Should Twitter be run by the United Nations? An astonishing security breach has exposed the private company's vulnerabilities, as well as its enormously influential role in public life.
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World’s most powerful Twitter accounts hacked
Should Twitter be run by the United Nations? An astonishing security breach has exposed the private company's vulnerabilities, as well as its enormously influential role in public life.
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Kanye West. Elon Musk. Barack Obama. The victims of social media's worst-ever security breach couldn't have been more high profile.
On Wednesday, tweets appeared from their accounts asking for donations of bitcoin and promising double the amount back in return.
The scam was quickly identified, but not before hoodwinkedDeceived or tricked. Twitter users had transferred the equivalent of around $115,000 (13,500). Twitter's CEO, Jack Dorsey, called it a "tough day" for the company.
The hackers only wanted money. The scam was tackled, and involved relatively small sums. So, what's the big deal?
In a word: security.
"This is massive," said Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security. "[It's] a tsunami bell warning," said cybersecurity expert Theresa Payton. Hackers accessed the accounts of major public figures, with global followings, who command a lot of trust.
What if they had wanted to start a war?
The power to spread panic through misinformation has a long history. In 1938, Orson WellesAmerican director, actor, writer and producer (1915-1985). The panic caused by The War of the Worlds made him internationally famous. His first film, Citizen Kane, came out in 1941. created a radio play of The War of the WorldsA science-fiction novel by HG Wells first published in 1897, in which alien colonisers invade earth. It has never been out of print, and had many radio and film adaptations. so convincing that many listeners believed an alien invasion was actually happening.
The stakes are higher than ever on Twitter. In 2013, hackers tweeted from the Associated Press account that the White House had been attacked and Obama injured. The stock market plummetedFallen or dropped straight down at high speed. - until it became clear that it wasn't true.
Whether we like it or not, Twitter has transformed communication and become a key source of news and political announcements.
Trump has pushed the boundaries of brinkmanship on the platform even without being hacked, boasting of his "nuclear button" to North Korea and threatening Iran during the US-Iran crisis. What might happen if hackers made China believe the US was actually attacking?
Some think that the stakes are now too high for Twitter to be run by a private, profit-making company.
This security breach only highlights the danger. Better - and safer - if it were handed over to the United Nations. Not only would its security be improved, but an alignment with the UN's mission of international cooperation would help the company better fulfil its role as the 21st Century's public sphereA term originally used by the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas to describe an area of social life where people can meet to talk about social issues. Habermas saw the public sphere as emerging in the 18th Century with the rise of cafe culture..
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So, should it happen?
No. Users would abandon Twitter in droves if it became a bureaucratic platform regulated by a diplomatic organisation. Other, more agile platforms in the private sector would quickly come along to take its place. What matters is for Twitter to establish how the hackers got in and tighten up security as quickly as possible.
Yes. Twitter has become the planet's official message board. It cannot be left open to attack and manipulation by hackers - the consequences could be catastrophic. It makes far more sense for it to be run by an organisation with an international remit and an explicit commitment to peace and cooperation.
Keywords
Hoodwinked - Deceived or tricked.
Orson Welles - American director, actor, writer and producer (1915-1985). The panic caused by The War of the Worlds made him internationally famous. His first film, Citizen Kane, came out in 1941.
The War of the Worlds - A science-fiction novel by HG Wells first published in 1897, in which alien colonisers invade earth. It has never been out of print, and had many radio and film adaptations.
Plummeted - Fallen or dropped straight down at high speed.
Public sphere - A term originally used by the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas to describe an area of social life where people can meet to talk about social issues. Habermas saw the public sphere as emerging in the 18th Century with the rise of cafe culture.
World’s most powerful Twitter accounts hacked
Glossary
Hoodwinked - Deceived or tricked.
Orson Welles - American director, actor, writer and producer (1915-1985). The panic caused by The War of the Worlds made him internationally famous. His first film, Citizen Kane, came out in 1941.
The War of the Worlds - A science-fiction novel by HG Wells first published in 1897, in which alien colonisers invade earth. It has never been out of print, and had many radio and film adaptations.
Plummeted - Fallen or dropped straight down at high speed.
Public sphere - A term originally used by the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas to describe an area of social life where people can meet to talk about social issues. Habermas saw the public sphere as emerging in the 18th Century with the rise of cafe culture.