Mike42 makes some good points too, but I don't know any easy solutions. My answer is “The Internet” : ). Peer review makes most things better, IMHO.

Basically, Twitter stopped a parliamentary injunction on Tuesday morning, and got the Mayor of our largest city personally involved in a Tube customer service altercation on Friday.

What next? Twitter sorts global warming?

The convergence of mobile devices, media portals (YouTube) and social networks is proving to be a massive hit with the public. Record what happened, secure it in the public domain, get the word out about it.

Up till now, it's been used for good causes. I could however see it being used for ill. Imagine the BNP faking a video of some 'Asian' yobs beating a 'British' grannie (“on with the bootpolish, lads”). On to YouTube, Tweet it, bingo. Possibly temporary sh*tstorm (how would you prove it was fake?), but with real implications in the form of revenge attacks by the outraged.

All I'm saying is, the Twitterati have scored two spectacular goals this week. How do we ensure this amazing new tool for social justice doesn't get twisted by those with an evil agenda?

JMac has kudos, many of us know the guy personally, we take his word. But what's to stop some powerful PR firm hiring a crowd and kicking off some meme that ends up influencing, say, an election? or policy decision? How do we know who to trust? Do we trust that if a firm were to do evil, they would get busted?

Or do we accept that overall, it's a thing for good? That sometimes it will get abused?

Mike42 makes some good points too, but I don't know any easy solutions. My answer is “The Internet” : ). Peer review makes most things better, IMHO.

Basically, Twitter stopped a parliamentary injunction on Tuesday morning, and got the Mayor of our largest city personally involved in a Tube customer service altercation on Friday.

What next? Twitter sorts global warming?

The convergence of mobile devices, media portals (YouTube) and social networks is proving to be a massive hit with the public. Record what happened, secure it in the public domain, get the word out about it.

Up till now, it's been used for good causes. I could however see it being used for ill. Imagine the BNP faking a video of some 'Asian' yobs beating a 'British' grannie (“on with the bootpolish, lads”). On to YouTube, Tweet it, bingo. Possibly temporary sh*tstorm (how would you prove it was fake?), but with real implications in the form of revenge attacks by the outraged.

All I'm saying is, the Twitterati have scored two spectacular goals this week. How do we ensure this amazing new tool for social justice doesn't get twisted by those with an evil agenda?

JMac has kudos, many of us know the guy personally, we take his word. But what's to stop some powerful PR firm hiring a crowd and kicking off some meme that ends up influencing, say, an election? or policy decision? How do we know who to trust? Do we trust that if a firm were to do evil, they would get busted?

Or do we accept that overall, it's a thing for good? That sometimes it will get abused?