9 ms·

Even worse? How about POTUS declares war on China thru twitter? OMG, I just realized how dumb that would have been to say back in 2016. But these days?

by baxtr 6y ago

hn3333 6y ago
That's assuming Tweets actually serve an actual diplomatic function and are not merely marketing/propaganda for voters. (Also POTUS is not authorized to declare any wars btw.)
- saagarjha 6y ago
  Ok, mass panic then?
- mattigames 6y ago
  > That's assuming Tweets actually serve an actual diplomatic function and are not merely marketing/propaganda for voters. He has fired people over twitter [0] so I'm not sure the scope of one can do there is limited to "marketing/propaganda" > (Also POTUS is not authorized to declare any wars btw.) Other nations are not going to read the US law first before deciding if the declaration was or not real. [0] https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/13/17113950/trump-state-department-rex-tillerson-fired-tweet-twitter https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/13/17113950/trump-state-depa...
  - Alupis 6y ago
    > He has fired people over twitter [0] All we have here is an announcement. Seriously doubt this was the "official" firing, hiring or promoting of anyone. The statement in the article isn't even from Tillerson, so we don't really know. > Other nations are not going to read the US law first before deciding if the declaration was or not real There's a lot more formality to declaring war, for any nation. Not to mention the lack of anything else to support such a statement, like an actual press conference or public statements, media attention or, you know, actual military movement which all capable nations track constantly.
    - jacquesm 6y ago
      You again? Please stop with the Trump apologism already, we have a trade war that was mostly conducted via twitter, people heard via twitter that their services were no longer required, the whole Mexican affair was conducted via the phone and when that didn't work out led to a slew of angry tweets. There is definitely precedent enough that if Trump's twitter account would speak the right magic words that you can expect a reaction. "Dear Twitter Followers, It is with grave heart that I have to ask you to do the right thing for your country, go out and do something about - insert bogeyman of the hour here - and I will be sure to reward you greatly. The time has come to do your part. I personally promise to pardon anybody that ends up on the wrong side of what today still is the law. Let's take this country and make it even greater." That's just a two minute sample, give me an hour or so and I'll come up with something much worse than that. These things are easier to start than to stop.
      - Alupis 6y ago
        I think you read far too deep into things you don't like, and try to find something to be upset about. It's kind of the national pastime these days, it seems. No nation is going to start killing people because of a Tweet. Be realistic. It detracts from your otherwise valid points when paranoia and blind hatred overshadow your arguments. The number of posts you've made about the leader of a foreign nation is astonishing. Are there zero domestic problems to be fired up about? > You again? I guess I could say the same. Touché.
        jacquesm 6y ago
        There is nothing blind about it, I've been following this closely for 3+ years and you have to be absolutely blind to still think this is all business as usual. Your country is being wrecked, make no mistake about it. A direct line from an unstable leader to a 40% fraction of the population in a country rife with weapons is a potential disaster.
        Alupis 6y ago
        Sorry, but you don't have the actual insight necessary to understand the complicated local politics of a foreign country. I understand it's become some sort of sport... but it's quite unproductive since you cannot possibly be expected to fully understand all the intricacies of foreign politics. Heck, citizens born and raised in this country have a hard enough time understanding it all too. I think we should leave it at that. Nobody here criticized the leaders of your nation, because we would not be qualified to pass judgement on foreign politics. Neither are you.
- neltnerb 6y ago
  Deleted
  - jacquesm 6y ago
    He doesn't have to declare anything, another country to simply react to a tweet and then you'd be in a way, like it or not.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
- jacquesm 6y ago
  There are multiple instances of policy changes where 'Twitter first' was the chosen road.
- vechagup 6y ago
  > (Also POTUS is not authorized to declare any wars btw.) While true, this effectively doesn't matter given the number of people we've bombed since our last declaration of war in 1942 [0]. [0] https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/h_multi_sections_and_teasers/WarDeclarationsbyCongress.htm https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/h_multi_sections_a...
- duskwuff 6y ago
  Doesn't matter. Imagine, for a moment, a Tweet posted on Trump's account along the lines of Reagan's joke in 1984 [1]: > Iran has gone TOO FAR! As President I have ordered the use of nuclear weapons against key military targets. We begin bombing in five minutes. Regardless of the plausibility of the message, it would be likely to trigger a panicked response from foreign militaries. It's not at all implausible that it'd start a war. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_begin_bombing_in_five_minutes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_begin_bombing_in_five_minut...
  - fermienrico 6y ago
    Not sure why you're downvoted. This is a real possibility as insane as it sounds.
- toofy 6y ago
  They can seemingly do most acts which occur in war, as long as they don’t officially declare it. I mean, when is the last time we officially declared war? It has to have been decades ago.
  - mileycyrusXOXO 6y ago
    1942
totony 6y ago
Yeah, this could've been very bad. I don't buy that it's a test. Twitter is going to fix this. Probably it's a restriction of the exploit that you don't know the posting account or something.
DevX101 6y ago
This hack could absolutely get people killed. There are several tweets I can think of from POTUS that would begin immediate military mobilization from an unfriendly country.
- alkonaut 6y ago
  That’s a scenario I find much less likely than the hundreds of Trump tweets that would set off domestic violence within minutes. If Trump would tweet what the fringe communities want to hear (example: Trump tweets that state law enforcement have started rounding up people with Hawaii shirts and confiscating their weapons and should be seen as enemy combatants and engaged on sight. That would turn ugly very quickly). A well crafted tweet about e.g the Taliban could easily put US soldiers abroad in harms way immediately too.
  - jkhdigital 6y ago
    I think you’re overestimating the number of people in the US who would actually respond decisively to something like that. But it’s more than zero, unfortunately, which is too many.
    - tornato7 6y ago
      Up the reaction would be more like "oh look, another stupid Trump tweet."
    - alkonaut 6y ago
      Yeah I don’t think it would be the start of a civil war but I certainly believe dozens or hundreds of people would become violent.
- jacquesm 6y ago
  I can think of a couple that would likely start a revolution or a civil war in the United States. Policy by twitter always was madness.
  - 6y ago
BiteCode_dev 6y ago
Or just post some white nationalist call for arm. The US is ripe for a blood bath right now.
- larrywright 6y ago
  If someone were to take over that account an issue a call to arms for the QAnon crowd, it could be disastrous.
  - RIMR 6y ago
    You aren't wrong. If Trump suddenly tweeted that QAnon followers should murder as many leftists as they can and that he'd personally commute their sentences, I think we'd see at least a few people respond by doing what they are told.
    - jacquesm 6y ago
      I can think of much, much worse. The USA is a tinderbox all it takes is the right match.
      - larrywright 6y ago
        There are any number of really bad scenarios. The militias and the QAnon folks scare me the most at the moment.
    - 908087 6y ago
      Seeing as how they've already been openly threatening to start a civil war for a long time, I think it would be more than a few.
totetsu 6y ago
[bomb_emoji][china_flag_emoji]
andersco 6y ago
As mentioned in a NYT article, Trump’s account is under “separate lock and key” which I think means it was not vulnerable to this threat. But yeah still super scary. Src: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/15/technology/twitter-hack-bill-gates-elon-musk.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/15/technology/twitter-hack-b...
kzrdude 6y ago
You would be surprised. Of course it would be a disruptive tweet, but it would not be a credible threat of war, in reality.

