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CNET released an article today that detailed a report, using all open-source information, made by 304th Military Intelligence Battalion on the Federation of American Scientists about the increased use of Twitter by ‘terrorist’. The site–which serves as a micro blog and social networking tool–already hosts many politically motivated networks of people (like most blogospheres do).
The report released several scenarios of how Twitter is being used by terrorists.
Scenario 1: Terrorist operative “A” uses Twitter with (or without) a cell phone camera/video function to send back messages, and to receive messages, from the rest of his cell. Operative “A” also has a Google Maps Twitter Mash Up of where he is under a code word for other members of his cell (if they need more in-depth directions) posted on the WWW that can be viewed from their mobiles. Other members of his cell receive near real time updates (similar to the movement updates that were sent by activists at the RNC) on how, where, and the number of troops that are moving in order to conduct an ambush.
Scenario 2: Terrorist operative “A” has a mobile phone for Tweet messaging and for taking images. Operative “A” also has a separate mobile phone that is actually an explosive device
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and/or a suicide vest for remote detonation. Terrorist operative “B” has the detonator and a mobile to view “A’s” Tweets and images. This may allow “B” to select the precise moment of remote detonation based on near real time movement and imagery that is being sent by “A.”
Scenario 3: Cyber Terrorist operative “A” finds U.S. [soldier] Smith’s Twitter account. Operative “A” joins Smith’s Tweets and begins to elicit information from Smith. This information is then used for a targeting package (targeting in this sense could be identity theft, hacking, and/or physical.) This scenario is not new and has already been discussed for other social networking sites, such as My Space and/or Face Book.
Naturally, the report also recognized the use of Twitter for all sorts of “extremist ideologies and perspectives” like vegetarianism, human rights groups, religious committees, and anarchists–to name a few. However, it also specifically targets hacktavists (political hackers, think Sarah Palin’s email) as a theoretical tool for foreign terrorists to utilize. The tactics of hacktavists could potentially translate into surveillance and targeting tactics used by terrorists.
While I don’t think that anyone should be terribly surprised by the use of technology by terrorists, I do think that it proves all the more that we have largely underestimated and largely misunderstood a draft army of people.
Whether the onslaught of auctions for meta data will continue after this is questionable. Social networks like Facebook and Myspace sell data like age and location to advertisers to help better target their audience.
Easy there McCarthy, myspace isn’t a socialist meeting.
