http://www.upi.com/Hi-Tech/view.php?StoryID=20051108-113941-3173r
Paris rioters get an edge with cell phones
By SHIHOKO GOTO
UPI Senior Business Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- As violence continues to rage in the
suburbs of Paris, tension runs high between the rioting immigrant
youths and the French authorities. But while public opinion may be
divided on whether resorting to violence will finally shed light on
how the rioters believe they have been marginalized from mainstream
French society for so long, one thing is for certain: Their number
continues to grow in no small part due to their ability to band
together via mobile phones and e-mail. What is more, in that war of
information, the rioters have an edge over the French authorities.
Government officials have readily acknowledged the power of
technology that has banded the disgruntled youths in such large
numbers and with such anger. In fact, French police have publicly
admitted that nightly broadcasts on television of vandalism by young
Arab and Muslim men have only further fanned the flames of rage
across the country and indeed beyond French borders.
Television, however, is not the single most effective instrument in
coordinating rioters. Of course, television footage has shown France
and indeed the world in no uncertain terms what exactly is happening,
but rioters are banding together and finding strength in numbers
through their cell phones and online.
National police spokesman Patrick Hamon told reporters that while
there appears to be no coordination in activities between gangs among
the various suburbs where the riots have taken hold, he acknowledged
that group members were text-messaging or e-mailing one another to
arrange meeting points or warn each other of police activities. Thus
far, the police have been unable to tap or jam the wireless
communications effectively to pre-empt the attacks.
Yet the Parisian youths are far from alone in using text-messaging in
particular to coordinate their activities, even though they might
actually be ahead in making use of mobile communication tools
compared to their U.S. peers. Indeed, both protesters and authorities
in other parts of the world could learn a great deal on seeing how
the rioters have been able to group themselves.
There is no doubt that for protesters worldwide, and even those who
do not resort to violence but depend on large turnouts in order to
make a significant impact on the public image, using mobile phones
and e-mail has been key to mobilizing people.
Communications through "Web sites, e-mail have been key" in getting
people to anti-war protests across the United States, said Dustin
Langley, media coordinator for the New York-based International
Action Center, a group that proclaims to be against "U.S. militarism,
war, and corporate greed, linking with struggles against racism and
oppression within the United States."
At the same time, Langley told United Press International that while
his group, which works together with other organizations in a
coalition called Troops Out Now, acknowledged that it did not use
text-messaging to coordinate movements as of yet.
"We're not there yet," he said, but pointed out that the group makes
much use of traditional means of communications such as "good old-
fashion leaflets and stickers."
The minimal use of text-messaging among U.S. protesters reflects the
fact that phone messaging is still not mainstream in the United
States, at least for now.
But one World Bank official acknowledged that they will need to be
much more aware of text-messaging traffic when the group meets for
its annual meeting together with the International Monetary Fund in
Singapore next year.
Noting that text-messaging is much more prevalent in Europe and Asia
than it is in the United States, the official said that the bank
"really needs to keep tabs on e-mail and messaging traffic, as well
as instructions on Web sites" from protesters in order to keep
demonstrations as peaceful as possible.
"But at the end of the day, it's the police force that really needs
to keep track" of security issues, rather than the organizers of the
event, the official said.
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