According to information published by washington post, the Islamic State begins to invest in NFT (non-fungible token) platforms. The goal? Disseminate their messages escaping any attempt to track them by the authorities, recruit, but above all finance themselves. As a reminder, NFTs are digital certificates of ownership, often associated with works of art, for speculative purposes.
Appearance of a suspicious NFT
An NFT titled “IS-NEWS #01,” bearing the Islamic State emblem, has been seen on at least two NFT platforms, including Rarible. A digital map was released last month praising Islamist militants and an attack on a Taliban position in Afghanistan. It is the first known NFT created by a terrorist sympathizer, according to former top US intelligence officials interviewed by US media.
According to Mario Cosby, a former federal intelligence analyst specializing in blockchain, two other NFTs created by the same user on the same day of August 26 exhibit characteristics of the Islamic State. They are not currently offered for sale, but analysts say terrorist groups could clearly finance their operations through the sale of NFTs.
US regulators and national security officials have raised concerns about the potential for terrorists to exploit new technologies and financial markets, including NFTs.
At this time, IS-NEWS #01 does not appear to have been commercialized, but its existence on the blockchain makes it almost impossible for the Department of Justice to remove it from the Internet. In fact, an NFT is stored on a blockchain, a database of transactions organized in such a way that no central authority is called upon. Transactions on NFT markets can be conducted under a pseudonym, adding to the difficulty for authorities to trace. “There’s really no way to end this NFT,” Mario Cosby continues.
“Matter of time”
“It was just a matter of time,” Yaya Fanusie, a former Central Intelligence Agency counterterrorism and economics analyst, told The Washington Post, predicting widespread practice by the terror organization.
Western officials fear remnants of the group, both online and on the ground, could fuel a resurgence. The US withdrawal from Afghanistan last year gave the group a chance to come back in force by retaking areas now held by its enemies, the Taliban.
Source: BFM TV