Even worse? How about POTUS declares war on China thru twitter? OMG, I just realized how dumb that would have been to say back in 2016. But these days?

by baxtr 6y ago

Even worse? How about POTUS declares war on China thru twitter? OMG, I just realized how dumb that would have been to say back in 2016. But these days?

hn3333 6y ago

That's assuming Tweets actually serve an actual diplomatic function and are not merely marketing/propaganda for voters. (Also POTUS is not authorized to declare any wars btw.)

saagarjha 6y ago
Ok, mass panic then?
mattigames 6y ago
> That's assuming Tweets actually serve an actual diplomatic function and are not merely marketing/propaganda for voters. He has fired people over twitter [0] so I'm not sure the scope of one can do there is limited to "marketing/propaganda" > (Also POTUS is not authorized to declare any wars btw.) Other nations are not going to read the US law first before deciding if the declaration was or not real. [0] https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/13/17113950/trump-state-department-rex-tillerson-fired-tweet-twitter https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/13/17113950/trump-state-depa...
- Alupis 6y ago
  > He has fired people over twitter [0] All we have here is an announcement. Seriously doubt this was the "official" firing, hiring or promoting of anyone. The statement in the article isn't even from Tillerson, so we don't really know. > Other nations are not going to read the US law first before deciding if the declaration was or not real There's a lot more formality to declaring war, for any nation. Not to mention the lack of anything else to support such a statement, like an actual press conference or public statements, media attention or, you know, actual military movement which all capable nations track constantly.
  - jacquesm 6y ago
    You again? Please stop with the Trump apologism already, we have a trade war that was mostly conducted via twitter, people heard via twitter that their services were no longer required, the whole Mexican affair was conducted via the phone and when that didn't work out led to a slew of angry tweets. There is definitely precedent enough that if Trump's twitter account would speak the right magic words that you can expect a reaction. "Dear Twitter Followers, It is with grave heart that I have to ask you to do the right thing for your country, go out and do something about - insert bogeyman of the hour here - and I will be sure to reward you greatly. The time has come to do your part. I personally promise to pardon anybody that ends up on the wrong side of what today still is the law. Let's take this country and make it even greater." That's just a two minute sample, give me an hour or so and I'll come up with something much worse than that. These things are easier to start than to stop.
    - Alupis 6y ago
      I think you read far too deep into things you don't like, and try to find something to be upset about. It's kind of the national pastime these days, it seems. No nation is going to start killing people because of a Tweet. Be realistic. It detracts from your otherwise valid points when paranoia and blind hatred overshadow your arguments. The number of posts you've made about the leader of a foreign nation is astonishing. Are there zero domestic problems to be fired up about? > You again? I guess I could say the same. Touché.
      - jacquesm 6y ago
        There is nothing blind about it, I've been following this closely for 3+ years and you have to be absolutely blind to still think this is all business as usual. Your country is being wrecked, make no mistake about it. A direct line from an unstable leader to a 40% fraction of the population in a country rife with weapons is a potential disaster.
        Alupis 6y ago
        Sorry, but you don't have the actual insight necessary to understand the complicated local politics of a foreign country. I understand it's become some sort of sport... but it's quite unproductive since you cannot possibly be expected to fully understand all the intricacies of foreign politics. Heck, citizens born and raised in this country have a hard enough time understanding it all too. I think we should leave it at that. Nobody here criticized the leaders of your nation, because we would not be qualified to pass judgement on foreign politics. Neither are you.
neltnerb 6y ago
Deleted
- jacquesm 6y ago
  He doesn't have to declare anything, another country to simply react to a tweet and then you'd be in a way, like it or not.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
