Terror on the internet : the new arena, the new challenges / Gabriel Weimann.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

New terrorism, new media -- The war over minds : the psychology of terrorism -- Communicative uses of the internet for terrorism -- Instrumental uses of the internet for terrorism -- Cyberterrorism : how real is the threat? -- Fighting back : responses to terrorism on the internet, and their cost -- Balancing security and civil liberties.

In this timely and eye-opening volume, Gabriel Weimann reveals that terrorist organizations and their supporters maintain hundreds of Web sites, taking advantage of the unregulated, anonymous, and accessible nature of the Internet to target an array of messages to diverse audiences. Drawing on an eight-year study of the World Wide Web, the author examines how modern terrorist organizations exploit the Internet to raise funds, recruit members, plan and launch attacks, and publicize their chilling results. Weimann also investigates the effectiveness of counterterrorism measures, and warns that this cyberwar may cost us dearly in terms of civil rights.