Twitter – A Terrorism Tool?
Could Twitter be used as a terrorism tool? Apparently the U.S. Army Thinks so!
An Army intelligence report sheds light on a few examples of how the popular social networking application Twitter could be used by terrorists. Actually, the report looks at several technologies that might be dangerous in the wrong hands. Whether this could actually happen or is just theoretical, it does point out that technology can be used for both good and bad intentions.
Therefore, could it be possible to develop technology that can be disabled in an emergency? For example, the new car theft and high speed chase prevention device technology that will disable an engine if the automobile is involved a high-speed police pursuit. But perhaps more importantly, can this be done without infringing on personal privacy and endangering the public? Say that in an emergency, the authorities shut down a certain communications technology. Could that actually put the public in danger? The terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India last month demonstrates that social networking applications can and do save lives.
It is not an easy decision to make, but it does force us to think about consequences as we build technology. We really need to understand all the ways, good and bad, that technology can be used.
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