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IS's Virtual Caliphate Struggles to Regain Footingon Social Media

Jeff Seldin

   Islamic State media operatives appear to be flailing about in
   cyberspace, still trying to recover more than a week after tens of
   thousands of their messaging accounts were targeted by European
   officials.

   Unlike some past efforts to hamper the terror group's propaganda
   efforts, which dealt only temporary setbacks, the latest takedown seems
   to be having a lasting impact,counterterrorism officials and analysts
   say.

   "For the time being, for as far as we know, ISisnot present on the
   internet anymore," Eric Van DerSypt, a spokesman for the Belgian
   prosecutor's office, said during a news conference at The Hague last
   week. "We will see how fast -- if ever -- they will regain service."

   Only so far, the results of the operation by Europol and the European
   Union's Internet Referral Unit working with online service providers
   such as Telegram, Twitter, Google and Instagram seem to be bearing out
   the optimistic assessment.

   U.S. officials say the crackdown on Telegram, long a favorite for IS
   operatives and supporters, has been especially effective.

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