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Riot police face off with demonstrators as

the police block a bridge into downtown St. Paul to keep

protesters from getting close to the site at the 2008 Republican National Convention

in Minnesota September 4, 2008. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

Twitter.comand Coordinated Mayhem:An Examination of the Incorporation of Twitter by the RNC Welcoming Committee

By Lance Lamoreaux

There are also a number of third party twit-ter applications that pull Twitter updates and disseminate the information in applicable ways. For example, Addict-o-matic(5) is a website that retrieves information from a variety of websites into a searchable appli-cation. In other words, if someone enters the word “police” into the search bar, the page will fill with top news headlines, Google Videos, Blogs, and Twitter updates. There is also “TweetBeep” which is a service that sends e-mails when a Twitter update matches one’s search. An application called “Twitt(url)y”(6) tracks the most popular URLs shared on Twitter(7).

This paper sets out to inform security managers of the practical and potential use of a contemporary media

resource – Twitter. The paper is divided up into three parts. First, the paper explains the interworking of Twitter; including its capabilities and shortcom-ings. Second, is an account of an anar-chist group, the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee, applying the Twitter application in co-ordinating the mayhem that occurred in St. Paul during the Republican National Convention (RNC). Lastly, a conclu-sion that calls for resourcefulness in security management.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a social networking site(1) that allows people to share personal updates. These updates can be view publicly or they can be controlled by a pri-vate setting that only allows authorized indi-viduals to view updates. Updates are limited to 140 characters. Individuals may make updates from their cell-phones via text mes-sage, on-line, and other third party sources such as “Twitter fan wiki.” Individuals can also “follow” other people or organizations on Twitter. To follow someone simply means to receive that person’s updates(2). People and organizations can update their status through a computer terminal or by sending a text message from their cell-phone.

Twitter is free to the public and the website is currently only available in two languages – English and Japanese. That is not to say that individuals and organizations cannot make updates in other languages(3). To use the pro-gram all that is required is either a cell phone or internet connection(4).

Twitter has received recent media attention due to its ability to broad-cast timely news. Within minutes of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, witnesses began sending updates via Twitter regarding what was unfold-ing. At the beginning of the attacks, it was estimated that messages were being posted at a rate of 70 every five seconds. With six million us-ers around the world, Twitter has become an everyday component in people’s lives(8). The Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee

A Twitter Case Study

The Republican National Con-vention Welcoming Committee

(RNCWC) is an anarchist / anti-authoritarian group that organized them-selves with the purpose of disrupting the Republican National Convention(9). The group initiated the recruitment of anar-chists from St Paul, Minnesota and from other anarchist groups across the United States, and created: “an informational and logistical framework for radical resistance to the RNC”(10). According to the group’s website, those wishing to work with the RNC Welcoming Committee must agree to the following:

A rejection of Capitalism, Imperialism, •and the State;Resist the commodification of our •shared and living Earth;Organize on the principles of decen-•tralization, autonomy, sustainability, and mutual aid;Work to end all relationships of domi-•

Introduction

There are myriads of threats that jeopardize peace and stability. Among these threats, the proliferation of extremism is a peril to civilized society. These extremist include, but are not limited to the following: religious, anarchists, anti-government, and anti-globalization. They operate both in the United States and abroad. Advances in technology and media have enabled extremists to broadcast their propaganda to an untold audience. These provocative messages have enticed a vulnerable following into discontent and action. Consider the riots that occurred during World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle, the Rwandan Genocide, and the recent rioting in Greece. Instability is increasing with the compounding of the economic crisis. The reality is that there are countless people being incited to violence and extremism through media manipulation. The fact that these extremists are coordinating themselves through technology is especially frightening. There is one media source that combines both dissemination and coordination - Twitter.com.

Twitter has received recent media attention due to its ability to broadcast timely news. Within minutes of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, witnesses began sending updates via Twitter regarding what was unfolding. At the beginning of the attacks, it was estimated that messages were being posted at a rate of 70 every five seconds.

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nation and subjugation:Oppose the police and prison-•industrial complex, and main-tain solidarity with all targets of state repression:Directly confront systems of •oppression, and respect the need for a diversity of tac-tics(11).

Local authorities blame much of uncivil protest that occurred during the Convention – the “smashing windows, slashing tires, throwing bags of urine and excrement and physically confronting Republican delegates in the streets” – on the RNCWC. Further mayhem caused by demonstrators includes imped-ing members of the Connecticut delegation from arriving at con-vention, spitting on delegates, and squirting bleach on delegates(12).

The RNCWC effectively disrupted the RNC through careful organization. The RNC Welcoming Committee website has a link to a PowerPoint Presentation that me-ticulously outlines the group’s objectives, shares intelligence including maps, police statistics, government policies, Delegate hotels, and expresses communication pro-cedures. On the slide labeled “Communica-tions” is the following text:

Will utilize .txtmob, so bring your cell •phonesWill offer scout trainings in the weeks •leading up to the RNCTin Can Comms Collective is develop-•ing a comms systemIt appears that rather than using .txt-•mob(13), the RNCWC used Twitter as their communication system. One of the PowerPoint slides has a map that labels seven different sectors(14). On Twitter.com, there are seven cor-responding sectors(15).

