MI5 set to counter terrorism’s new offensive – social networking sites

Two issues must be concentrated on before we move further, MI5 and need of proficiency in computers, to be more precise, in social networking sites. I’m confident that you have already got baffled since your small effort to find out a correlation between these two leads to nothing. Well, wait a minute. We all are aware of MI5 (Military Intelligence, Section 5) and it is the government agency in the United Kingdom that is responsible for internal security and counterintelligence on British territory. Now the same prime UK government agency is bent on expelling a number of its tried comrades or older staff. Reason? These warriors of yesteryears are not skilled enough to get over social networking sites, especially Facebook and Twitter.

The development is certainly painful but MI5 has its own justifications. On the word of key personnel of MI5, worldwide dreadful terrorist groups are making use of the internet to plan more and more attacks. The rampant uses of globally acclaimed social networking sites so as to communicate have got to be monitored by officers and there is hardly any other alternative, speaks key intelligence officers. As per sources, Britain could be crippled by a successful cyber onslaught before long.

If we take the version of Jonathan Evans, Director General of MI5 into account, redundancy programme to MPs Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee last month attains the greatest focus owing to several factors. In accordance with him, the programme would take account of both "voluntary and compulsory redundancies" alleged to mainly impact upon older workers. Well, to compensate such a loss a recruitment drive is being aimed at students with computer degrees.

If you are still raging, Patrick Mercer, Chairman of the Parliamentary subcommittee on counter-terrorism, United Kingdom, can help you to comprehend the changing reality. As indicated by him, pattern of terrorism is changing across the globe and hence counter-terrorism must be smart and professional enough to cope with the same. MI5 has got to be completely comfortable using computers and the latest technology and there can’t be any compromise with the same.