Cell Phone Wars

Last week I featured some very interesting work by a colleague that examined the recent conflict between Israel and Palestine through the prism of social media, using the minute-by-minute flow of information provided by these technologies to construct a model of the micro-dynamics between these opposed forces. A large portion of this data came from people reporting from their cell phones what they were seeing. Both the Israeli and Palestinian forces; therefore, were faced with the tactical challenges of controlling and winning a war as it is broadcast in real-time. Recently, the JIOX blog featured fascinating new research from Research Institute for European and American Studies that examined these tactical challenges, and how each side approached them in, “Cell Wars: The Changing Landscape of Communications Intelligence”

The 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict featured a series of innovative approaches to communications intelligence, which included utilizing civilian telephone networks to achieve tactical and psychological objectives. The “cell war” between the IDF and Hamas is indicative of an ongoing global struggle between asymmetrical insurgents and state actors to control large-scale telecommunications structures. “Cell wars” have been taking place for quite some time in Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, and several other nations, including inside the United States. Weapons in this hi-tech conflict include surveillance satellites, voice scramblers, encryption software and mobile phone cameras, among other technologies. Essentially, this war is being fought over the control over national and international telecommunications grids, and centers increasingly on telecommunications service providers —companies such as Jawwal in Palestine, Roshan in Afghanistan, or Mobilink in Pakistan. These companies are rapidly becoming combat zones in a battle to control the channels of digital communications in 21st-century asymmetrical warfare.

The piece tells a compelling story of tit-for-tat game being played through the communication infrastructure, and how each side attempted to anticipate the other’s move. It will be of particular interest to those curious of how I/O operations are actually conducted, and how asymmetric opponents are adapting to sustain communication.

Photo: International Media Support

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