Like I said freedom of speech is relative. If the government want's you it can get you. So enough of smokescreen plots.
Twitter has been hit by an embarrassing security breach.

A group claiming to be the Iranian Cyber Army managed to redirect Twitter users to its own site displaying a political message.

Twitter said the attack had been carried out by getting at the servers that tell web browsers where to find particular sites.

The site said it would start an investigation into what allowed the "unplanned downtime" to take place. Source BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8420233.stm

Dear Examinator,

What else do you suggest can be done by twitter
that they're not already doing?

I assumed that hackers with enough talent and
determination could get into any site that
they wanted - how do you stop them?

Foxy
No idea, But then again I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories.

OlOer tend to froth at the mouth over 'absolutes' usually out of ignorance, disproportionate reasoning, or thinking/arguing by extremes. By doing so, many are blind sided by their overtly self interested perspective. Hence their ever increasing reliance on very vulnerable "social" technology and demand for more services. What is often missed is the reality, that there is no such thing as a free lunch, everything comes with a down side (cost).

One of the first compromised is our 'right'(?) to privacy. Then, with the ability to be heard widely, also comes it's other side, limitation of a the relative 'right'(?) to free speech followed by the pursuit for happiness etc.

Clearly part of that restriction is our increasing vulnerability to miss-us/abuse particularly those who percieve they have the greatest need.

A lot of this hyper fear is based on a assumption of self importance, that somebody want's your info anyway. If they do hide secrets they often put the key under the pot plant on the verandah, so to speak, anyway. e.g. Tiger and his mobile phone.

The only flirting I do, is perhaps, with you, and my wife *knows* nobody else would want me (as an expert on me how can I think otherwise) :-(

I certainly don't have any state secrets,plots etc, any thing I want to keep private isn't anywhere near where it can be easily stolen.
Therefore, I'm not in fear of 'big brother looking over my shoulder. I figure that if he wants to be confused as I am and/or totally bored that's his look out

Dear Examinator,

Free Speech has its limitations anyway -
there are laws that a person can't transgress.

As for OLOers - we all have had our cringe moments
both in giving and in getting - that's the risks
involved with a Public Forum.

The Art of Flirting - when done with elegance
and style can be
extremely stimulating. Adds spice to any conversation.

I'm sure that your wife knows you better then you
realize - and she'd never ever take a charmer like
you for granted.

I also don't really worry too much about conspiracy theories,
or "Big Brother." My feeling is - perhaps we can
"educate" someone - if they're that interested in what
we're saying.

I remember when I used to write long letters to Lithuania
during the years of the Soviet Occupation and friends would
tell me, "Don't you realize that THEY read all the mail?"
I'd calmly reply, "God, I hope so!" "It's for their
benefit that I'm writing!" :-)

Give my Warmest Wishes to your wife!

What else do you suggest can be done by twitter
that they're not already doing?
Foxy, I think that we're only just nudging the beginning of of it all. Wait till we're all implanted with I.D. chips & some smart operator will work out a way of of doing anything he/she likes with you. Wherever & whenever electronics are involved the individual has no control. As a wild conspiracy theory imagine if someone would get a kick out of playing havoc with pacemakers, or with your GPS or with your Bank Account, Ouch !
I think the only reason why there's not as much bad going on as there could be is because we're all still reasonably well off. Just wait till we have a REAL recession. That's when the hackers will be forced to go into overdrive.

Foxy
I was playing around about my wife etc. Things are as well as one could reasonably expect and she says hi, and merry Christmas to you and yours as do I. My point about Tiger was that with familiarity comes complacency. "she'll be right" attitude. You would be amazed (well I am) how many times My home radio computer network has pick up unencrypted networks of the neighbours.

In a couple of instances I turned my box on and the system automatically logged onto their network as a option. That means we could have used their address to send threats, look at porn, down load illegal stuff and use their band width.(their cost)
When I wend around and told the person that their system was vulnerable I was abused!
Access to ours is encrypted, but while protected, it can still be hacked as any internet connection can.

The implications of the hack on twitter was both after the the individual and the web sites that the Iranian's don't like.
It was a clear warning that they can and will arrest the users who used twitter to send info to the West and transmit where the next protest meeting is or where dissidents are hiding.
The implication is that they're about to institute a crack down on the above. They will and can attack sites in Aust too.

I note also not a whimper here. Compare that with the hysteria over 'smokescreen' etc
That isn't to say Yahoo etc aren't in hyper panic mode trying to plug the holes.

NB that CRU scandal was supposedly a paid hack for hire from Russia.
A lot of OLOer think that the new de-kiddie porn by the federal govt is a plot to limit the information available to us.

As we agree, free speech is limited by many factors and I wince at some Big brother conspiracy fear generating posts. in reality it's a bit late.