Members of the opposition took over a goverment office building in Benghazi, Libya. They were gathering photos and videos. (Photo: Ed Ou for the New York Times)
This photo speaks to the role of social media in the events unfolding across the Middle East and North Africa — and why tyrants are so very afraid of the Internet.
Gangs, Too, Caught in Trend of Over-sharing
via Washinton Post
WaPo with a short article detailing how gangs are adopting social media sites Twitter and Facebook, inadvertently sharing critical information related to illegal activity.
Gangsters have long used the web for communication and networking, using chatrooms and Myspace, but are now gravitating toward Twitter and Facebook to share intelligence on rival gangs and boast about crimes, and make threats.
While this does open up police to another channel to aid with investigations, it also invites problems: criminals can use the same channels to point out undercover officers, Twitter is information overload and it may be difficult to sift through the junk to find real info and real names.
I am a huge fan of the HBO show The Wire, and I have to say new media would definitely ease Detectives Bunk and McNulty’s investigations - less need to cut through police bureaucracy and illegal wire taps, certainly.
