[governance] Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US

Tue Jan 31 11:34:18 EST 2012

Probably I will regret replying, but "fire in a crowded theatre" is directly harmful to others, as is hate speech urging violence, etc. The proscribed tweets pose no such threat. Announcing an intention to destroy America seems to me like a hungry Brit late on a Saturday night saying "I could murder an Indian" (meaning "I would rally like to eat a curry"), which is clearly understood by all to whom it was addressed. Moreover, there is no conceiveable terrorist agenda that could be advanced by the tweet eithout the homeland security overreaction. Agent provocateur? 

Otherwise, almost any utterance could be legitimately construed as a coded reference to terrotism, or a cue for coordinating a plot. Wouldn't it be odd if the intepretation of a tweet were somehow linked to the nationality, ethnicity, religion, wealth, etc. of the tweeter? Or if the tweets of Americans were screened for threats of economic attack on Europe?

Nahh... Couldn't happen.

Sent from Samsung tablet

Koven Ronald <kovenronald at aol.com> wrote:

Dear Wolfgang --

The problem is that the Homeland Security people can't seem to tell the difference between "crying fire in a crowded theater," which is not protected by the 1st Amdmt. and a genuinely funny or unfunny attempt to be humorous. Given 9/11, can they really be blamed for erring on the side of not laughing ? 

I really hate what we now must go thru to get on a plane, but I might not even be around to hate it if someone got on a plane with a bomb. So I'd rather just keep the hating to myself.

Bests, Rony

-----Original Message-----
From: "Kleinwächter, Wolf 
gang" <wolfgang.kleinwaechter at medienkomm.uni-halle.de>
To: governance <governance at lists.igcaucus.org>; Riaz K Tayob <riaz.tayob at gmail.com>
Sent: Tue, Jan 31, 2012 5:00 pm
Subject: AW: [governance] Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US

Hi

is "joking" protected by the first amendement of the US constitution and part of 
Article 19 (right to freedom of exression) of the UN Human Rights Declaration?  

wolfgang

________________________________

Von: governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org im Auftrag von Riaz K Tayob
Gesendet: Di 31.01.2012 16:23
An: governance at lists.igcaucus.org
Betreff: [governance] Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US

31 January 2012 Last updated at 12:51 GMT 

Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US

  Post-9/11 USA is highly cautious of any perceived threat, Abta said 

Holidaymakers have been warned to watch their words after two friends were 
refused entry to the US on security grounds after a tweet.

Before his trip, Leigh Van Bryan wrote that he was going to "destroy America".

He insisted he was referring to simply having a good time - but was sent home.

Trade association Abta told the BBC that the case highlighted that holidaymakers 
should never do anything to raise "concern or suspicion in any way".

The US Department for Homeland Security picked up Mr Bryan's messages ahead of 
his holiday in Los Angeles.

The 26-year-old bar manager wrote a message to a friend on the micro-blogging 
service, saying: "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy 
America."

The Irish national told the Sun newspaper <http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4095372/Twitter-news-US-bars-friends-over-Twitter-joke.html>  
that he and his friend Emily Bunting were apprehended on arrival at Los Angeles 
International Airport before being sent home.

"The Homeland Security agents were treating me like some kind of terrorist," Mr 
Bryan said.

"I kept saying they had got the wrong meaning from my tweet."

No joke 

Abta, which represents travel companies in the UK, said holidaymakers need to 
learn to be ultra-cautious when it comes to talking about forthcoming trips, 
particularly after 9/11.

Continue reading the main story <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16810312#story_continues_2>  

"Start Quote

	Airport security staff do not have a sense of humour when it comes to potential 
risk"

Abta 

"Posting statements in a public forum which could be construed as threatening - 
in this case saying they are going to "destroy" somewhere - will not be viewed 
sympathetically by US authorities," it told the BBC.

"In the past we have seen holidaymakers stopped at airport security for 'joking' 
that they have a bomb in their bag, thoroughly questioned and ending up missing 
their flights, demonstrating that airport security staff do not have a sense of 
humour when it comes to potential risk."

In another tweet, Mr Bryan made reference to comedy show Family Guy saying that 
he would be in LA in three weeks, annoying people "and diggin' Marilyn Monroe 
up".

Mr Bryan told the newspaper that he was questioned for five hours about his 
Twitter messages.

'Tweeter account' 

After the interview, Homeland Security's reported: "Mr Bryan confirmed that he 
had posted on his Tweeter website account that he was coming to the United 
States to dig up the grave of Marilyn Monroe. 

"Also on his tweeter account Mr Bryan posted he was coming to destroy America."

  Paul Chambers was fined after posting a message about Robin Hood Airport 

The US Customs and Border Protection agency said in a statement that it tried to 
maintain a balance between "securing our borders while facilitating the high 
volume of legitimate trade and travel that crosses our borders every day".

It added: "We strive to achieve that balance and show the world that the United 
States is a welcoming nation."

Mr Bryan is not the only person to suffer from a misjudged tweet. In January 
2010, Paul Chambers tweeted that he would blow snow-affected Robin Hood Airport 
in Doncaster "sky high!" if it was not reopened in time for him to see his 
girlfriend.

He was fined £385 plus £2,600 in costs - a sum which actor Stephen Fry offered 
to pay on Mr Chambers' behalf.

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