How can we stop ISIS using the Internet?

The only way to stop ISIS using the Internet is physically stop ISIS and addressing the problem of Islam.

The Internet has several layers. The smallest layer is the surface Internet. With other words, it's the part of the Internet, which we all use on a daily basis and is available by search and indexing engines and also called the public Internet. This part is only 0.03% of the total Internet.

ISIS is active specifically in certain social media like Twitter and several forums in the public Internet. Some of their supporters are also active in blogs.

In theory, authorities and providers can block information containing certain content, like terror, death, kill, murder, ISIS, Islam, etc. But that means that all content containing those words can be blocked! That will not remove ISIS from the Internet, but it will restrict everyone in the world of using the Internet.

The ISIS is active in the Deep Web, Dark Internet and Dark Web, and that can't be filtered, removed or deleted. Deep Web is the content in the Internet, which is not indexed by search engines and index engines for various reasons. Dark Internet is the content with hidden web addresses (= for example www.google.com), without domain names and network hosts. Dark Web is the content only available by specific browsers like Tor, OrWeb, Onion Browser and Red Onion.

Secret services from various countries, various terror organizations, various drug cartels, various criminal organizations, universities, various companies are using the hidden part of the Internet as well.

And there is the biggest reason why the hidden Internet exist! It's the result of the attack on privacy from people and organizations and institutions by police and secret services. The other reason is the pure stupidity and ignorance of the authorities. They remove websites from the web with sensible content, and by doing so, the force the site underground! The other reason is the quests of authorities to restrict content to the public by definition. The response of course is to go underground. Another reason is money. In the public Internet you need to pay money to host a website, in the hidden Internet not. In the hidden Internet you can earn money by supplying unlimited and not restricted services and products.

What can you find in the hidden Internet? By definition, everything. Sites and information specialized in science, commerce, business, education, security, sexuality, reference, religion, relaxation, gaming, media, production, industry, transportation, law, and much more. As I said, unlimited. For example security in the hidden Internet contains information like securing websites, locations, terrorism, physical locations, information and encryption and how to hire bodyguards, hackers, how to kill, build weapons like bombs, guns, swords, etc. Also you can find places here to buy and hire security related business. For example you can hire killers, executioners, terrorists, experts, and of course protection against all of that. Another example is the porn, which is largely forced into hiding. Here you can find sex with children and animals unrestricted.

All of that content is unrestricted, and no authorities are able to stop it and to restrict it and there are no means to determine who is providing that information and who is retrieving it.

How is ISIS using the hidden Internet? They have forums, which allows everyone to interact with visitors. ISIS has full control over the forums. Each visitor get a warm welcome and is treated with respect and friendship and being treated like a comrade. They have sites similar as YouTube, where anyone can download gruesome videos. They also explain why they do what they are doing. They have chat boards, where visitors can interact directly in real time with ISIS operators, many times in the field, even during battles. Those sites are not only visited by people, also by authorities and secret services. But like anyone else, they are powerless to stop it.

And then there is the hidden content in the Dark Internet and Dark Web, which contains instructions, operational information about the ongoing actions, undercover operations and communications between ISIS and their operatives.

How to stop it? You can't stop it! The only way you can stop the people providing that information is destroying the source. That means to go to Iraq and Syria and destroying ISIS physically. But this might not help after all, because ISIS will be able to survive by going underground and continue to exist in the hidden Internet. Another way to stop the ISIS is addressing the problems of Islam. If successful, it will indeed stop ISIS advance in the Internet.

But this will not stop other criminal organizations and countries using the hidden Internet.