jacquesm 6y ago
There are multiple instances of policy changes where 'Twitter first' was the chosen road.
vechagup 6y ago
> (Also POTUS is not authorized to declare any wars btw.) While true, this effectively doesn't matter given the number of people we've bombed since our last declaration of war in 1942 [0]. [0] https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/h_multi_sections_and_teasers/WarDeclarationsbyCongress.htm https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/h_multi_sections_a...
duskwuff 6y ago
Doesn't matter. Imagine, for a moment, a Tweet posted on Trump's account along the lines of Reagan's joke in 1984 [1]: > Iran has gone TOO FAR! As President I have ordered the use of nuclear weapons against key military targets. We begin bombing in five minutes. Regardless of the plausibility of the message, it would be likely to trigger a panicked response from foreign militaries. It's not at all implausible that it'd start a war. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_begin_bombing_in_five_minutes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_begin_bombing_in_five_minut...
- fermienrico 6y ago
  Not sure why you're downvoted. This is a real possibility as insane as it sounds.
toofy 6y ago
They can seemingly do most acts which occur in war, as long as they don’t officially declare it. I mean, when is the last time we officially declared war? It has to have been decades ago.
- mileycyrusXOXO 6y ago
  1942

totony 6y ago

Yeah, this could've been very bad. I don't buy that it's a test. Twitter is going to fix this. Probably it's a restriction of the exploit that you don't know the posting account or something.

DevX101 6y ago

This hack could absolutely get people killed. There are several tweets I can think of from POTUS that would begin immediate military mobilization from an unfriendly country.

alkonaut 6y ago
That’s a scenario I find much less likely than the hundreds of Trump tweets that would set off domestic violence within minutes. If Trump would tweet what the fringe communities want to hear (example: Trump tweets that state law enforcement have started rounding up people with Hawaii shirts and confiscating their weapons and should be seen as enemy combatants and engaged on sight. That would turn ugly very quickly). A well crafted tweet about e.g the Taliban could easily put US soldiers abroad in harms way immediately too.
- jkhdigital 6y ago
  I think you’re overestimating the number of people in the US who would actually respond decisively to something like that. But it’s more than zero, unfortunately, which is too many.
  - tornato7 6y ago
    Up the reaction would be more like "oh look, another stupid Trump tweet."
  - alkonaut 6y ago
    Yeah I don’t think it would be the start of a civil war but I certainly believe dozens or hundreds of people would become violent.
jacquesm 6y ago
I can think of a couple that would likely start a revolution or a civil war in the United States. Policy by twitter always was madness.
- 6y ago

BiteCode_dev 6y ago

Or just post some white nationalist call for arm. The US is ripe for a blood bath right now.

larrywright 6y ago
If someone were to take over that account an issue a call to arms for the QAnon crowd, it could be disastrous.
- RIMR 6y ago
  You aren't wrong. If Trump suddenly tweeted that QAnon followers should murder as many leftists as they can and that he'd personally commute their sentences, I think we'd see at least a few people respond by doing what they are told.
  - jacquesm 6y ago
    I can think of much, much worse. The USA is a tinderbox all it takes is the right match.
    - larrywright 6y ago
      There are any number of really bad scenarios. The militias and the QAnon folks scare me the most at the moment.
  - 908087 6y ago
    Seeing as how they've already been openly threatening to start a civil war for a long time, I think it would be more than a few.

totetsu 6y ago

[bomb_emoji][china_flag_emoji]

andersco 6y ago

As mentioned in a NYT article, Trump’s account is under “separate lock and key” which I think means it was not vulnerable to this threat. But yeah still super scary. Src: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/15/technology/twitter-hack-bill-gates-elon-musk.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/15/technology/twitter-hack-b...

kzrdude 6y ago

You would be surprised. Of course it would be a disruptive tweet, but it would not be a credible threat of war, in reality.