Steven Stalinsky is an expert on the Middle East, terrorism, terrorist use of the Internet, and encryption technologies. He has served as Executive Director of the pro-Israel propaganda outlet Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) since 1999. Since 2006, his research has focused on detailing and developing strategies against cyber jihad, describing how terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and others use the Internet, social media, and encryption for propaganda, recruiting, and hacking. He was an early advocate of calling on the tech community to take stronger action on removing terrorist content from their platforms and for creating industry standards to combat it.
Research on terrorist use of social media
Stalinsky has published extensive research on the use of social media by Al-Qaeda and ISIS. He has been interviewed by media outlets about terrorist use of social media, especially about terrorist use of Telegram, VK, and encryption. He was one of the first to write about terrorist use of the encrypted messaging app Telegram and debated the issue with the app’s founder via Twitter.
Stalinsky’s research on Al-Qaeda’s online magazine Inspire was cited in a U.S. Department of Justice terrorism case. In 2013 and 2014, several media organizations used Stalinsky’s research describing the indoctrination and exploitation of young children by Al-Qaeda and other Jihadist groups.
Research for the Middle East Media Research Institute
Mr. Stalinsky has authored over 100 (nonacademic) research reports while at the Middle East Media Research Institute, on issues ranging from reform in the Arab world to online activity by Al-Qaeda, ISIS, the Taliban and other terrorist organizations, as well as their use of encryption technology. Other research reports detailed terrorist use of U.S.-based libraries such as the Internet Archive, Arab and Iranian hacking groups and more. He was one of the first to write about Jihadism's use of social media, including YouTube, Twitter and Telegram, with a series of research reports on specific terrorist activity, such as Hezbullah's presence on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and apps from Google Play and iTunes. He also reported on the thousands of YouTube videos – with over 3 million views at that time – featuring extremist Yemeni-American sheikh Anwar Al-Awlaki . Stalinsky led early efforts to persuade YouTube to add a feature to flag terrorist content, and one of his reports documented his 2010 meeting with Google officials on this matter. Another report detailed his years of effort to prompt Twitter to take action about Jihadis' use of their social networking service – efforts which culminated in a 2013 Congressional letter to the FBI urging them to take action.
Stalinsky authored a report for the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) titled, "Will President-Elect Trump Defeat Cyber Jihad?" The report describes how Islamic terrorists use social media and the Internet for recruitment, fundraising, planning and propaganda, and calls on the Trump administration to address the issue. It calls on the Trump administration to bring together technology experts and researchers in a Bletchley Park like setting and urges the government to be forward thinking on the issue.
Chronicling Al-Qaeda leader Adam Gadahn
Stalinsky first wrote about Gadahn on September 13, 2006, when the New York Sun published, “A Jewish Musician's Son Joins Al Qaeda's Ranks,” by Stalinsky. The op-ed provides details of the life of Adam Gadahn (born Pearlman), the American who left his home in California to join the ranks of Al-Qaeda. Gadahn was put on the FBI's Most Wanted list in 2004, reportedly received training at terrorist camps in Afghanistan and was sent to Baltimore on a suicide-bombing mission. The op-ed notes Gadahn's appearances in several Al-Qaeda media productions, including his formal introduction in a September 2, 2006 video by then-Al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman Al-Zawahiri.
After the United States Government announced it had killed Gadahn in a drone attack, Stalinsky wrote “Why Adam Gadahn’s Killing Matters to Al Qaeda,” which was published in Homeland Security Today on May 19, 2015. The op-ed discusses the significance of Adam Gadahn's death to Al-Qaeda, and his role as part of the organization's media outreach efforts to the Western world. Stalinsky notes that Gadahn was one of the few people remaining in contact with Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Stalinsky also points out that, as an Al-Qaeda propagandist, Gadahn's story could resonate with susceptible populations in the United States and other Western countries, and expand the organization's effort to reach a broader audience.