An interesting article from Mashable.com which I bring here ad verbatim
Should the U.S. Shut Down a Somali Militant Groups Twitter Account?
Zoe Fox22
The U.S. government is concerned the Shabab, the Somali specially designated global terrorist group, is using its
Twitter account to recruit new members from the West.
The New York Times reports the State Department said they are looking closely at the millitant groups use of its Twitter account,
@HSMPress, which it began using Dec. 7.
The accounts bio says, Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen is an Islamic movement that governs South & Cen. Somalia & part of the global struggle towards the revival of Islamic Khilaafa. In the past two weeks, @HSMPress has sent nearly 120 tweets and amassed more than 5,300 followers. Almost all of the posts are in English, suggesting they are intended primarily for a non-Somali audience.
Many of their tweets emphasize the groups fight against the Kenyan military, who entered Somalia in October to battle the Shabab.
Major E. Chirchir @MajorEChirchir 16 Dec 11
@HSMPress @MYouthCentre Have you managed to speak to any Al Shabaab fighters in Afmadhow? Hosingo? Kismayu fall is in KDF plans.
HSM Press Office @HSMPress
@MajorEChirchir Your boys are a grotesque parody of an army! They can outpace ur world-class runners by far. Indeed,they Run like a Kenyan
The Obama administrations concern, however, is recruitment of new militants, the
Times reports, not Kenyan provocation.
Mashable has asked the State Department for comment and will update the story if we learn more.
In the accounts early days, the bulk of its followers were journalists, terror researchers and aid workers, not Muslim youth interested in joining the movement,
Wired reported.
Since the
Timess report, the Shabab has responded to of the U.S. governments concern over its account.
HSM Press Office @HSMPress
How many accounts would
#US government be able to close before realising the futility of their attempt? They need a team now to monitor HSM!
The Shababs embrace of Twitter is ironic in its own right, considering the group is infamous for its rejection of all things western, keeping foreign aid from reaching famine victims and banning signs of culture from music to bras from the regions it controls.
The group has pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda, and is known for tactics such as cutting off hands, starving the Somali population amid famine and ripping gold teeth out of mouths.
Whether or not the U.S. government chooses to shut down the Shababs Twitter account, it opens a larger discussion. Does the U.S. government have the right to shut down social media accounts? Twitter is an American company. Does that give the U.S. sovereignty over the entirety of its content?
