Oct 27 2008
Could Twitter be a Tool for Terrorists?
Twitter lovers of the world beware, terrorists could be tweeting
The U.S. intelligence community is concerned that terrorists might use micro-blogging tool Twitter to coordinate attacks, according to a purported draft Army intelligence report posted on the Web.
The report–present by the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion and posted to the Federation of American Scientists Web site–examines the possible ways terrorists could use mobile and Web technologies such as the Global Positioning System, digital maps, and Twitter mashups to plan and execute terrorist attacks.
Wait, there’s more:
The report is roughly divided into two halves. The first is based mostly on chatter from Al-Qaeda-affiliated online forums. One Islamic extremist site discusses, for example, the benefits of “using a mobile phone camera to monitor the enemy and its mechanisms.” Another focuses on the benefits of the Nokia 6210 Navigator, and how its GPS utilities could be used for “marksmanship, border crossings, and in concealment of supplies.”
Such software could allow jihadists to pick their way across multiple routes, identifying terrain features as they go. A third extremist forum recommends the installation of voice-modification software to conceal one’s identity when making calls. Excerpts from a fourth site show cell phone wallpapers that wannabe jihadists can use to express their affinity for radicalism:
So, it’s not just Twitter, but basically all technology. Seems to me that this type of fear is just what the terrorists want. Are we supposed to be afraid to live our lives and stay connected with friends? I don’t think so.
What this report should do is be a remider for all of us to be good neighbors and watch for out-of-the-ordinary activities. Twitter and other communication tools are two-way streets. They may help terriorsts communicate, but they also let us in on their converstations. If, we are paying attention.
