.”

Russia
Bloomberg: Russia Presses Europe To Break With Trump And Help Rebuild Syria

“Russia is urging Germany and France to break ranks with their American ally and help rebuild Syria so that refugees can go home, a senior adviser to the Russian government said. There’s little prospect of a deal with the U.S., which is now vowing to keep troops in Syria until Iran withdraws, Vitaly Naumkin said in an interview. Russia is instead focused on efforts to organize a Syria summit in Turkey with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. The plan is being held up by European demands for a transition away from Bashar al-Assad’s rule.”

Technology
Forbes: Hate Speech Still Spreads Too Easily Online: Here's How To Stop It

“Last year saw five terror incidents occur in the United Kingdom alone, in quick succession. One of the first questions asked in response to the mindless violence was: what more could have been done to prevent it? In particular, people working in counter-terrorism policy wanted to understand which measures could have be put in place to stop the radicalization and extremism that bred such violence. An important place to start was online. At the time, Prime Minister Theresa May made clear that she would shut down extremist websites that didn't play ball with the law. In doing so, she made a very important point, but one that didn't go far enough. Online spaces are easily available for people to disseminate hate speech, extremist lectures, and educate others on suicide missions or how to martyr themselves. Islamic State regularly uses encrypted messaging channels to call on extremists to target markets and run over civilians in attacks. However, this material isn’t just rampant in private conversations or on extremist websites. Content is still readily available on sites such as YouTube for people who want to find it.”

The Verge: Facebook Removes Misinformation, But Only On A Technicality

“Earlier this week, The Daily Beast published a story with a counterintuitive finding. As best as researchers could tell, there was no evidence that Russia is trying to interfere in the US midterm elections: Russian social media trolls are, of course, still promulgating fake news and slapping frantically at America’s hot buttons—tweeting wildly in favor of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, according to researchers, and pushing a counter-protest against last summer’s white supremacist Unite the Right 2 rally. The GRU is still hacking into computers in the U.S. and everywhere else. But so far, Russia-watchers say the trolls haven’t delved into the nitty gritty of 35 Senate campaigns and 435 House races. Nor has the GRU engineered the type of damaging email dumps that tent-posted the 2016 election circus.”

Strategy Page: Intelligence: Social Media In The Combat Zone

“The U.S. Army wants to provide troops in combat zones with social media analysis tools that would enable them to automatically gather information from local Internet social media to see what is happening in the area they are operating. This would be near real- time analysis with results available in English. This sort of thing is now possible because of advances in translation and social media analysis software. Intelligence organizations and commercial firms have been developing this sort of capability for over a decade. Currently military use of these professional tools is restricted and their analyses are usually classified (or considered business secrets). But that has been changing. For example the Israeli domestic intel agency (Shin Bet) revealed that so far in 2018 its intel monitoring efforts on social media had played a major role in preventing over 250 terrorist attacks. Many big-city police departments use commercially available analysis software to monitor local social media users for useful data on past or potential crimes. Before that police would simply search the social media for telltale signs of crimes committed or about to be. In Ukraine and throughout the Middle East local security forces increasingly use this capability either manually or with specialized software. Now, it appears, it is time to provide the troops with similar tools.”

E&T: NSPCC Wants Fines For Social Networks That Fail To Protect Children

“The charity said Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram were used in nearly 70 per cent of child grooming offences in England and Wales over 12 months from April 2017. It wants the government to appoint an independent regulator with the power to investigate and fine social networks if they fall short in protecting children. “Technology has developed so rapidly that governments, legislation and society have failed to keep up, resulting in social networks often becoming a gateway to child abuse,” said Des Mannion, head of service at NSPCC Cymru. “The NSPCC believes the dangerous side of the internet and social media, the ‘Wild West Web’, has claimed too many victims. “Sites must be required to take proactive steps to detect grooming, so that abuse can be disrupted before it escalates and social networks must be forced to publish annual transparency reports about the scale of abuse on their platforms. The UK Government has pledged to introduce legislation to keep social networks in check, with a white paper expected in the coming months. “The UK Government’s digital secretary Jeremy Wright and home secretary Sajid Javid have the power in their hands and they now need to take effective action,” Mannion added. “Social networks must be properly regulated for the sake of children today and for generations to come.”
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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