Scholar Develops Software to Search the Dark Web for Hate Group Manifestos

Ugochukwu O. Etudo, a new assistant professor of operations and information management in the School of Business on the Stamford campus of the University of Connecticut, has developed software that can be used to search the internet and the so-called “Dark Web” to identify websites that espouse radical views and violent behavior.

After extensive research on published materials from Al Qaeda, ISIS, the Ku Klux Klan and other terrorists organizations, Dr. Etudo was able to distinguished word sequences, negative tones, and other clues common in manifestos of terror groups and lone wolves who commit acts of terror. “Almost all lone wolves leave a memoir,” Dr. Etudo says. “They like to broadcast their intent.”

His software can explore domains that don’t have a formal web address. “It  can consume massive amounts of information requiring far too much human effort, ” Dr. Etudo says. One limitation is that the program only analyzes web content in English.

“Recent events underscore the need for us to gather as much intelligence as we can on the make-up of these radical ideologies,” Dr. Etudo says. “Such intelligence is particularly useful for identifying emerging targets and the rationale of terrorist violence.”

Dr. Etudo is a 2010 graduate of the University of Richmond, where he majored in economics. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in information systems from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

University of Maryland Reports on Its Historic Ties to Slavery

"This new research report is an important first step in confronting and disrupting the narrative of our shared history. It challenges us to see through the privileged half-truths we’ve long held as a university and to create a more inclusive and truthful documented history," said Lae’l Hughes-Watkins, co-chair of The 1856 Project.

Yale University Commits $10 million Toward HBCU Partnerships

Yale University issued a formal apology three weeks ago regarding its historical ties to slavery. In response, the university has pledged $10 million towards an initiative that aims to expand collaboration with historically Black colleges and universities.

Gallup Survey Finds Black Students More Likely Than Their White Peers to Withdraw From College

A 2023 survey conducted by Gallup in partnership with the Lumina Foundation has found that 40 percent of currently enrolled Black students have considered stopping their coursework in the past six months, compared to 31 percent of White students.

Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.

Featured Jobs