Taliban Deliver Cyberjihad Messages Via US Web Hosts

Anonymity, efficiency of US firms attracts extremists
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 9, 2009 2:29 AM CDT
Taliban Deliver Cyberjihad Messages Via US Web Hosts
Taliban militants sit on a vehicle as they pass a bazaar in the Musa Qala district of Helmand province, south of Kabul, Afghanistan.   (AP Photo)

A Taliban message boasting about killing coalition soldiers in Afghanistan was broadcast to the world online via Houston last month, the Washington Post reports. The website was one of dozens belonging to Islamic militants that have been hosted on US servers. The terror plotters rely on the affordability, efficiency, quality and anonymity of American web hosting companies as they incite attacks on Americans.

Hosting companies say it is hard to spot the extremists among millions of clients, but they shut down the accounts and notify authorities when they find a site breaking the rules. The Pakistani government has repeatedly complained to the US about American companies hosting extremist sites and met a reluctant response, according to one Pakistani official. He believes American agencies are allowing the sites to remain so they can gather intelligence.
(More internet stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X