Can Anonymous defeat Islamic State?

There is a “symbiotic relationship” between the activist group, Anonymous, and the government in their efforts to combat so-called Islamic State online, Parmy Olson, author of We Are Anonymous, has told the Today programme.

Anonymous claims to have shut down more than 5,000 Twitter accounts its hackers believe are linked to the so-called Islamic State since it “declared war” on the terror group earlier this week.

“I’m not sure, in value terms, that shutting down Twitter accounts…is an effective game to be playing,” said Euan Lawson, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

"It clearly has a utility...it allows the authorities to focus on the more important, high value targets," he said.