In a new report coincidentally released the same day as a Twitter hack which led to the hijacking of authenticated accounts from major figures like Joe Biden and Barack Obama, researchers at King’s College London’s Centre for Science and Security Studies explored what would happen if Twitter’s vulnerabilities were exploited on the international level.
- The « speed, informality and openness » that makes Twitter unique as a communications platform also makes it particularly ripe for misunderstandings.
- That’s a minor issue if the misunderstanding is, say, a feud between two celebrities.
- It’s a much bigger deal if the misunderstanding is between two nuclear-armed nation-states.
The report’s authors recommend that the Department of Defense organize an interagency effort to develop best practices for social media use and encourage leaders to refrain from tweeting during crises.