The RNCWC organized by dividing St. Paul into sectors. Each sector had its own Twitter profile. Participants were then as-signed a sector. Next, the participants set their Twitter accounts to “follow(16),” their assigned sector’s updates. This enabled anarchists on the street to exchange commu-

nication with each other in real time. The information was received as text mes-sages to cell phones. Additionally, the RNCWC had dispatchers at computer terminals that monitored the updates coming in from the anarchists on the streets. The dispatchers sent updates and information that pertained to the other sectors. These profiles included: the seven sectors, “bikes,” “bridge,” and “I 49” profiles. Further-more, participants on the street sent text messages that were received by other members of that sector. With the information coming in from the other sectors, the dispatchers and street level participants were able to coordinate attacks, avoid arrests, and exploit security weaknesses. Here are a few examples of real time commu-nication exchanged in sector 1:

Cops deploying on bridges off 94 •to seal off protesters 1:01 PM Sep 1st from web.Mobile cops enroute to push sector 1 •protesters north east 12:43 PM Sep 1st from web.Fight with officers at 9th and Wacouta. •1 officer down. 10:41 AM Sep 1st from web(17).

There was one principal dispatcher that coordinated the action of the other sec-tors. The Twitter profile was RNC08. The Twitter profile RNC08 had 537 people following its updates. The profile even had a link to the RNCWC’s website. The link is irrefutable proof that the RNCWC used Twitter to coordinate their actions in St. Paul. The RNCWC’s website never makes any direct references to Twitter. Most likely the RNCWC’s organizers did not want law enforcement to be aware of their method of communication. Their website did state that anarchist organiza-tions wishing to participate should contact them through email. This is most likely when anarchists were informed of using Twitter to communicate.

Here are a few more examples of communi-cation exchanged during the mayhem in St. Paul. The principal dispatcher, RNC08(18) posted the following:

Cops near Excel are searching people’s •

A protester holds a sign outside the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota September 4, 2008. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

The dispatchers sent updates and information that pertained to the other sectors. These profi les included: the seven sec to r s , “ b i kes , ” “ b r i dge , ” and “I 49” profi les. With the information coming in from the other sectors, the dispatchers and street level part icipants were able to coordinate attacks, avo id a r res t s , and exp lo i t security weaknesses.

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bags for goggles and gas masks-- hide them! 6:12 PM Sep 2nd from web.50 Riot Cops on Wacouta & 8th Street, •Several blocks from march 1:54 PM Sep 2nd from web.Reinforcements needed at 7th and •Minnesota- cops are going to use gas 10:30 AM Sep 1st from web.40 activists at sector one meet point. •One van of riot cops. Wacouta com-mons 10:06 AM Sep 1st from web.Police being dispatched to check out •group of =~ 400 near United Hospital / Smith also checking out Smith S, will be doing recon 3:56 PM Aug 30th from web.Here are a number of Twitter updates •from RNC08_Bike(19)St Paul Police May Be Moving Ar-•rest Teams into Place on Cleveland and Marshall 5:35 PM Aug 29th from web.Minneapolis bikes are heading back to •summit to regroup 5:47 PM Aug 29th from web.Communication from the Twitter pro-•file RNC08_announce(20)Police ordered to stay away from I94 •between St Paul and Minneapolis because of 5 pointed stars on freeway. GO TEAM!!! 4:03 PM Aug 30th from web.

Conclusion By applying Twitter, the RNCWC was able to coordinate mayhem and stay a step ahead of law enforcement. Twitter is an ideal means of communication for coordinating large amounts of people as it is free and able to broadcast messages to untold masses. Law enforcement in St. Paul did an excep-tional job of gathering intelligence before the event. Their preparation and appropriate response effectively prevented the RNCWC from “crashing the party.”

Law enforcement and security managers must continue to adapt and prepare for advanced technology. Typically, information on MySpace and Twitter sites is relatively easy to infiltrate as computer “undercover” work is simplified. If security personal suspect an impending attack involving masses of people, it is essential that they monitor blogs and other social networking sites for information and insight.Stability, peace, and order hang by a thread

as anti-establishment rhetoric fills the infor-mation superhighway. Economic decline only exacerbates security threats posed by these groups. The United States is not only susceptible to attacks from Al-Qaeda but also from a slew of extremists within its own borders.

About the Author

Mr. Lance Lamoreaux, B.A., M.L.S. Candidate, is an intern at The Institute of Terrorism Research and Response. He is supervised by ITRR Co-Director Michael Perelman

1. Found at www.twitter.com, 2. See appendix for example3. Updates can be made in Arabic, Danish, Dutch, English, Finish, French, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Thai., 4. Twitter.com. 1.1FAQ. http://help.twitter.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=26, 5. http://addictomatic.com/6. http://twitturly.com/, 7 Twitter.com. 1.1FAQ. http://help.twitter.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=26, 8. Beaumont, C. (2008). “Mumbai attacks: Twitter and Flickr used to break news. Telegraph.co.uk. 27 Nov 2008. Retrieved on 17 Dec 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3530640/Mumbai-attacks-Twitter..., 9. Deleted , 10. Deleted, 11. Deleted, 12. Farnam, T. (2008). “Republican Convention sees violent demonstrations.” The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 18 Dec 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122048791794897339.html?mod=googlenews_wsj13. TextMob is software that allows users to share text messages. It is currently shut down. http://www.txtmob.com/14. To see entire PowerPoint presentation visit: https://lists.riseup.net/www/d_read/rnc08/WCSite/2008rncwc.ppt#256,1,Slide 1, 5. Twitter.com here is a link to one of the sectors: https://twitter.com/rnc08_sector1, 16. Remember, to “follow” means to receive that profile’s updates., 17. Text taken from Twitter: https://twitter.com/rnc08_sector1?page=1, 18. Text taken from Twitter: http://twitter.com/RNC08?page=1, 19. Twitter.com. https://twitter.com/rnc08_bike, 20. https://twitter.com/rnc08announce?page=2

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A protester wears a mask in front of the fenced venue of the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, September 2, 2008. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)