From May 22-26, 2006, the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) and the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT) jointly hosted a one week course entitled “Malaysia Outreach Counter-Terrorism Program,” held at the Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. More than 27 fellows, from seven different Asia-Pacific nations, attended the course. The theme of the course focused on terrorists’ use and exploitation of the internet.According to Dr. Paul Smith, who directed the course, “Terrorists have taken advantage of the internet in the contemporary era the same way that terrorists in the 1960s began to exploit the power of live television.” The course explored various ways in which contemporary terrorists are utilizing the internet, including the spreading of propaganda, cataloguing of attacks, raising of funds, and recruitment.

In addition, the course looked at how the internet is being used for activities traditionally classified as ‘cyber-terrorism,’ including the role of the internet in terrorism information operations, cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, and denial of service attacks. The course featured a number of practical exercises, including one which explored how governments could use the internet to help dissuade individuals

This was the first joint outreach event co-hosted by the Asia-Pacific Center and the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism.