While al Qaeda has used the Internet primarily to spread its propaganda and to rally new recruits, the terrorist group has also relied on the Internet for financing-related purposes. Other Islamist terrorist groups, including Hamas, Lashkar e-Taiba, and Hizballah have also made extensive use of the Internet to raise and transfer needed funds to support their activities. The Internet's appeal in this regard for terrorist groups is readily apparent-offering a broad reach, timely efficiency, as well as a certain degree of anonymity and security for both donors and recipients. Unfortunately, while many governments now recognize that the Internet is an increasingly valuable tool for terrorist organizations, the response to this point has been inconsistent.

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in Washington, DC. He serves, or has recently served, as director for several large U.S. Department of Justice-funded research and evaluation programs and has served as the project director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance projects. He provides technical assistance to state and local jails, probation, parole, and prison systems. He was an expert witness in the landmark Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Plata, which mandated the state of California to reduce its prison population. Dr. Austin has authored numerous publications, including co-authoring (with

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