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19 Jan 2010

You know that old adage about not saying “bomb” on an airplane? It turns out that it extends to Twitter as well. The Telegraph reports that a South Yorkshire man was arrested last week after joking on Twitter that he would blow an airport “sky high” if his flight was delayed.

When the Robin Hood airport closed due to snow on January 6, Paul Chambers tweeted:

“Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!”

While perhaps in poor taste, the comment was intended (and was interpreted by friends) as a joke. However, when police arrived at Chambers’s doorstep on January 13, the laughing stopped.

From the Telegraph:

“‘My first thought upon hearing it was the police was that perhaps a member of my family had been in an accident,’ 26-year-old Mr Chambers told The Independent.

“‘Then they said I was being arrested under the Terrorism Act and produced a piece of paper. It was a print-out of my Twitter page. That was when it dawned on me.’”

While being questioned on suspicion of conspiring to create a bomb hoax at the police station, Chambers had to explain to the police department what Twitter was and how it worked.

While Chambers has been released on bail pending further inquiries on February 11, his laptop, iPhone and home computer have been seized. The Twitter post was also deleted.

The question of when speech becomes akin to yelling “fire in a crowded theater” is becoming less clear in this new age of anti-terrorism law. Twitter and other social networks only make the situation that much more murkier, as both privacy and free speech issues become part of the equation.

While we think that the police overreacted in this case, this is a good reminder to be aware of what you tweet. What might seem innocuous in one context might be interpreted as threatening in another.

[img credit:SoulRider.222]

Reviews: Twitter, iPhone

Tags: freedom of speech, law, twitter

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Tags: bomb, bomb hoax, free speech issues, Mr Chambers, Paul Chambers, Police, Robin Hood airport, south Yorkshire, speech, Telegraph, twitter, yorkshire man

Twitter Argument Leads to Alleged Murder [REPORT]

In: web resources

11 Jan 2010

A Twitter argument allegedly resulted in murder last month, and New York police may subpoena Tweets as evidence in the case, according to a newspaper report.

Jameg Blake, 22, is accused of fatally shooting Kwame Dancy (pictured), also 22, in a shotgun blast to the neck – he pleaded not guilty this Wednesday.

The Harlem murder case, which allegedly took place in an apartment building on W. 132nd St. on December 1, may turn out to be the first in which Tweets are used as evidence in a murder trial.

The NY Daily News writes:

It started as a simple Twitter beef, 140-character spurts of anger by two young men who grew up together.

Hours before the shooting, Dancy may have taunted Blake with a tweet: “N—–s is lookin for u don’t think I won’t give up ya address for a price betta chill asap!” … Blake’s Twitter account is also full of online disses, though only one tweet mentions Dancy by name: “R.I.P. Kwame” on Dec.3.

A police source said the messages may be subpoenaed to bolster the theory that there was bad blood between the two old pals.

It’s not clear to what extent the Tweets are being implicated: certainly Twitter provides a juicy angle for newspapers at this point, and the relationship between the two appears to have been strained in the past. With the press quickly latching on to stories like the “Craigslist Killer”, it’s also worth reiterating that Twitter is simply a platform — how people use the service is not something under their control.

The Daily News quotes the victim’s mother, Madeline Smith, expressing her disbelief: “That’s not a reason to shoot somebody, that’s crazy. I don’t know what’s going on with that Twitter thing.”

Reviews: Twitter

Tags: harlem, murder, new york, twitter

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Tags: Blake, Kwame Dancy, Madeline Smith, murder, New York, new york police, ny daily news, old pals, Police, R.I.P. Kwame, shotgun blast, tweets, twitter

Caught on Tape: Prisoner Breaks Free of Chain Gang [VIDEO]

In: web resources

9 Jan 2010

Naquan Thompson escaped from a Staten Island stationhouse on Wednesday after managing to slip off his handcuffs while being escorted out of the prison — and one cameraman got it all on tape.

The incident — which led to a wild chase and the eventual capture of the fugitive — was a huge embarrassment for the police department, and the cop responsible has been suspended.

According to the New York Post, officers didn’t realize their gaffe until a cameraman, who took footage of the chain gang escort and watched the event unfold, pointed out that the man in question had escaped. To make matters worse, video of the unfathomable incident was posted to the web, which means the world can watch the Staten Island Police Department’s big blunder.

You can watch it for yourself below:

Tags: prisoner escape, staten island prisoner, viral video