Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in Twitter: Tool for Terror?

Re: Twitter: Tool for Terror?

8inch Digital Caliper — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:04:01 -0000

Each coin has two sides.

Re: Twitter: Tool for Terror?

David Gerard — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:46:30 -0000

God forbid they discover pen and paper. http://notnews.today.com/20...

Re: Twitter: Tool for Terror?

Afaque — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:32:52 -0000

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

Re: Twitter: Tool for Terror?

Scott — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:49:33 -0000

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.

Re: Twitter: Tool for Terror?

No1 — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:54:00 -0000

you sir are an idiot .

Re: Twitter: Tool for Terror?

wyndell dorsey — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:09:07 -0000

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA AHA!!!!

Re: Twitter: Tool for Terror?

Jo — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:55:16 -0000

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.

Re: Twitter: Tool for Terror?

Jake Hird — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:33:00 -0000

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.

Re: Twitter: Tool for Terror?

Melanie — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:50:59 -0000

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? :)

Re: Twitter: Tool for Terror?

Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:15:23 -0000

Impeccable logic. That must be how it made it's way to the Army report.