Discrepancies between Open Source and Official Terrorism Data: Evidence from Turkey

• In Event: Issues Regarding Privacy, Technology, Torture, and Terrorism

Abstract

Open source accounts are the best available source of terrorism incident data, yet questions linger about the validity and the reliability of these data. In an earlier study, the authors (Cubukcu & Forst, 2013) compared open source accounts of gang-related homicides with official accounts, finding that open source data undercount events more often than official data, more so in some places than in others, and more so for some types of victims than others. We extend that inquiry in this paper using more direct evidence on terrorism, comparing official terrorism data collected by the Turkish National Police between 1984 and 2012 with open source accounts of terrorism incidents, analyzing the sources of discrepancy between the two sources -- in terms of the characteristics of terrorism incidents, demographic aspects of victims and offenders, severity of incidents, locations, types of assaults, weapon used, and the ideology of terrorist groups.

Authors

• Brian Forst, American University

• Suat Cubukcu, American University