Internet censorship proves counterproductive in curtailing terrorist recruitment

Federal authorities should rely on the Internet to identify and track terrorist threats and to launch counterterrorism campaigns, but not censor websites as a means to quell online recruitment by extremist groups, civil liberty advocates told the House Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment.

Any rule or regulation that censors Internet content would prevent the law enforcement community from collecting valuable intelligence. "A mandate requiring the removal of terror-recruiting content online could be counterproductive to the fight against terrorism," said John Morris Jr., general counsel of the Center for Democracy and Technology. "Using appropriate legal process, government agencies may be able gain invaluable information about terrorist operations by monitoring online sites and services." The federal government should develop guidelines to effectively leverage new forms of communications by determining which individuals and websites agencies should monitor, without violating individuals' rights to free speech and privacy, said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. He argued sweeping surveillance authority held by law enforcement and the intelligence community "only adds hay to the haystack," making it more difficult to identify the small group of individuals whose conduct online is a legitimate cause for concern.