Technology of War: Counter Terrorism is a documentary-style film that explores the evolving relationship between technology and counter-terrorism efforts. The film traces the history of terrorist attacks, focusing on the ways in which technology has been used by both terrorists and counter-terrorism agencies to wage and prevent attacks, respectively.
The documentary-style film is engaging, blending historical footage with interviews featuring experts in technology, security, and law enforcement. The discussion is accessible to those without a technical background, making it an excellent primer on the subject matter. In particular, the film examines the impact various technological advancements have had on the evolution of terrorism, and the ways in which counter-terrorism efforts have adapted in response.
From the early days of letter bombs to the current era of cyberattacks and social media manipulation, the film explores how terrorists have made use of new technologies to further their goals. It highlights how terrorist groups have leveraged both hardware and software resources to create destructive attacks that have caused large-scale casualties and disrupted entire cities.
The main focus of the film, however, is on the ways in which technology can be used to prevent terrorism. Rather than focusing solely on weapons and surveillance, the film argues that technology has the potential to enable agencies to anticipate attacks and prevent them from happening in the first place.
One of the most compelling segments of the film discusses the use of artificial intelligence to spot patterns in communications data or social media posts that could indicate a threat. The film also examines predictive analytics software that can identify potential attackers based on specific characteristics such as age, gender, and travel patterns. As the film argues, such technologies enable security officials to identify possible terrorist activity before it happens.
The film also explores the use of biometric technologies such as facial recognition and iris scanning to identify individuals entering a particular location or accessing certain data. This technology is already in use by many airports as a security measure, and the film argues that biometric identification could become a more ubiquitous form of security in many areas of daily life.
One aspect of the film that may surprise some viewers is the focus on tech industry involvement in counter-terrorism activities. The film notes that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google have all played a role in preventing the spread of extremist ideologies and propaganda on their platforms. Some companies have also provided law enforcement agencies with access to user data to help prevent attacks.
Overall, Technology of War: Counter Terrorism is an engaging and enlightening exploration of the ways in which technology has impacted counter-terrorism activities. It provides a wealth of information that will be of interest to anyone interested in security, technology or terrorism, without relying on technical jargon, and offers a clear-eyed look at both the promises and pitfalls of technological innovation in this area.
Technology of War: Counter Terrorism is a action movie with a runtime of 48 minutes.
