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New GCHQ Chief Says Social Media Aids Terrorists

Posted by Soulskill on from the don't-tweet-pictures-of-your-breakfast-otherwise-the-terrorists-win dept.

An anonymous reader sends this report from Sky News: The new head of GCHQ has accused social media websites of helping terror groups and called for closer ties with intelligence agencies. "'However much they [tech companies] may dislike it, they have become the command and control networks of choice for terrorists and criminals, who find their services as transformational as the rest of us." ... Mr. Hannigan said that smartphone and other mobile technologies increased the opportunities for terrorist activity to be concealed in the wake of the exposing of secret cables and documents collected by US and UK authorities by whistleblower Edward Snowden. Mr. Hannigan said that smartphone and other mobile technologies increased the opportunities for terrorist activity to be concealed in the wake of the exposing of secret cables and documents collected by US and UK authorities by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

18 of 228 comments (clear)

  1. Not a win by Chrisq · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If we start screaming, crying, and arresting people as soon as they express a view we don't like we have not defeated the Muslims. We have become like the Muslims.

    1. Re:Not a win by Tyr07 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      First off, being a Muslim has nothing to do with screaming, crying, and arresting as soon as they express a view we don't like.

      Muslim is a religious choice, and just like Christians or any other religion, there are those who are fanatical about it. They are dangerous, remember the holy crusades?

      There are people who are fanatical who have nothing to do with religion at all, what group do you insult for them?
      There's plenty of Muslims who live in Canada who are perfectly reasonable respectable people who are not violent who appreciate that you have your own way you live your life, and aren't coming to you to force you to change it, and just want to be respected for their way of life like any other religion.

    2. Re:Not a win by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You've only just now realized that Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden won beyond their wildest imaginations? We can fist bump about killing him and shouting "MURICA!! FUCK YEEEEAAH!" but even with Bush in front of his "Mission Accomplished" banner, we've still lost this fight big time by succumbing to the terrorist boogeyman to allow Big Brother to tuck us in at night.

    3. Re:Not a win by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      First off, being a Muslim has nothing to do with screaming, crying, and arresting as soon as they express a view we don't like.

      really?

    4. Re:Not a win by javilon · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well, I guess he means muslim countries.

      Any country defined (by themselves) as "a muslim country" falls into the view: "screaming, crying, and arresting as soon as they express a view we don't like".

      As a test, try to go to a "muslim country" and tell them you are gay...

      There are also other countries where this happens, like Russia (recently on the news) but the point is it does happen in every muslim country.

      --


      When his defense asked, "Which computer has Jon Johansen trespassed upon?" the answer was: "His own."
    5. Re:Not a win by jafiwam · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If we start screaming, crying, and arresting people as soon as they express a view we don't like we have not defeated the Muslims. We have become like the Muslims.

      This sums it up right there. We are well on our way already.

      The GCHQ head is clueless. They'll just do what they think is effective and safe. When they figured out we were using voice prints and cell phones to target air strikes, they stopped using cell phones.

      The same thing will happen with Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Snapchat, or whatever else.

      Another point, the ones using those things now are the dumb ones that are all talk, and not going to do much if anything effective. Worry about the ones that have hidden their messages that we aren't finding, or the ones that just meet in person or send coded snail mail letters. They don't need instructions, they need MONEY and TIME to get their goals done.

      This is nothing more than yet another ploy to hook more surveillance into stuff that will be basically used to make the IRS more effective at targeting mild political opposites for harassment. The guys they need to bust in on with guns plot in mosques and living rooms in person.

    6. Re:Not a win by NotDrWho · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Islam may indeed be another religious choice. But in it's present-day form, it's MUCH more radical than most others. Very few other modern religions still seek to impose their religious beliefs by force in entire COUNTRIES (and exclude the practice of other religions). Even radical Zionists in Israel and Mormons in Utah would draw the line at banning other religions in their countries outright, or in overriding secular civil law entirely with their batshit beliefs. There are an *increasing* number of Muslim countries (and, make no mistake, it IS increasing), where the general populace is all-too-ready to vote in Sharia Law and start burning churches the second they get the chance. And this is not a movement that is weakening in the modern world, it's actually STRENGTHENING.

      There are still voices of moderation in Islam. But I'm no longer convinced that they are the majority, and they are CERTAINLY on the wane.

