Unmanned aerial vehicles - better known as drones - are transforming modern warfare. As the technology becomes more accessible to the general public, it also becomes easier for bad actors to exploit. 

From surveillance and reconnaissance to weaponised drone attacks, extremist groups are increasingly using this technology to enhance their operational capabilities.

In this episode of the Tech Against Terrorism podcast, host Lucas Webber speaks to Don Rassler, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Combating Terrorism Center at the US Military Academy at West Point. Together, they discuss how drones are being leveraged by terrorist organisations, the evolving threat landscape, and the countermeasures being developed to mitigate these risks.

The views expressed by the guest in this podcast are his and do not necessarily reflect those of the Combating Terrorism Center, United States Military Academy, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.

🎧 Listen to learn:

➡︎ How terrorist groups are acquiring and adapting drone technology

➡︎ The tactical advantages drones offer to extremist organisations

➡︎ How governments are responding to this emerging threat

➡︎ The future of drone warfare in terrorist operations

📱 Connect with Don Rassler.

📚Learn more about the Combating Terrorism Center here.

⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 

🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.

💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 

📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here.

🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

Video games are increasingly being leveraged as powerful tools in the fight against extremism. Counter-terrorism practitioners are using these "serious games" to enhance critical thinking and decision-making by immersing participants in realistic scenarios that mirror real-world security challenges.

In this episode of the Tech Against Terrorism podcast, host Lucas Webber is joined by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Founder & CEO of Valens Games and an internationally recognised expert on political violence, alongside Eleanor Ross, Director of Game Design at Valens Games. Together, they discuss how immersive wargames and AI-driven narrative simulations are shaping the future of intelligence and counter-terrorism training.

🎧 Listen to learn:

➡︎ About the intersection of gaming and counter-terrorism

➡︎ How Valens Games develops simulations for practitioners

➡︎ The real-world applications of video game technology in security strategy

➡︎ The Challenges and risks associated with gamifying counter-terrorism training

➡︎ The role of AI and interactive storytelling in security simulations

📱Connect with Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Eleanor Ross. 

📚Learn more about Valens Games here. 

⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 

🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.

💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 

📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here. 

🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production.

Terrorist activity in Central Asia traces its roots back to the Soviet era - but following the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, suppressed religious movements evolved into underground Islamist networks, fuelling the rise of jihadist groups in the region. Today, Central Asia faces an increasingly complex terrorism landscape. 

In this episode of the podcast, Lucas Webber speaks to Bruce Pannier, a Central Asia Fellow at the Eurasia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and a veteran journalist covering the region. Together, they explore the origins of jihadism in Central Asia, the rise of Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) there, and the potential impact of the Assad government’s fall in Syria in 2024 on regional jihadist movements. We also hear about the role the internet has played for terrorist networks there. 

🎧 Listen to learn:

➡︎ How suppressed religious movements evolved into jihadist networks in CA
➡︎ How Central Asian jihadist groups use the internet to recruit and spread propaganda
➡︎ The role of regional governments in countering extremism

📱Connect with Bruce Pannier. 

📚Learn more about the Foreign Policy Research Institute here. 

⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 

🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.

💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 

📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here. 

🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production.

Emerging technologies like 3D printing, drones, and artificial intelligence are reshaping the threat landscape, giving terrorists new tools to carry out attacks, spread propaganda, and fund their operations. But the risks don’t stop there. On the horizon are technologies like quantum computing and more, which experts warn could be the next frontier for exploitation.

Join Lucas Webber as he explores more about these emerging technologies with internationally renowned terrorism expert Colin Clarke, Director of Research at The Soufan Center. And Clara Broekaert, a Research Fellow at The Soufan Center. 

🎧 Listen to find out:

➡︎ How terrorists are using 3D printers to manufacture weapons

➡︎ Why quantum computing poses an underestimated risk

➡︎ The truth about artificial intelligence misuse by terrorists

➡︎ What’s behind the rise in youth extremism

➡︎ The unique challenges governments, regulators, and tech platforms face in combating these threats

📱Connect with Colin Clarke and Clara Broekaert. 

📚Learn more about The Soufan Center here. 

⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn.

🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website  

💬Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 

📄Read a full transcript of this episode here. 

🎙️An OG Podcasts Ltd production.

