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back to article US senate committee wants Twitter, Facebook to report 'terrorist' posts

America has inched another step towards privatising some of its snooping to Internet companies. While it's far from a fait accompli, the US Senate Security Committee has approved the Intelligence Authorization Act for 2015-2016. That bill, controversially, includes a stipulation that companies like Facebook and Twitter must …

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  1. Khaptain Silver badge

    Brilliant Idea

    Why not just shutdown Facebook and Twitter, terrorism would then cease do exist.!! What, wait a minute, you mean the terrorists also knwo how to use Email, SMS, hand written letters and the telephone.....Shit quick shut them all down immediately.

    Historically, I can't think of many occasions where shooting the messenger has resolved a situation., although I wouldn't like to be Edward Snowden for the moment..

    9 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Brilliant Idea

      Why not just shutdown Facebook and Twitter, terrorism would then cease do exist.!!

      As I've said before, we must ban the sale of cars immediately too. After all, they are used by child abducters and bank robbers, and if you don't agree you're obviously in support of such activities.

      The bit that worries me most is that people are still falling for this rubbish, enough to allow it make it part of a political play instead of it being recognised for what it is and rendering the people uttering such twaddle as ridiculous and subversive as they are.

      3 0 Reply
  2. Mark 85

    This country is beginning to remind me of this..

    Under the spreading chestnut tree,

    I sold you and you sold me.

    There lie they, and here lie we

    Under the spreading chestnut tree.

    I guess it's where we're headed... It would be one thing if the social networks did it voluntarily but to make it a mandate is going over the line. What's next? If I hear someone using certain words.. such as "gun", "bomb", "kill", etc. will I be required to turn them in or face punishment?

    7 0 Reply
    1. Khaptain Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: This country is beginning to remind me of this..

      Even though I have read 1984 I did not remember this peom, after having looked it up in the web I found a remark that synthesizes the meaning of the lines. I'm not in a very philosophical mood today so I was gratefull that someone made that resumé. it is as follows

      "An example of how the regime warps and contaminates everything"

      1 0 Reply
  3. Voland's right hand Silver badge

    Another idiotic law

    Well...

    If we assume that the background information is correct and this involves only companies which already monitor user posts, this is yet another grand idiocy creating a new law to cover what is already covered by existing law.

    Knowingly not reporting a crime is a criminal offence or to be more exact a whole raft of them. This does not need any laws, it needs enforcing current ones (which actually have criminal penalties for failing to report).

    0 2 Reply
    1. ratfox
      Reply Icon

      Re: Another idiotic law

      I suspect there's a big difference between the way Facebook monitors user posts (try to find which ad the user would like to see), and the way this new law wants them to do it (actively search for terrorists).

      4 0 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Big Brother

        Re: Another idiotic law

        re: ratfox.

        Yes, but I think this new law is just to provide a reason for the TLAs to have a connection to the major companies, that is legal (but not constitutional), so they keep getting the data they crave so much.

        If so, this means that Barr and Fienstien are shit.

        Also, I'd like to see the paper that the original draft was printed on so that we can check the watermarks/dots on the paper to see which TLA wrote it.

        Call me paranoid, I don't give a rats ass.

        3 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      Re: Another idiotic law

      Not true in most cases.

      0 0 Reply
    3. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Another idiotic law

      "If we assume that the background information is correct and this involves only companies which already monitor user posts, this is yet another grand idiocy creating a new law to cover what is already covered by existing law."

      Is it covered by existing law, or are they trying to pull off something similar to the UK whereby GCHQ was found to be snooping illegally, and a law was quickly enacted to make it legal *retrospectively*?

      0 0 Reply
      1. Preston Munchensonton
        Reply Icon
        Pint

        Re: Another idiotic law

        Is it covered by existing law, or are they trying to pull off something similar to the UK whereby GCHQ was found to be snooping illegally, and a law was quickly enacted to make it legal *retrospectively*?

        This is the US Senate trying to pull a fast one, as they would say. As the article intimated, this amounts to outsourcing the US government's Internet snooping to the private sector, in direct response to the rollback of the NSA's data collection program and the HTTPS-everywhere campaign.

