Meet terrorist trackers Josh Devon and Ben Venzke, today's heroes

You probably don't know these men, Ben Venzke and  Josh Devon, but I bet you know their companies -- IntelCenter and SITE Intelgroup.

For years, al-Qaida and other terror groups have set up shop in the Internet. Those who track them have covertly followed. The companies SITE and IntelCenter have penetrated even deeper into the terror Web than most intelligence agencies.

When al-Qaida was founded, Josh Devon was nine years old. Ben Venzke was 15. The year was 1988, and Devon and Venzke were as uninterested in the terrorist network as its leader, Osama bin Laden, was in the two young Americans.

Now, two decades later, things have changed. Venzke and Devon have both become fascinated in terrorism and have turned that interest into careers. And al-Qaida now takes careful note of their work.

Venzke and Devon are two of the most prominent “terror trackers” worldwide. In the United States, and increasingly in other countries, the term refers to a community of people who spend their days analyzing traces that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations leave behind, especially on the Internet. The two Americans are essentially digital trackers in the age of globalized terrorism.

IntelCenter and SITE Intelgroup are the companies that Venzke and Devon, respectively, have founded. They enjoy a strong reputation within the relatively small community of terrorism experts. Beyond that, though, they are virtually unknown but wrongly so.  (Spiegel OnLine,  via National Terror Alert)

Comments

[durano lawayan]

Hi Debbie,

Hoooray for these two guys! Fresh blood of terrorist trackers being infused into this type of investigation is a much needed shot in the arm.

Those old veterans may have set patterns, and some may even have inter-connected relationships and interests with information sources which could make their search ineffective - deliberately or not.

Thanks for sharing. This is an effort I like, something as committed the Gideon group. :-) --Durano, done!

[Skunkfeathers]

Glad to see that, besides in our active military, we have young folks (Courtney is another) who take our national security seriously, far moreso than Oblahblah and Biden, two of the biggest liberals in Congress.

[PALADIN]

INTERESTING, INTERESTING INDEED.NOW IF WE ONLY HAD THE TECHNOLOGY TO FIND THE BUILDING OR TOWN THEY ARE POSTING FROM, WE COULD SEND THEM A NICE SURPRIZE!!!. IT COULD BE IN THE FORM OF A CRUISE MISSLE, OR IF IT'S FROM EUROPE I'M SURE WE GOT SOME DOOR KICKERS OVER THERE THAT CAN DO THE JOB.

[Roger W. Gardner]

Fascinating and very positive story. Thank you Deb. I might just have to steal this one too.
Roger