Terrorist attacks have intensified in the last few years resulting in loss of life, extensive material damage and a sense of fear and insecurity among citizens. Terrorist groups use the possibilities provided by new technologies to spread propaganda and create recruitment networks in different countries.

Organized groups make use of new technologies, especially the Internet and social networks to find like-minded people and radicalize them. Thankfully, it is precisely this online trail that allows authorities to obtain data about potentially radicalized online profiles and to stop a terrorist attack from occurring.

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However, authorities need mechanisms that are going to increase the accuracy of the data they collect. For this reason, our Research Group is working in collaboration with the company Sistem Security Check, on a comprehensive tool for the detection of online terrorist propaganda. TWINPICS is based on social computing and sentiment analysis for the detection of duplicated profiles used for terrorist propaganda and other criminal purposes.

The tool leverages natural language methods and network typology on platforms such as Twitter or Telegram, for the detection of duplicated profiles and prediction of radicalization processes, mainly based on the content published by terrorists or other criminal groups.

We are working in collaboration with Sistem Security, on the in-depth evaluation and analysis of the problem, as well as its ramifications.

Our objective is to develop data capture systems. However, the development of this type of intelligent systems requires a comprehensive study of the problem using recent data and existing knowledge. Currently, the project finds itself in a phase that is key to its development.

I’m sure this project will be of great benefit to the society.

Posted by Juan M. Corchado

Juan Manuel Corchado (15 May 1971, Salamanca, Spain) is Professor at the University of Salamanca. He has been Vice-Rector for Research from 2013 to 2017 and Director of the Science Park of the University of Salamanca. Elected as Dean of the Faculty of Science twice, he holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Salamanca and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of the West of Scotland. He leads the renowned BISITE (Bioinformatics, Intelligent Systems and Educational Technology) Research Group, created in 2000. Director of the IoT Digital Innovation Hub and President of the AIR Institute, J. M. Corchado is also Visiting Professor at the Osaka Institute of Technology since January 2015, Visiting Professor at the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan and Member of the Advisory Group on Online Terrorist Propaganda of the European Counter Terrorism Centre (EUROPOL). J. M. Corchado has been president of the IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society, and academic coordinator of the University Institute for Research in Art and Animation Technology at the University of Salamanca, as well as researcher at the Universities of Paisley (UK), Vigo (Spain) and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK). He currently combines all his activity with the direction of Master programmes in Security, Digital Animation, Mobile Telephony, Information Systems Management, Internet of Things, Social Media, 3D Design and Printing, Blockchain, Z System, Industry 4.0, Agile Project Management, and Smart Cities & Intelligent Buildings, at the University of Salamanca and his work as editor-in-chief of the journals ADCAIJ (Advances in Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence Journal), OJCST (Oriental Journal of Computer Science and Technology) or Electronics MDPI (Computer Science & Engineering section). J. M. Corchado mainly works on projects related to Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, IoT, Fog Computing, Edge Computing, Smart Cities, Smart Grids and Sentiment Analysis. He has recently been included in the board of trustees of the AstraZeneca Foundation, along with other health professionals and researchers recognised for bringing scientific knowledge closer to society.