Citizen journalists told to stop using Twitter to update on Bombay attacks

[uppityperson]

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5245059.ece

News on the Bombay attacks is breaking fast on Twitter with hundreds of people using the site to update others with first-hand accounts of the carnage.

The website has a stream of comments on the attacks which is being updated by the second, often by eye-witnesses and people in the city. Although the chatter cannot be verified immediately and often reflects the chaos on the streets, it is becoming the fastest source of information for those seeking unfiltered news from the scene.

In the past hour, people using Twitter reported that bombings and attacks were continuing, but none of these could be confirmed. Others gave details on different locations in which hostages were being held. And this morning, Twitter users said that Indian authorities was asking users to stop updating the site for security reasons:

One person wrote: “Police reckon tweeters giving away strategic info to terrorists via Twitter”. Many pointed to reports that that the situation had led to clashes between Indian forces and militants in the disputed border region of Kashmir. Some messages gave the names of suspected terrorists. None of the information could be confirmed at this stage. ...(more)

[HEyHEY]

1. could be true, but I doubt the terrorists are standing there with twitter in hand

Paying attention to where the police are.

[AZBlue]

5. All they need is a cell phone or someone with a computer monitoring it.

To pull off this kind of coordinated attack they'd have to be pretty sophisticated and intelligent already, so I wouldn't put it past them.

[mike_c]

2. the "authorities" ALWAYS want to control access to information....

There is a bandwidth kill switch in the not-so-distant future, I suspect. For our own good, of course.

[Greyhound]

4. Already exists in China. The entire country (I suppose excluding sat connections) can

be cut off from the net at any time. It was built into their infrastructure.

[peacetalksforall]

3. I followed a link posted in DU last night and after listening for awhile, I

was convinced that so much of the stuff being reported could be useful to the terrorists if they had a television and what is more common in a hotel?

I kept hearing about twitters and this post is the first time I felt I had a need to learn what it means - I stopped and looked it up. I think I need a demonstration, but Wiki did a good job.

So this attack was more than well covered on tv and if the tv is less content filled than twitters, then twitters is the perfect tool for attacking as well as defending?

So some like myself who contain my technology purchases and treasure downtimes, is going to be left behind? (Containing purchases is a code phrase for broke from this theft economy.)

(I don't like using the words 'left behind' - I wish the rapture people hadn't taken the two words over.)