UK’s GCHQ Boss Wants Facebook,Twitter To Open Up
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) need to be more open and cooperate with authorities, Robert Hannigan, director of the U.K.’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), said in an editorial, a report from Reuters reveals.
While Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), both American technology giants, took center stage in the editorial of the spy agency chief for The Financial Times, he did not mention any technology companies headquartered in Britain.
“The extremists of Isis use messaging and social media services such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, and a language their peers understand,” Hannigan wrote, adding that if these companies “are to meet this challenge, it means coming up with better arrangements for facilitating lawful investigation by security and law enforcement agencies than we have now.”
Furthermore, Hannigan, who heads the GCHQ, which counts MI5 (The Security Service) and MI6 (Secret Intelligence Service) as its sister agencies, said that it may appear that some technology companies which count Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) among its ranks “are in denial about its misuse.”
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) have not responded to Hannigan’s editorial and his remarks that their platforms are being used by terrorists to organize, plan, and carry out attacks and drive propaganda. The two companies have also not reacted to the idea that they are not cooperating as much as possible with the authorities to stop illegal activities on their platforms.
Meanwhile, the GCHQ chief also said that revelations made by Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who leaked classified documents and is now living in Moscow, have made it harder to catch terrorists and they have learned methods to avoid surveillance from the leaks.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) shareholders includes Philippe Laffont’s Coatue Management, which reported about 5.87 million shares in the company by June 30. Shareholders in Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) includes John Thaler’s Jat Capital Management, which reported about 7.33 million shares in the company in the same period.
At what point are the rights of citizens infringed upon? Giving the government access to private conversations is a slippery slope. Yes I feel the government should intervene when crimes are being committed, but what guarantee is there that this does not overlap into law-abiding citizens having their privacy taken away as well?
Well, Facebook has already conducted research by using users' data. People can actually manipulate your bank accounts based on your linkedin info..
Regarding the latter, how is LinkedIn information used to manipulate bank accounts? Curious to hear about that. As for Facebook there are ways around that, such as using an onion router or similar. But I would believe it's not the data mining on users the government is interested, but moreso the conversations. Facebook already sells the informational data I believe.
It is a story one professor told me, so he never uses these websites after his friend (should be a skilled hacker I think) showed him his capability of manipulating the accounts. As to twitter, regulators in US are already monitoring the conversations to see if there is any inside trading information I think. To some extent, it is not news anymore...so many news about user information leak, from banks, schools, etc...
What about trying to pre-emptively prevent a crime?
Well if by preventing a crime you mean catching those that are plotting a crime, those individuals are already guilty of conspiracy; and therefore, have already committed a crime.
But you can't prevent a crime without eavesdropping on everyone and everything. Where does it end? And how does one prevent abuse?