Next time you post a drunken photo or risque update on Facebook or Twitter, you might need to worry about more than whether your boss or your grandmother is watching. Because the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is taking a real interest in what’s going on in the world of social media.
Following the Twitter and BBM-led uprisings of the ‘Arab Spring’, the US government has decided that it needs to pay attention to what people are saying on the social websites.
They won’t be interested in what you had for lunch though, and instead will be focusing efforts on Tweets and updates that could affect law enforcement or national security, although a spokesperson has insisted that the protocols will be bound by strict privacy laws.
Unfortunately for any would-be intelligence gatherers, it looks like there might well be a lot of chaff to sort through. Especially judging by this morning’s trending topics:
Twitter Trending Topics – And What They Could Mean…
- #ThingsOnMyMind – This could be useful to the DHS, as long as would-be terrorists like to make their plans public by attaching a popular hashtag.
- #10twitterpeopleiwouldbang – While this might be construed as a hit-list for potential bombers, it’s actually a set of announcements from lonely Tweeters.
- #topboy – is the “Top Boy” the head of a crime syndicate? Or is it a Channel 4 show? These are the questions the DHS needs to answer.
- Billy Sharp – Doncaster Rovers’ centre forward is trending due to bravery in the face of a family tragedy. What he doesn’t need is government scrutiny.
- Hello November – A secret cell of anti-government operatives, or a bunch of happy-go-lucky Tweeters celebrating a new month?
- Bonfire Night – Finally! A trend about a terrorist would-be-assassin. Fortunately though, Guy Fawkes has already been caught and sentenced.
So while monitoring the trending topics might not be the best way of keeping a country safe, it’s almost certain that other agencies around the world will be rolling out their own social surveillance policies. So don’t bragging about blowing up airports. Even as a joke.
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