Rioters In England Said To Be Communicating Via BlackBerry – BBM – Updated – RIM Statement
With the riots in England showing no abating today and Cameron recalling Parliament on Thursday, Sky News has evidence that many of the rioters are using BlackBerry BBM to communicate. The police have been having a hard time trying to contain the violence as these gangs of youths are apparently looting one area and then literally move off quite suddenly to a new borough. This, according to Sky News, is being orchestrated by youths using BBM to communicate.
A BBM Message via Sky News
RIM the manufacturers of BlackBerry have vowed to help the police and Home Office. Many youths particularly like using BBM because it is largely untraceable, unlike SMS, Twitter or Facebook feeds. Each user contacts another via their private PIN, it is very secure and the police apparently, cannot monitor it.
With news just in that a 26 year old man who was shot in a car last night in Croydon has died in hospital, everyone needs to be vigilant and help the authorities as much as possible to get this situation under control.
:: Anyone who has a BBM message about the riots should contact Sky News producer Neal Mann on Twitter @fieldproducer or by emailing neal.mann@bskyb.com.
Statement From RIM
We contacted RIM to ask how or if the police could, with RIM’s help, actually access those so called ‘secure messages’. Unfortunately they were only able to supply a standard message, here it is:
“We feel for those impacted by recent days’ riots in London. We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can.”
“As in all markets around the world where BlackBerry is available, we cooperate with local telecommunications operators, law enforcement and regulatory officials. Similar to other technology providers in the UK we comply with The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and co-operate fully with the Home Office and UK police forces.”
Patrick Spence, managing director, global sales and regional marketing.
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photographer, photography journalist, editor and curator and the founder and editorial director of TheAppWhisperer.com, an independent international photography publication established in 2009.Her journalism, criticism and commentary have appeared in The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Financial Times, BBC, Vogue Italia, LensCulture, Popular Photography, Android Magazine, NikonPro, DPReview, Which Digital Camera and Which Camera. She has lectured internationally on photography and mobile art, served as a juror for international photography awards, and exhibited her own photographic work across the UK, Europe, South Korea and the United States.Alongside her editorial work, Joanne's photographic and postgraduate research explores death, grief, memory, representation and social inequality through contemporary photography, participatory practice and visual research methods, with the longer-term aim of developing this work through doctoral research.Through TheAppWhisperer, she continues to publish independent photography journalism spanning contemporary photographic practice, mobile imaging, photographic apps, computational photography and emerging imaging technologies.Joanne is available for editorial commissions, photography projects, judging, curatorial work, speaking engagements, consultancy and selected collaborations.