        At this stage, there are few places remaining on Planet Earth where the reigning government really needs more laws. It really does feel like I'm stuck in Atlas Shrugged with no way out. Here's hoping the beer will help.

        1 0 Reply
    4. Trigonoceps occipitalis
      Reply Icon

      Re: Another idiotic law

      "Knowingly not reporting a crime is a criminal offence ... "

      Not in the UK.

      0 0 Reply
  4. Captain DaFt

    Simple solution

    Since they consider everyone and anyone to be potential terrorists anyway, just report every posting.

    3 0 Reply
  5. Ole Juul

    Facebook and Twitter must raise a red flag on terror activity

    The assumption of course is that all terrorists are extremely stupid and will talk openly about their intentions, and with clear reference, on Facebook and Twitter. No doubt Burr and Feinstein are unusually brilliant.

    2 0 Reply
    1. AndrueC Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Joke

      Re: Facebook and Twitter must raise a red flag on terror activity

      The assumption of course is that all terrorists are extremely stupid and will talk openly about their intentions

      "The dirty man will carry the noisy dog to the park tonight."

      No, seriously, he will. His name is Bob and the dog has a bad leg.

      0 0 Reply
    2. Trigonoceps occipitalis
      Reply Icon

      Re: Facebook and Twitter must raise a red flag on terror activity

      "The assumption of course is that all terrorists are extremely stupid and will talk openly about their intentions, and with clear reference, on Facebook and Twitter. No doubt Burr and Feinstein are unusually brilliant."

      They got that terrorist who was going to bomb Robin Hood Airport - not so clever now, are you?

      3 0 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Facebook and Twitter must raise a red flag on terror activity

        The ones who are dumb enough to post their intentions aren't the ones you need to worry about. Some lone bomber who isn't so much a terrorist as a mentally ill person might post their intention or at least hint at it because he's looking for attention, but real terrorists with the kind of major plot that we're really worried about will only post something that means anything in hindsight (i.e. something like "after today the infidels will feel the pain our people have been feeling" or something oblique like that which could never serve as advance warning)

        0 0 Reply
      2. I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects
        Reply Icon

        \arse if

        You imagine the aunty terresristas would fail to be paying an airport named after a world famous terrorist no heed?

        0 0 Reply
  6. Pen-y-gors

    Possibly not so bad?

    "obtains actual knowledge of any terrorist activity . . . shall provide"

    So if they don't monitor and read everything, then they won't know anyway, so no need to report.

    And as it refers to 'actual knowledge' then if there is a terrorist incident (bomb in Kabul?) and anyone mentions it in a tweet or post then they MUST report each and every post. That should slow up the NSA

    Politicians should not be allowed to draft or amend the wording of legislation - they always get it wrong.

    2 0 Reply
  7. knarf

    They will report everyone

    This is how it works;

    Anyone who ever mentions "key words or phrase" will automatically get reported. So that just about everyone.

    This is what banks do with money laundering laws.

    0 0 Reply
  8. NP-HARD
    Linux

    Will never work.

    Real terrorists use Puffin Party.

    (Icon: nearly a puffin...)

    1 0 Reply
  9. Someone_Somewhere

    Facebook For Fascists

    “obtains actual knowledge of any terrorist activity . . . shall provide to the appropriate authorities the facts or circumstances of the alleged terrorist activity.”

    Interesting to see the switch from 'terrorist activity' to 'alleged terrorist activity' there. Bit of a reveal?

    So who decides what activity is terrorist activity before the decision is made to inform the TLA(s)? Will companies need to employ international terrorism experts? Will they need incontravertable proof before they report it* or will speculation suffice?

    What will the impact be upon U.S. service providers? Will they lose non-U.S. business as a result or has the damage already been done by the ECJ ruling and this is only intended to spot terrorists on U.S. soil.

    Outsourcing the defence of the nation to unaccountable private sector agents; Mussolini would be proud of them.

    --

    *like the police, who can only arrest someone for murdering you**, not stop them from murdering you in advance.

    **or at least having attempted to murder you.

    0 0 Reply

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