Internet firms ‘in denial’ over terror links

THE new head of Britain’s electronic eavesdropping agency has accused internet firms of being “in denial” about the role their networks play in terrorism.

GCHQ director Robert Hannigan said they had become the “command-and-control networks of choice” for a new generation of web-literate criminals and extremists, such as Islamic State (IS) jihadists.

He urged internet firms to open themselves up more to intelligence services.

This, he said, would allow security and intelligence agencies to develop ways to police online traffic. Writing in a newspaper article, he said firms should realise their users did not want their social networks exploited to“facilitate murder or child abuse”.

“GCHQ and its sister agencies, MI5 and the Secret Intelligence Service, cannot tackle these challenges at scale without greater support from the private sector, including the largest US technology companies which dominate the web,” he wrote.

“I understand why they have an uneasy relationship with governments. They aspire to be neutral… and to sit outside or above politics. But increasingly their services not only host the material of violent extremism or child exploitation, but are the routes for the facilitation of crime and terrorism.

“However much they may dislike it, they have become the command-and-control networks of choice for terrorists and criminals

“If they are to meet this challenge, it means coming up with better arrangements for facilitating lawful investigation by security and law enforcement agencies than we have now.”

The question of state surveillance of communications was thrust into the spotlight by the exposure – by US whistleblower Edward Snowden – of secret mass data collection programmes run by the US and UK authorities.

Mr Hannigan conceded GCHQ had to “show how we are accountable for the data we use to protect people” and was “happy to be part of a mature debate on privacy in the digital age”.

However, he added: “Privacy has never been an absolute right and the debate about this should not become a reason for postponing urgent and difficult decisions. To those of us who have to tackle the depressing end of human behaviour on the internet, it can seem that some technology companies are in denial about its misuse.”

Mr Hannigan cited the fact that IS stopped short of showing actual beheadings in gruesome videos announcing the killings of western hostages – including British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning – as proof of extremists’ increasing expertise in online propaganda. “They have realised that too much graphic violence can be counter-productive,” he said.

Smartphone and other mobile technology had “increased the options available exponentially” to conceal terrorist activity, he said, including applications “proudly advertising that they are ‘Snowden approved’.”

But Emma Carr, director of Big Brother Watch, said: “It is wholly wrong to state internet companies are failing to assist in investigations. They have consistently proved through their own transparency reports that they help the intelligence agencies when it is appropriate.”

She said there was a need to win over the public through proper debate in the UK, adding: “Perpetuating falsehoods about the nature of relations between internet companies and the intelligence agencies is not going to help.”

Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman said he shared the view more had to be done to tackle extremists and others exploiting the internet.