Twitter’s surveillance API crackdown Irritates UK government
The UK government has complained to the Twitter over a block on the access to data from the social network, they are reportedly using this to track potential terror attacks, said the officials on Wednesday.
“The government has protested against the decision and is in an ongoing discussion with the Twitter and trying to get access to this data,” said a Home Office spokesman.
The Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman have declined to specify exactly what that data was and why it is important, saying just “we wish to have access to that information”.
But he told the reporters that: “This fight against terrorism is not just one for the security services and the police.Tech companies and social media have a role to play.”
A Daily Telegraph newspaper has reported that the government is tracking terms related to the potential terror attacks using a third-party firm, but this is now blocked.
In a blog post in November, the Twitter executive Chris Moody has said their firm encouraged the developers to create new products that used real-time data from their social network “in the public interest”, for an example, natural disasters and tracking the emergencies.
“Many recent reports about the Twitter data being used for surveillance, however, they have caused us a great concern,” he wrote.
He said that the tracking or profiling protesters or the activists were “absolutely unacceptable and is prohibited”, including using Twitter’s application software programs.
“We prohibit developers using the Public APIs and Gnip data products from allowing law enforcement — or any other entity — to use Twitter data for surveillance purposes. Period,” he said.
“The government has protested against the decision and is in an ongoing discussion with the Twitter and trying to get access to this data,” said a Home Office spokesman.
The Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman have declined to specify exactly what that data was and why it is important, saying just “we wish to have access to that information”.
But he told the reporters that: “This fight against terrorism is not just one for the security services and the police.Tech companies and social media have a role to play.”
A Daily Telegraph newspaper has reported that the government is tracking terms related to the potential terror attacks using a third-party firm, but this is now blocked.
In a blog post in November, the Twitter executive Chris Moody has said their firm encouraged the developers to create new products that used real-time data from their social network “in the public interest”, for an example, natural disasters and tracking the emergencies.
“Many recent reports about the Twitter data being used for surveillance, however, they have caused us a great concern,” he wrote.
He said that the tracking or profiling protesters or the activists were “absolutely unacceptable and is prohibited”, including using Twitter’s application software programs.
“We prohibit developers using the Public APIs and Gnip data products from allowing law enforcement — or any other entity — to use Twitter data for surveillance purposes. Period,” he said.
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