Thought Police Crack Down on Twitter - Polidicks

[img]http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Technology/images/1984-movie-big-brother.jpg[/img] [quote=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/twitter-joke-led-to-terror-act-arrest-and-airport-life-ban-1870913.html][img]http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00298/twitter-airport_298843t.jpg[/img]When heavy snowfall threatened to scupper Paul Chambers's travel plans, he decided to vent his frustrations on Twitter by tapping out a comment to amuse his friends. "Robin Hood airport is closed," he wrote. "You've got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!!" Unfortunately for Mr Chambers, the police didn't see the funny side. A week after posting the message on the social networking site, he was arrested under the Terrorism Act and questioned for almost seven hours by detectives who interpreted his post as a security threat. After he was released on bail, he was suspended from work pending an internal investigation, and has, he says, been banned from the Doncaster airport for life. "I would never have thought, in a thousand years, that any of this would have happened because of a Twitter post," said Mr Chambers, 26. "I'm the most mild-mannered guy you could imagine." While it has happened in the United States, Mr Chambers is thought to be the first person in the United Kingdom to be arrested for comments posted on Twitter. His ordeal began on 6 January when, after hearing that extreme weather had forced the closure of Robin Hood airport, he posted the ill-advised message – frustrated because he was to fly to Ireland from that airport on Friday 15 January. Related articles * More UK News * Search the news archive for more stories On 13 January, after apparently receiving a tip-off from a member of the public, police arrived at Mr Chambers' office. "My first thought upon hearing it was the police was that perhaps a member of my family had been in an accident," he said. "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." Mr Chambers said the police seemed unable to comprehend the intended humour in his online comment. "I had to explain Twitter to them in its entirety because they'd never heard of it," he said. "Then they asked all about my home life, and how work was going, and other personal things. The lead investigator kept asking, 'Do you understand why this is happening?' and saying, 'It is the world we live in'." After the interview, Mr Hale was returned to a cell for an hour then released. But, he said, not before the police deleted the post from his Twitter page. He has been bailed until 11 February, when he will be told whether or not he will be charged with conspiring to create a bomb hoax. In the interim, detectives have confiscated his iPhone, laptop and home computer. The civil libertarian Tessa Mayes, an expert on privacy law and free speech issues, said: "Making jokes about terrorism is considered a thought crime, mistakenly seen as a real act of harm or intention to commit harm. "The police's actions seem laughable and suggest desperation in their efforts to combat terrorism, yet they have serious repercussions for all of us. In a democracy, our right to say what we please to each other should be non-negotiable, even on Twitter." A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police confirmed the arrest and said: "A male was arrested on 13 January for comments made on a social networking site. He has been bailed pending further investigations." Nobody from Robin Hood airport could be contacted last night.[/quote][b]"Making jokes about terrorism is considered a thought crime..."[/b] Wait what? A [I]thought crime?[/I] Has George Orwell taught us nothing!?

A thought crime? Oh, God. Can we go back to the 50s? At least we're allowed to think.

God damn it, If the Garrysmod.com Servers dont come up soon I'm going to blow it sky high! Oh shi-

in before idiots declare britain a police state again

[QUOTE=kellybear;19700896] Can we go back to the 50s? At least we're allowed to think.[/QUOTE] yeah let's go back to the era of mccarthyism

[QUOTE=thisispain;19700935]yeah let's go back to the era of mccarthyism[/QUOTE] whatever I'm making shit up because it's 4 AM and I'm tired and I forgot how to be funny

[QUOTE=kellybear;19700946]whatever I'm making shit up because it's 4 AM and I'm tired and I forgot how to be funny[/QUOTE] of course that must be it

Hello I am osama bin laden

Well, I love that people (Especially government programs) can't take jokes, although I do get why they would over-react to this kind of thing, I still don't think a SERIOUS terrorist will be posting his plans on the interwebs. Example. "Lulz guys, Just finished my fertilizer bomb, Gonna make it all pretty for tonight when I throw my cocktail party." (Please no investigation for this post.)

[QUOTE=thisispain;19700948]of course that must be it[/QUOTE] i forgot how to be funny when i was born. i get lucky sometimes though and now i'm going to bed before i embarrass myself further. [editline]10:06AM[/editline] [QUOTE=THMS;19700968]Well, I love that people (Especially government programs) can't take jokes, although I do get why they would over-react to this kind of thing, I still don't think a SERIOUS terrorist will be posting his plans on the interwebs. Example. "Lulz guys, Just finished my fertilizer bomb, Gonna make it all pretty for tonight when I throw my cocktail party." (Please no investigation for this post.)[/QUOTE] :cop:

[QUOTE=THMS;19700968]Well, I love that people (Especially government programs) can't take jokes, although I do get why they would over-react to this kind of thing, I still don't think a SERIOUS terrorist will be posting his plans on the interwebs. Example. "Lulz guys, Just finished my fertilizer bomb, Gonna make it all pretty for tonight when I throw my cocktail party." (Please no investigation for this post.)[/QUOTE] Oh god you're fucked, they're watching us right now. They're always watching.

with a twitter avatar like that i'd be worried too :ohdear:

That avatar IS creepy. If I owned that airport I would be "totally shittin bri/x/ yo"

[QUOTE=kellybear;19700896]A thought crime? Oh, God. Can we go back to the 50s? At least we're allowed to think.[/QUOTE] No. I don't want to sit on the back of the bus. They always have the fucking air on!

I guess they ... Blew it out of proportion! [img]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3393508226_fc7f5d69ac.jpg[/img]

I'm going to post facebook and twitter comments daily until I get arrested, then make a big deal about it until they bring back the death penalty. Fear not humans I shall martyr for the cause.

Harldy a thought crime if he posted it on twitter.

We don't even have the freedom of thinking let alone the freedom of speech. What are people thinking. I would expect this to happen in the US. [editline]02:55AM[/editline] I'm going to post on Facebook "Almost time for our first try to assassinate Obama, silent and deadly"

[QUOTE=Dr Pepper;19701219]I'm going to post on Facebook "Almost time for our first try to assassinate Obama, silent and deadly"[/QUOTE] are you gonna do it for real

well now whatever we wanna say doesnt matter expect some crazy people to be telling us what to say.

I don't know what's worse. The fact they used the term "thought crime", or the fact they used it incorrectly.

[QUOTE=DuncanFrost;19700926]in before idiots declare britain a police state again[/QUOTE] But it IS a police state.

I'm sorry, what were you all saying about Australia having retarded laws?

When I post online bomb threats I use doublethink, so they can't catch me. This post is a joke, don't arrest me.

[quote=empty_shadow;19701301]when i post online bomb threats i use doublethink, so they can't catch me. This post is a joke, don't arrest me.[/quote] we found you son of a biscuit eating bulldog its the cia of the fbi of the goverment!!

This just shows how ridicules this terrorism situation has become, and now they are overemphasizing the power of the Terrorism Act...... bull shit

[QUOTE=KmScMT;19701240]are you gonna do it for real[/QUOTE] I'm scared to now.

Hi guys, I'm a terrorist. But like all good terrorists, I'm not going to post my target online. Anyone who does that probably isn't a terrorist. If I wake up tomorrow in a dirty cell with a car battery attached to my genitals do I post about it in General Discussion or Love Advice

[QUOTE=Pepsi-cola;19701206]Harldy a thought crime if he posted it on twitter.[/QUOTE] Because twitter requires no thought.:smug:

[QUOTE=Faren;19701297]I'm sorry, what were you all saying about Australia having retarded laws?[/QUOTE] I'm sorry but Australia still has retarded laws.