Terrorists use the Internet for many different reasons; not all are illegal but they do have a terrorist purpose, whether it be for publicity, to commit acts of terror or just for organizational purposes. The inherently transnational nature of this phenomenon poses specific problems to traditional strategies for the prevention, detection and prosecution of terrorist activities online. Countering terrorist use of the Internet demands a collaborative and innovative approach in order to find appropriate security measures while respecting fundamental human rights such as freedom of expression. The potential of the World Wide Web as a weapon in the fight against terrorism must be exploited in a creative and empowering way, attentive to cultural differences and in tune with the concerns, mindsets and worldviews of the specific audiences targeted by terrorist groups.