Crowd Funding Platforms Could Be Misused, Says Delhi Declaration On Countering Terrorism

| Updated: 29 October, 2022 6:58 pm IST

Source: MEA/Twitter

The UNSC’s Counter Terrorism Committee unanimously adopted the Delhi Declaration today. Among the many concerns that’s aiding terrorism in a technologically advanced world, the Committee recognised that innovations in financial technologies such as crowd funding platforms present a risk of being misused for terrorist-financing.

With the growing prevalence of technology and the rapid rise in digitization, addressing the use of new and emerging technologies for both terrorist purposes and for countering terrorism is an issue of increasing concern for Member States, policymakers and researchers.

Apart from crowd funding the committee noted with concern the increasing global misuse of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by terrorists to conduct attacks against critical infrastructure.

The Internet and social media have turned into potent instruments in the “toolkit of terrorist groups” for spreading propaganda, radicalisation and conspiracy theories for destabilising societies, external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar told a key anti-terror meeting of the UN in New Delhi on Saturday.

Speaking at the second session of the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) Counter-Terrorism Committee, Dr Jaishankar said that terrorists and their sympathisers have misused cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, virtual private networks (VPN), and encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp to carry out terrorist attacks.

He also said terrorists and their “ideological fellow-travellers” misuse the ethos of open societies to attack the very basic ideals of these societies. The committee all members to ensure zero tolerance towards terrorism, consistent with their obligations under international laws.

The need to effectively counter the ways of the ISIL, also known as Daesh and Al-Qaida, and their affiliates, to incite and recruit others to commit terrorist acts was stressed. The Declaration condemned the continued flow of weapons, military equipment, UAS and their components, and improvised explosive device (IED)s.

He also said terrorists and their “ideological fellow-travellers” misuse the ethos of open societies to attack the very basic ideals of these societies.

The UNSC’s Counter Terrorism Committee issued the #DelhiDeclaration today.

Some Key takeaways: pic.twitter.com/cLGl7U998S

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 29, 2022

The Special Meeting focused specifically on three significant areas in which emerging technologies are experiencing rapid development, growing use by Member States (including for security and counter-terrorism purposes), and an increasing threat of abuse for terrorism purposes: (i) use of the Internet and social media; (ii) new payment technologies and fundraising methods; and (iii) unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

Some major concerns raised at the Counter-Terrorism meeting are –

Terrorism in all forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security,
Terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group.
Increased use of Internet and other information and communications technologies, including social media platforms a risk
Financial technologies such as crowd funding platforms present a risk of being misused for terrorist-financing.
Increasing global misuse of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by terrorists to conduct attacks against critical infrastructure, a major concern.
Effectively counter the ways of the ISIL, also known as Daesh and Al-Qaida