Any communication tool can be used to coordinate things for good or ill. This should be obvious. It's just as obvious it's likely utterly ridiculous for someone to use Twitter. At the same time, if you're the person doing a report on possibilities, (however fanciful), you would be negligent to leave out a tool that has obvious one-to-many alert capability.
I do have to say though, I like the idea of bad guys using Twitter. I mean, wouldn't this be a great headline and story.
------------------------------- "Terrorist Plot Foiled when Bad Guys Login for "Go Message" and Get Fail Whale."
THE INTERNET, Month, Day 08 -- Five terrorist cells were caught on Tuesday when their uncoordinated efforts, (due to a systems failure of their communications tools), caused them to show up at their target at the wrong time. FBI agent Biff Bifkins tells us, "Well, this one guy was supposed to show up with the detonator, but he couldn't get his Twitter message and showed up at the wrong time. The guys with the explosives where just sitting there." Asked how the waiting team was busted, Biff went on to explain, "They were apparently using an unlocked iPhone they had stolen, but had tried to use an Android application on it that was to tie in to their underground network. There was a lot of confusion about the compatibility issues with the phone operating system and available applications. When they ran to the AT&T store to try to activate a real iPhone, the clerk got suspicious and called us."
Our reporter had a rare opportunity to talk to one of the handcuffed terrorists. But he just muttered, "I told them we just should have used AIM or Yahoo. They're old and not as sexy as Twitter and the latest Open Source stuff, but you know... they always just sort of worked." Questioned further about how he thinks the others in his cell were captured, he answered, "I've been thinking about that. It may have been our Facebook group. We really shouldn't have put our pictures up on there. But we were having so much fun sharing our favorite band information and so on, I guess we just forgot what our group was about. I mean, we're all about killing innocent people, not really having fun." -------------------------------
Bottom line: It's really not at all difficult to imagine how Twitter, or any other communications tool, can be used by criminals of any sort. The report isn't wrong in this regard. It may seem silly, and I'd personally think it a foolish tool for such use, but... it's hardly unimaginable.
ralphthemagician
· 1 year ago
Clearly, it is for terrorists. I don't know why there is any discussion about this. I mean, both Twitter and Terrorists start with the letter 't'. It's obviously the same thing.
wyndell dorsey
· 1 year ago
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA AHA!!!!
Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
· 1 year ago
Impeccable logic. That must be how it made it's way to the Army report.
Melanie
· 1 year ago
I'm with you. It's the 'T' connection. Who knew solving the war on terror would be as simple as an episode of Sesame Street? :)
Jake Hird
· 1 year ago
Couldn't agree more.
I posted something similar on my blog last night, and what with freedom of speech and my criticsm of this riduculous line of anti-terror thought, I'm half expecting a police raid any time time now.
Jo
· 1 year ago
I highly doubt the police are going to worry about anyone posting to twitter that hangs out at Mashable (major eye roll).
People engaged in activity that is meant to harm others will use any tool necessary to accomplish the task, whether Twitter, Yahoo! chat, or another other social media out there.
The Army should worry about stopping it and not announcing where they are going to be looking.
No1
· 1 year ago
you sir are an idiot .
Afaque
· 1 year ago
oh for god's sake.... hehehehe do one thing.... add another tag with the three u added... add "HUMOR" as its shows such an obsession against terrorism...lolz
All Comments
I do have to say though, I like the idea of bad guys using Twitter. I mean, wouldn't this be a great headline and story.
-------------------------------
"Terrorist Plot Foiled when Bad Guys Login for "Go Message" and Get Fail Whale."
THE INTERNET, Month, Day 08 -- Five terrorist cells were caught on Tuesday when their uncoordinated efforts, (due to a systems failure of their communications tools), caused them to show up at their target at the wrong time. FBI agent Biff Bifkins tells us, "Well, this one guy was supposed to show up with the detonator, but he couldn't get his Twitter message and showed up at the wrong time. The guys with the explosives where just sitting there." Asked how the waiting team was busted, Biff went on to explain, "They were apparently using an unlocked iPhone they had stolen, but had tried to use an Android application on it that was to tie in to their underground network. There was a lot of confusion about the compatibility issues with the phone operating system and available applications. When they ran to the AT&T store to try to activate a real iPhone, the clerk got suspicious and called us."
Our reporter had a rare opportunity to talk to one of the handcuffed terrorists. But he just muttered, "I told them we just should have used AIM or Yahoo. They're old and not as sexy as Twitter and the latest Open Source stuff, but you know... they always just sort of worked." Questioned further about how he thinks the others in his cell were captured, he answered, "I've been thinking about that. It may have been our Facebook group. We really shouldn't have put our pictures up on there. But we were having so much fun sharing our favorite band information and so on, I guess we just forgot what our group was about. I mean, we're all about killing innocent people, not really having fun."
-------------------------------
Bottom line: It's really not at all difficult to imagine how Twitter, or any other communications tool, can be used by criminals of any sort. The report isn't wrong in this regard. It may seem silly, and I'd personally think it a foolish tool for such use, but... it's hardly unimaginable.
I posted something similar on my blog last night, and what with freedom of speech and my criticsm of this riduculous line of anti-terror thought, I'm half expecting a police raid any time time now.
People engaged in activity that is meant to harm others will use any tool necessary to accomplish the task, whether Twitter, Yahoo! chat, or another other social media out there.
The Army should worry about stopping it and not announcing where they are going to be looking.
do one thing.... add another tag with the three u added... add "HUMOR"
as its shows such an obsession against terrorism...lolz