Anonymous VS ISIS: Hacker group launches counter-terrorism attacks from the shadows

'We're playing more of an intelligence role...'

While ISIS supporters and member utilize social media to attract recruits and sympathizers to their cause, hacker group Anonymous has stepped forward to fight back.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Following the Paris terror attacks Friday, hacker group Anonymous declared war on the Jihadis. 

Anonymous has taken credit for disabling thousands of pro-IS Twitter accounts and has become one of other hacking groups focused on counter-terrorism from the shadows of anonymity.

Other hacking groups have claimed to have suppressed and deleted tens of thousands of pro-ISIS Twitter accounts since January. 

Executive director of Ghost Security Group, who wished to remain anonymous, cited security concerns and said, "We're playing more of an intelligence role."

Ghost Security Group is a volunteer organization that has been sending the FBI and other pertinent agencies data via Michael S. Smith II, a Congressional terrorism advisor.

Smith believes GSG's infiltration efforts have provided enough information to help the government coordinate efforts to push IS supporters elsewhere. Smith admitted U.S. agencies "appreciate the outside support" and he has "constant feedback to that."

Retired General David Petraeus told Foreign Policy  smith's data "would be of considerable value to those engaged in counter-terrorism initiatives," though the FBI has declined to comment.

Smith claims GSG contacted him in June with screenshots of internal communications about a planned attack in Tunisia, which was passed along and helped stop the efforts before the attack could commence.

The Paris attacks on Friday have inspired freelance hackers to fight the terrorist organization online by hacking and denying services to websites or other outlets, despite the act being illegal.

Retired U.S. General Mike Hayden, former NSA head, believes "U.S. law and policy are so constraining, [he is] sure the folks currently in government take secret pleasure in [the hackers' efforts], as I do."

For the rest of us, a legal way to stop ISIS supporters is to complain on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook about accounts that show support for terrorism. Activists claim each platform has become more active in the past twelve months, though each has declined to discuss details on record.

Ghost Security Group announced that this year Facebook banned all terrorist praises from its site and YouTube has taken action to remove violent videos within hours of their uploads.

Twitter has sped up its process of suspending accounts more quickly when pro-terrorism accounts are reported. J.M. Berger, a Brookings Institute expert on the Islamic State, said, "More accounts are being taken down. I do think the majority of the reporting is being done by groups like Anonymous and Ghost Security. But there are other initiatives, including the Counter Extremism Project and the Sawab Center, which are contributing to reporting efforts."

Berger explained how the massive Twitter take-downs have prompted more IS supporters and members to broadcast via Telegram, a "channels" service that allows participants to reach thousands of viewers, while the GSG leader claims his group has also been monitoring Telegram. "We've backed down from denial-of-service," the anonymous leader said, "and moved toward intelligence collection."

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