From buying weapons to funding attacks and recruiting new members, terrorist organisations need money to carry out their activities. But how do they raise, store and transfer finances? And what lessons can counter-terrorism teams learn from tracking terrorist money?  

Join Lucas Webber as he discusses all this and more with internationally renowned terrorism finance expert Dr. Jessica Davis, president and principal consultant at Insight Threat Intelligence.

🎧 Listen to find out:

➡︎ What money can tell us about a potential attack plot

➡︎ What methods terrorists use to raise funds 

➡︎ How terrorists leverage criminal activity

➡︎ The role of cryptocurrency

➡︎ How women are involved in terrorism financing 

📱Connect with Dr. Jessica Davis. 

📚Learn more about Insight Threat Intelligence here. 

⚡️ Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn.

🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website  

💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 

📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here.  

🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production.

In this week’s episode we’re looking at how IS and al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups in Southeast Asia continue to exploit online platforms to disseminate propaganda, even as attacks in the region decline. We explore the history of militant Islamist activities in the region, as well as the key players; Why and how these groups and their supporters focus so much of their energy on online propaganda; And why we should care when terrorist content stays online.

A note: we recorded this episode before the announcement by leaders of the Jemaah Islamiyah, or JI, of the group’s disbandment. It’s one of the main groups we explore in this episode.

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Dr. Judith Jacob. She is the director of Geopolitical Risk and Security Intelligence at Forward Global, a corporate intelligence and influence group. She also holds a PhD on Ideology, Terrorism, and Militant Islamism.

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• Dr. Judith Jacob’s research at LSE

In this week’s episode, we’re returning to the topic of incels to explore the online spaces aiming to help individuals leave this violent misogynistic community. We start by providing a refresher on incel ideology, but if you want a deep dive we recommend first listening to the episode linked below. This time, we focus on tools for deradicalisation, the benefits and limitations of support-focused Reddit forums like r/inceltears and r/incelexit, and consider why it is so difficult to leave the incelosphere.

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Allysa Czerwinsky, a PhD candidate at the University of Manchester, who specialises in male supremacist communities online.

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• Allysa Czerwinsky’s research
• TAT Podcast: Incels, Online Misogyny and Gender-Based Violence

In this week’s episode we’re looking at the spread and normalisation of anti-LGBTQ+ hate online, and its dramatic, real-life consequences. The hysteria promoted by extremists around a so-called gay or trans agenda has led to a societal and legislative backlash for LGBTQ+ people in the US. And the hate has festered in the most mainstream of online spaces. We discuss some of the conspiracy theories against LGBTQ+ people, the link between online and offline violence, and what tech companies can do to protect this marginalised community.

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Sarah Moore, the senior manager of news and research at GLAAD, a non-profit LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation, based in the US.

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• GLAAD’s Social Media Safety Index

There has been a lot of concern about how cryptocurrencies are used by terrorist groups to finance their operations, especially since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7th. So in this week’s episode, we’re investigating that question – do terrorist groups actually use cryptocurrency? We discuss what is known about terrorist financing, where the hysteria around cryptocurrency comes from, and the challenges around adopting more effective international countermeasures.

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Stephen Reimer, an Associate Fellow with the Centre for Finance and Security at the Royal United Services Institute's (RUSI). He is also an Adjunct Professor at the SciencesPo Paris School of International Affairs, where he lectures on financial intelligence and security.

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• Stephen Reimer’s research at RUSI
• TAT Podcast: Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K): A Growing Threat?
• TAT Podcast: Media Jihad: Islamic State's Resurgent Propaganda Network

In this week’s episode, we’re getting unique insights into the state of the far-right in the UK. The advocacy and research organisation HOPE Not Hate is known for its tireless work countering extremism and hate through research, intelligence, campaigning and community engagement. This work has involved infiltrating and exposing extremist movements and even terrorist groups. HOPE Not Hate recently published their State of Hate 2024 report, which we discuss in detail in the episode. 

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Patrik Hermansson, a senior researcher from HOPE Not Hate. We learn what it’s like to go undercover in an extremist group, and the risks associated with it. We explore how far-right extremism has evolved over the years, the role of social media, and the wider societal drivers of hate.  

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• HOPE Not Hate’s State of Hate 2024 report
• Patrik’s research feature on Active Clubs
• TAT Podcast: Active Clubs: Fitness, Fraternity, and Fascism
• TAT Podcast: What is the #tradwives Movement?