Islamic State Is Said to Be Shrinking in Cyberspace

AS IT IS 2016-07-24 Islamic State Is Said to Be Shrinking in Cyberspace¹

The top American diplomat² working to lessen³ the effect of terrorist messages says the Islamic State’s recruiting efforts on the Internet have been slowed.

Richard Stengel, the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy⁴, says the news is not all good, though. The terrorist group’s message continues to motivate angry and mentally unstable⁵ Muslims.

Stengel recently spoke⁶ to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives. His testimony⁷ was more positive than statements made by other American officials in recent weeks.

“The virtual caliphate…is shrinking,” he said. “Now we see the tide turning.”

He told committee members that the amount of anti-IS information on the Internet is six times higher than pro-IS information.

Stengel helps direct officials from several agencies that seek to tell people in other countries the truth about terrorists. The group has also worked with technology companies, Hollywood filmmakers and Muslims around the world to fight terrorist propaganda.

Stengel noted⁹ that thousands of pro-terrorist Twitter accounts have been cancelled. And he said YouTube and Facebook are removing terrorist material.

Stengel told the House committee that the Islamic State terrorist group’s military losses are also beginning to affect their capabilities¹⁰ on the Internet.

“With our success on the military battlefield -- getting back almost 40 percent of the territory in Iraq that [IS] once held -- we are getting rid of a lot of those people who were creating [terrorist information on the Internet]," he said.

But Stengel said the terrorists’ online messages are still reaching people.

Stengel said the group’s messages are not “taking nice, young Muslim boys and girls and turning them into foreign terrorist fighters.” Instead, he said, the terrorists “are tapping into an already-existing market of grievance¹¹ and unhappiness that [exists] throughout the Muslim world. They are sometimes pushing on an open door.”

Republican Congressman¹² Ed Royce of California is the chairman of the committee. He said the Islamic State’s online messages are still effective.

IS "operates a vast network of online recruiters [and] online propagandists,” Royce said. “They use popular media sites, and through that process [IS] can reach a global audience -- it does this within seconds.”

Recently, Assistant FBI Director Michael Steinbach told a Senate committee that the Islamic State had increased the quality and quantity of its messages on the Internet.

“No matter the format⁸, the message of radicalization spreads faster than we imagined just a few years ago,” Steinbach said. “The most concerning trend that we’ve seen in the past year when we identify these individuals online is the speed with which they mobilize.”

Democratic Congressman Eliot Engel said that pressure against the Islamic State must continue. He said, “We’re connected on a global scale like never before. And so much good can come of that. But we know it cuts both ways. This incredible tool can also be used for incredible harm.”

Words in This Story

motivate – v. to give (someone) a reason for doing something

virtual – adj. existing or occurring on computers or on the Internet

tap into – expression connect with

vast – adj. very great in size, amount or extent

format – n. the form, design or arrangement of something

radicalize – v. to cause (someone or something) to become more radical¹³ especially in politics

mobilize – v. to bring (people) together for action

scale – n. the size or level of something, especially in comparison to something else

1 cyberspace   

n.虚拟信息空间，网络空间，计算机化世界

参考例句：

• She travels in cyberspace by sending messages to friends around the world.她利用电子空间给世界各地的朋友们发送信件。
• The teens spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.青少年花费在电脑上的时间比他们和真正的朋友及家人在一起的时间要多。

2 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

3 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

4 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

5 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

8 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

11 grievance   

n.怨愤，气恼，委屈

参考例句：

• He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
• He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。

12 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

13 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。