Viral Peace

Jul 19

Web Only

Viral Peace

The US government is taking its "war on terror" to the internet.

US Embassy in Jakarta hosts "Generation Change" and "Viral Peace" workshops for Indonesian students. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

As reported on Wired, a programme known as Viral Peace aims to engage with those they deem as extremists or potential extremists on various websites and message boards. They intend to use "logic, humour, satire, [and] religious arguments, not just to confront [extremists], but to undermine and demoralise them."

The US government is concerned with the growing trend of groups using the internet for recruiting purposes. Much like Harakat Al-Shabab Al Mujahideen, the Somali arm of Al-Qaeda, which recently began using twitter. The @HSMPress handle has over 13,000 followers.

View the story "Viral Peace" on StorifyViral PeaceThe US government is taking its "war on terror" to the internet.Storified by The Stream · Thu, Jul 19 2012 13:41:37HSM Press OfficeAJstreamHowever, Viral Peace is still in its early stages, and is yet to "yield a strategy."

A potential path the programme is exploring is to get locals in countries with significant Muslim populations to troll message boards on their behalf. Locals, the State Department believes, will have greater credibility on such websites, and therefore be more effective at enacting Viral Peace's strategy.

As part of this agenda, Viral Peace organised brainstorming meetings in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Pakistan, with about 30 locals in each country to promote ideals such as peace and tolerance. The video and photos below are from the meeting in Indonesia, called "Generation Change," which was hosted by the US Embassy in Jakarta.

EMBASSY HOSTS "GENERATION CHANGE" FOR INDONESIAN STUDENT- 20120wOP-aCvFNVRC8Dy6-NIygEmbassy hosts "Generation Change" and "Viral Peace" workshops for Indonesian studentsU.S. Embassy Jakarta, IndonesiaEmbassy hosts "Generation Change" and "Viral Peace" workshops for Indonesian studentsU.S. Embassy Jakarta, IndonesiaPhotos from the meeting in the Philippines, the "Generation Change Project on Leadership and Social Media", are also available.Crishyl Ann Bilbao [Facebook] 2AJstreamChrishyl Ann Bilbao [Facebook]AJstreamCrishyl Ann Bilbao [Facebook] 1AJstreamParticipants from the meetings are keeping in touch online through country-specific Facebook pages, and the ViralPeace page.VPGC IndonesiaAJstreamViral Peace PhilippinesAJstreamViralPeaceAJstreamThe Viral Peace page frequently posts material related to freedom and peace such as the video below, which features Hannah Rosenthal (@HannahAtState), the US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, and Farah Pandith (@Farah_Pandith), the Special Represtentative to Muslim communities at the US Department of State. My Friend of a Different FaithfarahpandithIt should be noted, however, that despite its international outreach, Viral Peace has a very small budget within which it must operate.

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