Crime & Terror: The ID Threat

By Aaron Mannes

A few short belated (and unsolicited but positive) observations on co-blogger Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Kyle Dabruzzi's paper The Convergence of Crime and Terror.

Broadly speaking we are seeing criminal organizations adopt flatter more networked structures. This is tough for law enforcement, which can no longer target the head of the snake, but a win in other regards. For example, as a matter of social policy the efficacy of law enforcement efforts to prevent drugs from coming into the U.S. is debatable. But, the flatter organizations are less likely to support the powerful cartels that twist national politics. Ending drug trafficking in Mexico may not be possible. But a decentralized system would not foster powerful cartels that can hire Mexican special forces soldiers and purchase political immunity.

Counterfeiting intellectual property (everything from DVDs to handbags) is increasingly becoming a crime of choice. The cost of entry is low and it is often not a law enforcement priority. Also the counterfeiting networks have not been plagued with the kind of violence that characterizes narcotics. However, the corporations that are the victims of counterfeiters take an active interest in protecting their brand and hire agents to pursue the counterfeiters. Corporations protecting their legitimate interests could be an important ally in counter-terror.

Finally, the paper rightfully spends a great deal of time on identity theft. This is a vast realm, extending from various forms of credit card theft (waiters stealing them at restaurants to massive hacker operations harvesting them by the million) to criminal networks creating false identification documents, to the hijacking of bank accounts. It includes events in both the physical realm and the burgeoning realm of cyber crime.

In addition to being a source of funding, it also, as the paper points out, facilitates terrorist operations. Compromised bank accounts can be used to launder funds. False identities can be used to travel undetected, and ID theives have used false IDs to acquire vehicles and property.

Two additional notes about ID theft. The paper discusses using criminal violations to prosecute terrorists when evidence of their terrorist activity is insufficient. As a matter of policy, it may be useful to use terrorism as a hook to develop more comprehensive policies against crime. ID theft is becoming increasingly pervasive and is a particularly awful type of non-violent crime that fundamentally undermines individual security.

Finally, on that note: the creepy website of the Animal Liberation Front has a how-to guide for harassing their enemies (something that has become one of their trademark tactics).

Could ID theft be a viable strategy against figures that perturb terrorists? Victims of ID theft frequently describe how draining and time consuming it is to set things right. A moderate Muslim leader trying to start a new publication may not have much energy left for his work if he is constantly working to re-establish his bank accounts and credit rating.

For the terrorists it is a win-win-win, they make money, serve the cause, and probably won't get caught.

It may or may not be a viable strategy, but it is worth considering the possibility.

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