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US Army Sees Twitter As Possible Terrorist "Operation Tool"
Mike writes "A draft US Army intelligence report has identified the popular micro-blogging service Twitter as a potential terrorist tool. A chapter titled 'Potential for Terrorist Use of Twitter' notes that Twitter members reported the July Los Angeles earthquake faster than news outlets and activists at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis used it to provide information on police movements. 'Twitter is already used by some members to post and/or support extremist ideologies and perspectives,' the report said. The report goes on to say, 'Terrorists could theoretically use Twitter social networking in the US as an operation tool.' Just wait until the Army finds out about chat rooms and email!"
Go sit in the corner. If it's taken them THIS long to realize that the internet is nothing but a gigantic communications tool... geez....
Maybe if you define terror as "really, really irritating."
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
Just wait for the plan to send soldiers in to the net.
- Buying explosives. Thanks tom! :D
- Shaping explosvies.
- Milling bomb casing.
- Filling bomb casing.
- Rigging fuse. Hehe I made the + terminal blue instead of RED! That'll get'em!
- Putting bomb in suitcase. This new Ralph Lauren suitcase design is DYNOMITE!
- Getting in car. We sould really put some Al-Qaeda funds into something better than an 92 GeoMetro. This thing sucks.
- Leaving on Airplane. Phone off! ByeBye for now! Don't want to crash plane.
- Landed! The big apple awaits!
- Picked up food at McDonalds on third street. Mmmmmm McFlurry goodness.
- Bomb planted on 5th and James. They should make larger trashcans. Those things are TINY!1!
- Bored. Waiting at Starbucks. Prices are insane!
Homeland securit bans use of all telephones. Cites device could be used for communication.
"Computers are a lot like Air Conditioners" "They both work great until you start opening Windows"
I know he supposedly has a lot of sockpuppets, but calling Twitter a possible terrorist operation tool is a bit much, isn't it?
If this story is alleging that twitter is useful for something, then I call bullshit on the whole thing.
They were enthusiasts while it was still underground, and would be disappointed to see it going mainstream.
Surely this list is an enumeration of ALL communication possibilities? Twitter has communication possibility, therefore deserves to be on the list amongst:
* Smoke signals
* Pigeon Carriers
* Coded Letters
* Invisible Ink Letters
* Text Messages
* Mobile Phone Calls
* Emails
* Slashdot posts
* Twitter
[% slash_sig_val.text %]
Never have I been so sincere in saying this, but: I wish I had mod points.
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
We finally have an excuse to ban Twitter and send him and his sockpuppets to Gitmo!
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
..US intel agencies have prepared another draft document that identifies other potential terrorist tools
Shovels-they can be used to plant bombs
Wheelbarrows-transport the bombs
sneakers-terrorists could be using sneakers on their feet to make it easy to walk around on the ground
clothing-terrorists could be wearing clothing so they could "blend in" with the civilian population and sneak around
talking to people-terrorists could infiltrate and meet each other and "talk"-communicate-with other terrorists
cars-terrorists, having blended into the civilian population, might use "cars" as transportation so they can go meet other terrorists and "talk"
grocery stores-terrorists might make use of grocery stores as part of a long supply train in order to get "food" for themselves and other terrorists in their secret underground cells
public drinking fountains-water is a necessity for terrorist operations, so they might make use of public drinking fountains and garner unauthorized water supplies
money-terrorists could make use of cash money in order to purchase supplies that they could use for terrorist operations, such as sneakers, clothing, shovels, wheelbarrows, food, etc
pencils and paper-terrorists might make use of easily available pencils and paper on the rogue "underground" black market, and use these devices as a communications medium. The report also suggests closing the "department store loophole" in order to combat this threat
videogames-terrorists might make use of videogames as a cheap way to get assymetrical warfare training, and to indoctrinate and brainwash their cadre into risking armed violent attacks by portraying it as "normal" and something that the civilian population would support. Some notice has been made by "deep cover" agents that the game "America's Army" apparently is a favorite with terrorists
sporting events=sporting events have been identified as a favorite terrorist meeting area, where they can get together and "talk"-or communicate- and engage in psychological "pumping up" efforts in order to bolster courage before going out on terrorism operations. Long range surveillance has noted that they "Chant" various phrases like "Kill 'em!" and "De-fense! De-fense!" and will also engage in ritualistic "hooting" which appears to be a secret call sign that identifies terrorists to their appropriate cell members. Different cells have different names, and the chants change to identify them.
It has been noted that some terrorists are male, and some are female, and they can come in all ages, so the modern warfighter has to take note when they see individuals or groups that are made up of males or females or combinations of such.
I wonder which will happen first...the FBI will break into your house and beat you till you admit you are a terrorist, or the terrorists you work with will bust into your house and beat you for leaking their code onto the internet. Either way, I'd take some Advil, cause you are going to have a killer of a headache in a little while.
We all know the guy's been annoying everyone on Slashdot, but a "terrorist operation tool"? That's waay overreacting. He just hates Microsoft, that all.
boobs are a myth!
I understand the -1 mod on the parent, but redundant? Off topic or troll I would understand but this is as if geeks already know that "tits are a myth" and as such the information is nothing new.
I'm sad to be a member of this community =)
Shut down the internet, and the phone company, and lock up all possessors of walkie talkies at Guantanamo Bay.
Reminds me of something I read not long after 9/11, never knew if it started as a joke or not, but it did make it to an article on a (European) newspaper's website.
Some of Bin Laden's boys had acquired a large number of cell phones (in France, the article said), and changed phones almost daily to avoid being tracked. They got caught because they kept using the same SIM cards.
This just in, the US Army Sees the Human Mouth As Possible Terrorist "Operation Tool".
It's currently modded insightful, flamebait and underrated. So the would-be theorists are going to send a suicide bomber to the subway and then disband?
Scratches head. Doh, I was aiming for "get a life, don't be a terrorist", but go understand /. moderators. Maybe they *are* a terrorist communications unit, after all...
i guess the US Army only have to worry about the terrorists whose plans can be described in 140 characters or less!
I see you've been getting a lot of points today. Are you the leader?
What?
In related news pencil and paper have been found having potential for terrorist use