The problem of terrorism is one of the most dangerous and prevalent in today's society. Over the past decade, the actions of terrorist organizations have reached a new level. The attacks occur more often, while it becomes more and more difficult to find the perpetrators of the attacks. Terrorism has become a global problem, and it threatens more and more people with each passing day. The US government and a number of leading European countries introduce various technical and design elaborations to combat international terrorism. Today it is possible to prevent the increasing number of terrorist attacks by means of the use of new technologies. Anti-terrorist organizations use the satellite guidance and information technologies for monitoring members of terrorist groups in their fight. There are many different technical methods that the government uses to prevent the terrorist attacks in all parts of the world. The development and use of new technology is the most effective method of combating the international terrorism in the modern world.
The Development of New Technologies and Their Use in Anti-Terrorist Activities
The US and the EU have developed "a number of normative legal acts, which clothe the competent authorities of EU with authority to establish control and monitoring of the various personal communications channels", i.e. "mobile phones, e-mail, and social networks" (Rothenberger, 2012, p. 12). The so-called "hardware-software complexes" are used as technology solutions, i.e. the connection of special software and "hardware", the ability to capture all the contacts of subscribers, their location, movement, and so on (Rothenberger, 2012, p. 12). In general, the developers of this special equipment are the leading telecommunications companies that supply and basic equipment for mobile operators and Internet - providers. Hence, there is a growing demand for the development of software viruses with the advent of smart phones. These viruses can be implemented in smart phones and computers of suspects, and then they can transfer the needed data, including contacts, email, and many other personal data (Fenwick, 2011, p. 108). In addition, there are "solutions in the field of automatic processing of large data sets followed by the establishment of relationships between the obtained information" (Fenwick, 2011, p. 109). These technologies make it possible to conduct surveillance of suspicious searches, record telephone calls, keep the video data, and collate all this information, identifying patterns, and thus determining the level of threat of certain actions. These technologies have a special name – "Data Mining" (Fenwick, 2011, p. 109). The American developing company of advanced anti-terror software from Silicon Valley "Palantir Technologies", founded by Alexander Karp and Peter Kiel, is the most famous company in this area (Campos, 2016, p. 31). This software can handle photos with half a billion cameras less than five seconds. Moreover, it is able to gather information from the Internet, open and close databases, intelligence reports, "finding the relationship between different people, things, and events" (Campos, 2016, p. 31). The financing of the promising and interesting products for special services is carried out in terms of the specially created for this purpose funds and organizations. For example, Palantir Technologies received its first money from the company "In-Q-Tel, which is the investment division of the CIA" (Campos, 2016, p. 31).
According to Rothenberger (2012), one of the most effective technologies of the counter-terrorism are the technologies of "passport and visa control", "recognition of metric data of individuals" (faces, fingerprints, the shape and structure of wrists, retina, etc.), "means of transportation" (registration numbers, dimensions, and weight), and "scanning of cargo" (pp. 10-11). Currently, there are a list of the companies and the technologies used to secure the identification and subsequent recognition of the metric data of people to control the flow of human and information about vehicles, and cargo scanning, for example, the presence of weapons. The improving of the recognition technology with the connection of cognitive technology elements for the identification and detection of persons in the event of a change of their external data is seen as a promising direction in this area (Rothenberger, 2012, p. 11). Some experts (Popp et al., 2004) dwell on the importance of "the intelligent and explosives determination systems of the chemical, bacteriological and radioactive hazard" (p. 38). The basic idea is to create a set of sensors and software that could be installed in buildings as well as on mobile high-risk facilities. The technology is simple: the appearance of transport of any type of explosives inside the building causes an automatic identification, warning, call of security services, evacuation, and neutralization of hazardous substances. The greatest attention is paid to the creation of systems of definition of improvised explosives. Another very effective innovation in the fight against terrorism is the creation and use of the unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, which can scan the residential areas in order to identify explosives and weapons. Such methods are practiced today. For example, "the military forces of various countries use drones for surveillance and detection of enemy troops in Iraq and Syria" (Campos, 2016, p. 40). In addition, there are different types of robots that are used in military operations and in the anti-terrorist activities. Such robots are divided into "3 main types: a fighter, a scout, and a combat engineer" (Campos, 2016, p. 45). According to Campos (2016), these specialization are substantial in the implementation of anti-terrorism special operations. The main purpose of robots is to protect the lives of military in carrying out dangerous missions. A key feature of the three robotic mechanisms is that "they are able to interact with each other, share data, and coordinate their actions" (Campos, 2016, p. 46). Thus, "the "Scout" robot is equipped with high-quality cameras that operate in different bands of the light signal and have the special biochemical sensors that allow determining the content of harmful and toxic substances in the environment" (Campos, 2016, p. 45). Thus, this type of robots allows receiving and accurately analyzing the information on the basis of which the further action can be developed. If there is a danger, "Fighter" and "Combat engineers" get into the action. Therefore, the use of these robots in the fight against terrorists saves the life of a large number of soldiers and agents.
The satellite technology make a huge contribution to the fight against terrorism, which "monitor a variety of purposes and intercept missiles" (Fenwick, 2011, p. 109). Thus, the use of satellite navigation can increase the nuclear safety. In the case of terrorist use of nuclear weapons and various types of missiles, the US government is able to neutralize them in the air. Undoubtedly, suicide bombers represent a huge threat to a peaceful society. Unfortunately, the cases of suicide attacks with the bomb explodes have become more frequent. It is enough to pay attention to the number of suicide bombers, which annually kill hundreds of civilians in various parts of the world to fully realize the danger. The researchers from NATO have developed "an electromagnetic gun" that is capable of stopping the vehicle of a suicide bomber and blocking the bombs with remote control; "a new weapon is being tested in a secret laboratory in Norway" (Campos, 2016, p. 59). Such method of combating terrorism is quite humane and the most secure, as this device does not harm people. The system works not only with cars, as it is also able "to stop a boat in the middle of the ocean and destroy the drone" (Campos, 2016, p. 60). In addition, researchers are working on the development of the differentiation of liquids of organic and inorganic origin that can solve the problem of identifying the liquid explosives (Salter, 2014, p. 175). Currently, the lack of reliable methods for detecting these substances has led to prohibitions on bringing liquids.
In conclusion, terrorism is one of the biggest and most dangerous challenges in the modern world. The governments of the developed countries are in a constant struggle against the terrorist groups, but the problem of terrorism requires more attention and new methods of struggle. The creation and use of new technologies can outpace and prevent the terrorist attacks. Therefore, information technology plays a major role in the fight against the global terrorism and their development can afford to win the war in the near future.
References
Campos, J. H. (2016). Homeland Security: The State and Terrorism: National Security and the Mobilization of Power. Farnham, GB: Routledge. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com
Fenwick, H. (2011). Counter-terror strategies, human rights and the roles of technology. International Review Of Law, Computers & Technology, 25(3), 107-115. doi:10.1080/13600869.2011.617430
Popp, R., Armour, T., Senator, T., & Numrych, K. (2004). Countering Terrorism Through Information Technology. Communications Of The ACM, 47(3), 36-43. doi:10.1145/971617.971642
Rothenberger, L. (2012). Terrorist Groups: Using Internet and Social Media for Disseminating Ideas. New Tools for Promoting Political Change. Romanian Journal Of Communication & Public Relations, 14(3), 7-23.
Salter, M. (2014). Toys for the Boys? Drones, Pleasure and Popular Culture in the Militarisation of Policing. Critical Criminology, 22(2), 163-177. doi:10.1007/s10612-013-9213-4
