Libyans Using Coded Dating Site Messages To Avoid Government Monitoring
from the can't-stop-technology dept
A few different people have sent over this fascinating story of how Libyans have been using a popular muslim dating site to communicate about the protests in that country. It's been widely covered how various protesters around the middle east have been using tools like Facebook and Twitter to organize and communicate, and governments have been responding to that fact, often shutting off access to those sites, or at least monitoring them very, very closely. In order to avoid that, apparently some of the conversations in Libya have migrated to this dating site. The article at ABC News includes plenty of details about how people are communicating on the site, and it's worth a read. Here's a snippet:The phrase "May your day be full of Jasmine," for example, is a coded reference to what's been called the Jasmine Revolution sweeping the region, Mahmoudi told ABC News.Yet another reminder that no matter how hard governments try to suppress certain forms of communication, people always seek out alternative means.
He said the response, "And the same to you. I hope you will call me" meant they were ready to begin.
If the undercover "lovers" wrote "I want love," it meant "I want liberty," Mahmoudi said.
They also communicated in code the number of their comrades supporting the revolution. The five Ls in the phrase "I LLLLLove you," for example, meant they had five people with them.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: communications, dating, libya, messages, protests
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Little Orphan Annie, with her decoder ring, would be proud of these guys!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Mistranslation
She apparently has contacted some LLLLLawyers.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Mistranslation
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Twitter/Facebook revolution
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
not convinced
If anything it is most likely to describe a private channel rather than a widespread system. I think the significance of twitter and Facebook were that the massive numbers of people could be mobilized quickly and that the protesters themselves were letting the world know what was actually happening on the ground.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Way to destroy the revolution ABC
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Way to destroy the revolution ABC
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
hmmmm
You can always tell how the media folks will see something, and how they can pull something out of nothing. Im not sure how much of this story I can believe, but at least the last part about the numbe of people with them Im sure.
That one makes sense to me, but the rest of them could just be silly media people thinking what they do.
It reminds me of the parents guide to internet slang and stuff like that.
andwhy
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Great story !
It's a very poetic idea to use a dating site to display politic meaning !
Clever idea to fight for freedom...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]