Advanced warning for anyone with a Twitter account about to visit the US: Don't make any jokes about what you plan on doing during your trip to your Twitter feed...
Case in point: Two UK residents were denied entry into the United States after the Department of Homeland Security intercepted tweets from the two which they believed were a "threat" to the nation. Leigh Van Bryan, 26, was first questioned about a tweet he wrote that read, "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America." He explained to officials that "destroy" is Brit slang for partying and getting drunk, but they obviously weren't buying the reasonable explanation.
His companion, 24-year-old Emily Bunting, was also questioned about her intentions after she had tweeted, "3 weeks today, we're totally in LA pissing people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin' Marilyn Monroe up!", which was a reference to a joke from popular Fox cartoon Family Guy. Customs agents at the Los Angeles Airport searched the duo's luggage for shovels, firmly believing the couple were on a mission to disinter the body of the Some Like It Hot actress from her crypt at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in West LA.
The two were handcuffed and interrogated for over five hours, then placed in a cell where they were watched by armed guards for 12 more hours. Their passports were ultimately confiscated and they were sent back home to Great Britain, without a refund for all the money they had spent planning what should have been a dream holiday to the States that promptly turned into a senseless nightmare.
The Department of Homeland Security has taken a greater interest in Twitter and other social networking sites in light of the importance they have played in uprisings and revolutions that have sprung up all around the world over the past year. So, be very careful what you joke about online, as Big Brother is definitely watching you, and if he doesn't like what you have to say, you could find yourself in some real trouble...
It's a bit ridiculous, social media it's supposed to be free not censored, if we can't joke about anything then what's the point of using the social media?
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