Phil,

I agree.  This is why I mentioned that they may have done this to “send a message”.  Given how governments send “messages” to the public and what they do to put information in the public domain or to shape the public perception, it is not inconceivable that such an “overreaction” has some secondary benefits (even if unintentional).

I am reminded that during the Vietnam War, the United States State Department would “plant” questions with selected reporters to ask Secretary of State Dean Rusk so that the issue could be addressed at official State Department Press Briefings.  At the same time, statements (sometimes out of context) would be made because of a wider communication pattern (beyond the immediate audience).

Something to consider is the following about the incident.  First, they would have done a quick check on the people before making the decision to put them on a watch list.  They would have looked at their background.  They would have put them on a watch list so that they would be refused entry or visa.  The information machinery within the government would have started to look at them enough to put them in that situation.  I would suggest there is an organisational criteria that led to this point. 

Then again, it may be a bureaucratic mistake. J

Best,

Lawrence

But isn't the point not that the security services picked this up - I for one am reassured that their sniffers detect phrases such as 'destroy america' - but that they then lacked the flexibility to respond more appropriately once it was obvious, as it must have been, that here was simply a cultural misunderstanding, of terminology which would be common in some UK circles .

And they must have understood that, as they would otherwise have taken far more serious steps.

----- Original Message -----

From: Simon Howarth

Sent: 02/21/12 09:44 AM

To: [log in to unmask]

Subject: Re: [data-protection] Truly amazing! [Going through the looking glass]

 

I second your statement. 

Or put another way - Headline: "Terror Attack on XYZ. Why where the 

terrorist's twitter comments ignored?" 

-----Original Message----- 

From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues 

[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lawrence Serewicz 

Sent: 20 February 2012 19:22 

To: [log in to unmask] 

Subject: Re: [data-protection] Truly amazing! [Going through the looking 

glass] 

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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