Twitter er et såkalt microblogginge-verktøy som lar brukerne sende 140 tegn lange beskjeder som andre kan lese.
Systemet fungerer slik at man selv velger hvem man vil følge, og så får man se alle meldingene til de man følger med på. Brukerne kan svare hverandre eller skrive helt åpne meldinger, samt at det også er mulig å sende private meldinger direkte til en enkelt mottager. De som ønsker å begrense hvem som kan se meldingene kan låse sine beskjeder slik at bare forhåndsgodkjente personer får se de.
Twitter er elsket av noen og hatet av andre. Nå legger den amerikanske hæren seg på sistnevnte linje. I en etteretningsrapport har de sett på måter terrorister kan bruke nettjenesten.
Rapporten skal ha blitt lagt frem tidligere i oktober, men ble først allment kjent da Wired omtalte den i forrige uke.
I rapporten slås det fast at Twitter allerede brukes av folk med ekstreme ideologier og perspektiver på samfunnet.
"Twitter has also become a social activism tool for socialists, human rights groups, communists, vegetarians, anarchists, religious communities, atheists, political enthusiasts, hacktivists and others to communicate with each other and to send messages to broader audiences."
Rapporten trekker frem tre mulige scenarier for hvordan terrorister kan bruke Twitter:
- 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.
- 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 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."
- 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.
Rapporten går ikke utelukkende på Twitter, men tar for seg flere emner:
- Pro Terrorist Propaganda Mobile Interfaces
- Mobile Phone GPS for Movements, Ops, Targeting and Exploitation
- The Mobile Phone as a Surveillance Tool
- Voice Changers for Terrorist Phone Calls
- Red Teaming Perspective on the Potential Terroris Use of Twitter
Her kan du laste ned rapporten i sin helhet. Den er på 11 sider.
