Hate(1) groups and terrorists are increasingly(2) using the Internet to spread(3) their beliefs(4).
The Simon Wiesenthal Center based in California says the problem is getting worse(5). The center has released(6) its latest “Digital Terror and Hate” report.
Rick Eaton is a researcher(7) with the group. He says the Internet offers(8) a lot of information not only(9) about things like(10) making explosives, but also about kidnapping(11) and guerrilla warfare(12). And many times(13), he says, this information is connected with political philosophy on not only how to do it, but where you should(14) do it and what targets(15) you should attack.
The new report identified about(16) fifteen thousand websites considered problematic. They included news groups, social network(17) pages, YouTube videos and games that could incite(18) hatred(19).
Officials say there was only one such website(20) when the center first launched(21) the project in nineteen ninety-five.
Rick Eaton says al-Qaida was one of the first terrorist groups to use
digital technology. He says the group’s online presence continues to grow(22). The Simon Wiesenthal Center is a Jewish(23) human rights(24) organization. This is its fourteenth(25) year reporting on Internet terror and hate.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper is associate dean(26) of the center. He says hate websites increasingly target(27) religious minorities.
In his words: “Whether it’s(28)
a hate crime in the United States or if you’re looking at the targeting
of Christians from Nigeria, the Coptic Christians in Egypt, what’s
happened in Iraq, right through(29) to Afghanistan and Pakistan, you have the targeting of millions of people.”
Rabbi Cooper says we must(30) all take part(31) in solving the problem of Internet terror and hate. He says people need to recognize(32) when websites cross the line(33) from free speech(34) to targeting groups for discrimination and violence. He also says religious and ethnic leaders must work together(35) to condemn all forms of hatred.
In his words, “We have to stand up for(36) our own rights and our own communities.” He is especially concerned(37) about websites that call for(38) individual acts of violence by people without ties(39) to terrorist organizations.
He says such(40) websites are even more worrying(41) because they are harder(42) for law enforcement officials(43) to identify(44). The new “Digital Terror and Hate” report is the first to be offered(45) to law enforcement officials through(46) an online app(47) that provides(48) up-to-date listings(49). For VOA Special English, I’m Carolyn Presutti. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 16Apr2012)
VOCABULARY
1. Hate = ódio 2. Increasingly = cada vez mais 3. Spread = espalhar, disseminar 4. Beliefs = crenças 5. getting worse = piorando 6. released = lançou 7. researcher = pesquisador 8. offers = oferece 9. not only = não somente 10. things like = coisas como 11. kidnapping = sequestro 12. warfare = campanha, estado de Guerra 13. many times = muitas vezes 14. should = deveria 15. targets = alvos 16. about = aproximadamente 17. social network = rede social 18. incite = inciter 19. hatred = ódio 20. one such website = um site assim 21. launched = lançou 22. grow = crescer 23. Jewish = Judeu 24. human rights = direitos humanos 25. fourteenth = décimo quarto 26. dean = reitor 27. target = alvejar 28. Whether it's = quer seja 29. right through = direto através 30. must = devemos 31. take part = participar, tomar parte em 32. recognize = reconhecer 33. cross the line = cruzam a linha 34. free speech = liberdade de expressão 35. together = juntos 36. stand up for = lutar por 37. concerned = preocupados 38. call for = convocar 39. without ties = sem vínculos 40. such = tais 41. even more worrying = ainda mais preocupantes 42. harder = mais difíceis 43. law enforcement officials = funcionários da justice 44. identify = identificar 45. offered = oferecido 46. through = através 47. app = abreviação de “application” (aplicação que é instalada em um smartphone) 48. provides = fornece 49. up-to-date listings = listagens atualizadas