(original longerTweet can be read at Twitlonger)
June 19, 2011
June 19, 2011
During this past week a number of articles have reported on the use of Twitter to provide Target Acquisition information to NATO:
"How social media users are helping NATO fight Gadhafi in Libya" *1)
"Libya air strikes: Nato uses Twitter to help gather targets" *2)
"NATO draws on Twitter for Libya strikes" *3)
"How social media users are helping NATO fight Gadhafi in Libya" *1)
"Libya air strikes: Nato uses Twitter to help gather targets" *2)
"NATO draws on Twitter for Libya strikes" *3)
This means NATO is using YOUR DOMAIN to target civilian sites to destoy and cause mass casualties and deaths of Libyan civilians!!!
A random check made clear NATO gets their information, i.e. latitude and longitude information of Libyan government forces and other strategic/logistic information, from tweets like these:
http://storify.com/antireb/list-of-tweets-sent-to-and-used-by-nato-to-bomb-ta
which information is tweeted to: @NATO, @NATOpress, @NATOlibrary, @NATOchannel, @NATOSource, @AndersFoghR, @SteveMcCluskey, @UKMilOps and/or @HMS_Nonsuch.
The war on Libya is widely regarded as ILLEGAL, both under international law and under US statutes including the War Powers Resolution. (see http://www.accuracy.org/release/libya-war-illegal/)
Therefore, anyone collaborating in acts of violence connected to this war is arguably a criminal conspirator; his/her actions are analogous to those of a gang member using online communication to inform a contract killer of the location of his victim.
Under US federal law, transmitting information containing threats of injury or death is a criminal offense:
"Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing ... any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."
18 U.S.C. § 875 (c)
Courts have held that this statute applies, not only to the person sending the illegal communication, but also to any Internet Service Provider that transmits the communication. See https://www2.bc.edu/~yen/ISPLiab.pdf
Simply by transmitting bombing coordinates posted by its users, therefore, Twitter may be in violation of federal criminal law.
Moreover, Twitter’s Terms of Service - the so-called "Twitter Rules" *4) - clearly state:
"You may not publish or post direct, specific threats of violence against others"
as well as
"You may not use our service for any unlawful purposes or for promotion of illegal activities."
Therefore Twitter appears to be in VIOLATION, not only of the law, but also of its own Terms of Service.
We therefore urgently request you to take action against twitter accounts that directly contribute to the destruction of Libya and the casualties and deaths of thousands of Libyan people.
Sincerely,
@antireb
@1D4TW
@360CNN
@BritishLebanese
@Chris_Sedlmair
@cordeliers
@electradiffusa
@Gegenstrom
@george1079
@Hatuxka
@Ilja_Oblomov
@GloPeaceLibya
@MichaelLee2009
@MutherOFpearl
@Scrinthe
@sharpfang
@StopBombing
@Waterput
@Quoriana
*1) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/how-social-media-users-are-helping-nato-fight-gadhafi-in-libya/article2060965/ (June 14, 2011)
*2) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/15/libya-nato-gathers-targets-twitter?CMP=twt_gu (June 15, 2011)
*3) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/nato-draws-on-twitter-for-libya-strikes/2011/06/15/AGLJpTWH_story.html (June 16, 2011)
*4) http://support.twitter.com/groups/33-report-a-violation/topics/121-guidelines-best-practices/articles/18311-the-twitter-rules