Dear All,
I think that when we consider the situation from a security service (or an intelligence service) perspective. For that, we need to go through the looking glass. We all (huge generalisation) work within an environment that is open, transparent and trustworthy. For the most people working in higher education and local government do not deal with potential threats to their lives or the lives of others on a regular or sustained basis.
One way to look at such "harmless twitter account remarks" is to pass through the looking glass.
Imagine that the person making the remarks is not the people in question? What if they are planning something and they are seeking to "test" the response from a security or intelligence service? Every day organisations (99/100 it is an organisation) are seeking to do just that so they can succeed. The attackers in 11/9/01 (to use a very obvious example) took practice flights to go through airport security to understand what they needed to do to subvert the security procedures. They "tested" the situation in seemingly harmless or benign ways. The security service will not know this until they check it out. Remember, people can make elaborate "legends" to cover these situations.
Now, turn this on the head. Perhaps the security service/intelligence service is demonstrating that they have "no sense of humour" because they are trying to send a "message". For example, they are alerting would be assailants of their vigilance in relatively (to us) "minor" issues. The message is that the service acts quickly, with efficiency, and ruthlessly in pursuit of security. Thus, the organisation at the other end will have to raise its game. Perhaps it may even reconsider the preferred strategies based upon such obvious reaction. (Crikey if they take a "twitter statement" like that imagine what they must be doing on the other areas of surveillance.)
As people, fortunately, protected by various laws and institutions it pays to consider the situation from a less than benign perspective, where such laws and institutions do not exist. My comments above are only done as an amateur, in about 20 minutes. Now consider how serious a threat could be if someone spent every waking moment working on, developing, and practicing ways to subvert the existing security systems and defensive mechanisms to kill people? They would have a variety of approaches and they would test them in different ways.
Perhaps these types of episodes are the price we pay for security and, ultimately, the liberty we have to enjoy the safety we have. I do not know if it is too high of price, given that the cost to the people involved is not minor, but it does suggest the context within the wider world is not as benign as we may wish or like. If the people sworn and paid to protect us forget that, there may not be a second chance to reconsider it.
Best,
Lawrence
P.S. just back from holiday so apologies if this is already been covered.
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