Tweeting Pirates

Shipping companies may have found a new tool to combat piracy: Twitter. Security experts have discovered that Somali-based pirates like to tweet, blog and post on Facebook. Increasingly, pirates have become more sophisticated and tech-savvy. Ransom payments have allowed them to purchase laptops, iPhones, and iPads, which have given them access to the World Wide Web and a better understanding of the shipping industry. As a result, security experts say, the high-seas clashes between pirates and commercial shippers has become a technology race as well. Al-Qaeda’s affiliate Al-Shabaab runs a Twitter account and publicizes its attacks and activities. In 2011, the total cost of piracy was pegged at US$7-B. More in this report from CNN.