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    7. Re:Not a win by nedlohs · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So what were you saying. The exchange seems to have been (with different people involved in each step of course):

      1. A claim that muslims exhibit the behaviour of "screaming, crying, and arresting people as soon as they express a view we don't like".
      2. A claim that being a muslim has nothing to do with "screaming, crying, and arresting people as soon as they express a view we don't like".
      3. A source showing some muslims setting an embassy on fire, rioting, and demanding death to some people, because said people expressed a view the muslims didn't like.
      4. A source showing some christians killing people and blowing things up.

      3. is clearly supposed to be evidence for the claim in 1. - you don't have to think it's good evidence, but it is at least clearly about the claim in 1.

      4. On the other hand has nothing to do with either of the claims in 1. or 2. So what were you trying to show by that link?

    8. Re:Not a win by Transfinite · · Score: 3, Informative

      http://www.naharnet.com/storie... Islam is a dangerous, corrupt quasi-religious political system, founded on lies & murder. You are making the mistake of thinking in, I assume, a Christian world view. Yes a lot of Muslims wont' give a shit, many, many, many of them will .

  2. Re:Social media by javilon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In other news:

    Cars help terrorists: they use them as a means of transport. We should add kill switches and gps units to all cars so the goverment can track every individual car and stop it if needed.

    Subway helps terrorists: They use it as a means of transport. We should force every person using it to identify and keep all this data on a database.

    Houses help terrorists: They use them to hide and to stay warm and to plan new attacks. We should have a camera on every house connected to a government agency so we can track who is in the house and what is he doing.

    Books help terrorists: They read them and get funny ideas. We should create a system where people would identify themselves before reading a book.

    Also, this not only applies to terrorists. It also applies to child molesters, please think of the children.

    --


    When his defense asked, "Which computer has Jon Johansen trespassed upon?" the answer was: "His own."
  3. And remember people... by Noryungi · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Slashdot IS social media, which is why NSA and GCHQ created a fake Slashdot to hack into a Belgian Telecom company.

    You dirty terrorists, you! Bad Slashdot! BAD!

    Seriously, though, this is beyond belief and beyond the pale. Where do they get these morons? Most of these people are guilty of perjury (at best) and outright conflict of interests and gross violations of basic human rights at worst.

    When is this going to stop and when are we going to get rid of these idiots? Where is Senator Franck Church when we need him?

    --
    The right to offend is far more important than the right not to be offended. (Rowan Atkinson)
  4. You know what else aids terrorists? by jcr · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Electricity, roads, mechanized farming, and every other technology that makes up our modern way of life.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  5. Simple solution.... by purple_cobra · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...get a search warrant. Or, to be a bit more accurate: stop whining about how difficult your job is now and just do what you should have been doing all along. If you are having trouble identifying "persons of interest", that is not my problem. If encryption is too hard for you to break covertly, that is not my problem. If you can't do your job without every single person holding the door open for you to have a look around inside, that is not my problem. See a theme here, Hannigan? You are paid a handsome salary to detect nefarious arseholes who would do damage to the UK and its interests; perhaps you should earn that salary instead of moaning about the IT industry making the life of your staff difficult. If a dragnet is the answer, you are asking the wrong questions.

    1. Re:Simple solution.... by The+Ickle+Jones · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's still utterly ridiculous. Encryption is intended to protect you from Bad Guys (whether they be governments or simple criminals). If it also makes law enforcement difficult, then so be it; our rights don't just vanish just to make their jobs easier.

      Draconian punishments for refusing to give up passwords would just further reveal them to be freedom-hating scumbags. Hopefully courts in the US would recognize that as a violation of the constitution (other places, I'm not sure).

  6. Water aids terrorists by Roodvlees · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Drinking water allows terrorists to remain hydrated, even in dry environments! Social media aid those who use them.

    --
    Thank you, Bradley Manning, Edward Snowden and so many others, for courageously defending humanity, my freedom and more!
  7. Of course it is. by robbak · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The largest means of support for terrorist groups is the U.S. Dollar. Perhaps we should get rid of that, too.

    --
    Prediction for end of Universe #42: Fencepost error in Quantum_bogosort.cpp
  8. question by JigJag · · Score: 3, Funny

    Did Mr. Hannigan say "that smartphone and other mobile technologies increased the opportunities for terrorist activity to be concealed in the wake of the exposing of secret cables and documents collected by US and UK authorities by whistleblower Edward Snowden"?

    I'm still not sure yet.

    --
    "The hallmark of humanity is the ability to move beyond sensory inputs" - Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
  9. Re:Social media by myowntrueself · · Score: 3, Informative

    The UK has already banned any information which might be useful to a terrorist. Literally, thats what the law says.

    --
    In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.