Arrested for using SMS to coordinate protesters at G20

A New York man who protested the G20 summit in Pittsburgh may be the first to be arrested for using text messaging to coordinate protesters, reports The Times Online.

A criminal complaint filed in Pittsburgh, the site of last month's Group of 20 meeting, accuses Elliot Madison, 41, a New York City social worker who has described himself as an anarchist, of using text messaging to "(direct) others, specifically protesters of the G20 summit. He is charged with "hindering apprehension or prosecution, criminal use of a communication facility and possession of instruments of crime".

The Pennsylvania State Police said he was found in a hotel room with computers and police scanners while using the social-networking site Twitter to spread information about police movements, The New York Times reported Monday.

... Madison, who was released on bail shortly after his arrest, may be among the first to face charges while sending electronic information to protesters about the police.

[via Times of the Internet. Image from CBCnews.ca]

emily | 8:30 AM | SMS and Politics |
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