5 ms·

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 unfri

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.
- dalore 6y ago
  You mean the ones he has done so far isn't achieving that already?
  - jacquesm 6y ago
    No, because there is no direct call to action. But if there were all bets would be off.
- maps7 6y ago
  I honestly really doubt it. Could you give a few examples of what you were thinking?
PatrolX 6y ago
100% And everyone in government will quickly conclude that they can't allow this to happen. This could be the beginning of the end of social media.
- compscistd 6y ago
  That’s hyperbole. More like the beginning of the end of elected officials’ use of social media.
  - jacquesm 6y ago
    That can't come quickly enough.
- benlumen 6y ago
  Maybe that's the plan.
- Funes- 6y ago
  >This could be the beginning of the end of social media. Please, God, I beg you, let this happen.
  - jkhdigital 6y ago
    lol my thoughts exactly
  - Nextgrid 6y ago
    I'd be tempted to "donate" some BTC to the scam wallet address if this outcome was guaranteed to happen.
- mr_toad 6y ago
  Or maybe people will stop believing everything that they hear on the internet.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
quickthrower2 6y ago
The POTUS should not communicate via social media IMO. But now he has set up the expectation that what we tweets relates to what he will do.
- vharuck 6y ago
  >what [he] tweets relates to what he will do. More than relates, it is the doing. "Justice Department lawyer Jennifer Utrecht in her reply acknowledged the president’s tweets are official government statements" https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/can-president-trump-block-his-critics-on-twitter-federal-appeals-court-will-consider-that-today/2019/03/25/49e3f64e-4e4f-11e9-a3f7-78b7525a8d5f_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/can-presid...
lostlogin 6y ago
It’s been close before, the below comes to mind. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/09/10/asia-pacific/politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific/trump-nearly-sent-tweet-sparked-war-north-korea-watergate-journalist-says/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/09/10/asia-pacific/po...
- maaarghk 6y ago
  what's going on there, the fact it was a draft tweet - is the implication that north korea can read his draft tweets before they are posted? or could at the time?
0xy 6y ago
Trump's account has additional non-public security measures for this reason.
gorgoiler 6y ago
This is unlikely between nation states. The menagerie of diplomatic officers in every capital city prevents this from happening. Well armed militia who don’t offer diplomatic representation — they are the ones to worry about.
sebazzz 6y ago
It would with Trump - because we know his diplomacy runs through Twitter. With other presidents like Obama or Bush (did Twitter exist back then?) I would expect the risk is lower.

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.

dalore 6y ago
You mean the ones he has done so far isn't achieving that already?
- jacquesm 6y ago
  No, because there is no direct call to action. But if there were all bets would be off.
maps7 6y ago
I honestly really doubt it. Could you give a few examples of what you were thinking?

PatrolX 6y ago

100% And everyone in government will quickly conclude that they can't allow this to happen. This could be the beginning of the end of social media.

compscistd 6y ago
That’s hyperbole. More like the beginning of the end of elected officials’ use of social media.
- jacquesm 6y ago
  That can't come quickly enough.
benlumen 6y ago
Maybe that's the plan.
Funes- 6y ago
>This could be the beginning of the end of social media. Please, God, I beg you, let this happen.
- jkhdigital 6y ago
  lol my thoughts exactly
- Nextgrid 6y ago
  I'd be tempted to "donate" some BTC to the scam wallet address if this outcome was guaranteed to happen.
mr_toad 6y ago
Or maybe people will stop believing everything that they hear on the internet.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

quickthrower2 6y ago

The POTUS should not communicate via social media IMO. But now he has set up the expectation that what we tweets relates to what he will do.

vharuck 6y ago
>what [he] tweets relates to what he will do. More than relates, it is the doing. "Justice Department lawyer Jennifer Utrecht in her reply acknowledged the president’s tweets are official government statements" https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/can-president-trump-block-his-critics-on-twitter-federal-appeals-court-will-consider-that-today/2019/03/25/49e3f64e-4e4f-11e9-a3f7-78b7525a8d5f_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/can-presid...

lostlogin 6y ago

It’s been close before, the below comes to mind. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/09/10/asia-pacific/politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific/trump-nearly-sent-tweet-sparked-war-north-korea-watergate-journalist-says/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/09/10/asia-pacific/po...

maaarghk 6y ago
what's going on there, the fact it was a draft tweet - is the implication that north korea can read his draft tweets before they are posted? or could at the time?

0xy 6y ago

Trump's account has additional non-public security measures for this reason.

gorgoiler 6y ago

This is unlikely between nation states. The menagerie of diplomatic officers in every capital city prevents this from happening. Well armed militia who don’t offer diplomatic representation — they are the ones to worry about.

sebazzz 6y ago

It would with Trump - because we know his diplomacy runs through Twitter. With other presidents like Obama or Bush (did Twitter exist back then?) I would expect the risk is lower.