SITE Intelligence Group
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Intelligence, Security, Consultancy |
| Predecessor | SITE Institute |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Rita Katz, Josh Devon |
| Headquarters | Bethesda, Maryland , United States |
Key people | Rita Katz (Director) |
| Products | Online surveillance reports on white supremacist and jihadist groups (subscription-based) |
SITE Intelligence Group is a U.S.-based commercial consultancy specializing in the surveillance of online activities conducted by white supremacist and jihadist factions. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the organization is directed by Israeli analyst Rita Katz, who previously led the SITE Institute from 2002 until 2008. The majority of materials on SITE's platform are accessible through a paid subscription.
SITE Institute
The Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Institute was dedicated to monitoring digital communications of terrorist groups. Established in 2002 by Rita Katz and Josh Devon—both former members of the private Islamist-terrorism monitoring entity Investigative Project—the institute ceased its operations in early 2008. Subsequently, some personnel launched the for-profit entity SITE Intelligence Group to carry on similar activities.
al-Qaeda tapes
- July 4, 2007: SITE secured a video featuring Ayman al-Zawahiri prior to its release on militant platforms. This footage was initially supplied by al-Qaeda's As-Sahab Media to IntelCenter.
- September 7, 2007: SITE obtained a half-hour video of Osama bin Laden and provided it to the Associated Press, making it publicly available nearly a full day before al-Qaeda’s official distribution. The authenticity of this material was later verified by U.S. authorities.
- May 6, 2011: SITE translated an official statement from al-Qaeda General Command confirming the death of Osama bin Laden and vowing retribution.
During the institute era
- On September 23, 2004, the New York Times reported that several Islamic organizations and charities filed defamation lawsuits after Katz accused them of being terrorist fronts, despite the absence of any formal charges.[1]
- On May 30, 2008, The Daily Telegraph disclosed that SITE had erroneously identified imagery from the post-apocalyptic video game Fallout 3 as terrorist propaganda linked to nuclear attacks. These images appeared within a video titled Nuclear Jihad: The Ultimate Terror, hosted on password-protected websites potentially associated with al-Qaeda, along with chat logs referencing nuclear threats.[2] SITE clarified it never asserted that terrorists created these images but initially did not confirm their origin as a video game.[3] Subsequently, The Daily Telegraph removed the article.
As the group
On September 2, 2014, SITE circulated the video depicting the beheading of Steven Sotloff to its subscribers ahead of its public release by the Islamic State organization.[4]
See also
External links
- - Access limited
- Profile in New Yorker
- ↑ Eric Lipton and Eric Lichtblau (September 23, 2004). "Even Near Home, a New Front Is Opening in the Terror Battle," New York Times
- ↑ Alexander, Leigh (30 May 2008). "Intelligence Group Mistakes Fallout 3 Screens For Terrorist Propaganda". Kotaku.
- ↑ Alexander, Leigh (30 May 2008). "SITE Refutes Fallout 3 Goof, Is Not "Red-Faced"". Kotaku.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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