TXT 4 RNC PRTST

The most com­mon of per­sonal elec­tron­ics — the mobile phone — is becom­ing a tool of choice for polit­i­cal orga­niz­ers. And when activists by the thou­sands gather in New York City to protest at the Republican National Convention, cell phones will get their most intense work­out yet as activist instru­ments.
Mobile-​​engaged masses don’t just con­nect dif­fer­ently; they act dif­fer­ently too. Short-​​messaging sys­tem (SMS) alerts over cell phones have enabled demon­stra­tors to shift tac­tics, deploy resources and respond to the police, just about instantly.
Law enforce­ment offi­cials con­cede they’re hav­ing trou­ble keep­ing up with these fast-​​moving, cell-​​connected groups.
“Now, they can actu­ally coor­di­nate tac­tics, cre­ate a feint. They’ll start a demon­stra­tion in one place to draw the police, while their true objec­tive is in another,” said Charles “Sid” Heal, a crowd-​​control spe­cial­ist and 29-​​year vet­eran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“There’s noth­ing we can do right now to counter them,” Heal said. “They’re in a dig­i­tal age, and we’re still in ana­log.“
There’s more in my Chicago Tribune story.

August 28th, 2004 | Dissent Tech | Comments Off Both comments and pings are currently closed.