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Law enforcement agencies are looking for ways to mine social media to look for threats, but those speaking at a conference on Wednesday suggested that an equally important issue might be trying to control authorities who are causing problems by their use of Twitter, Facebook and other such applications.

Those public safety groups that have started trying to tap social media to do their jobs haven't yet figured out how to sift through the massive amounts of data they collect, said speakers at the Microsoft Public Safety Symposium, held at the software giant's Redmond, Washington, headquarters.

For instance, in preparation for the Rugby World Cup, New Zealand police set up a system that scrapes YouTube, Twitter and Flickr, plotting the message, photo and video uploads on a map. Hovering over an icon with a mouse let an officer see the tweet, photo or still image from the video.

Officers could filter results to look for items posted from homes of known "folks who want to take out your mum," said Neil Macrae, senior sergeant with the New Zealand Police.

The system offered time stamps for when the tweets were made with a high granularity for where they were issued, he said. YouTube had the least accurate location information, he said.

But over the six weeks of the World Cup, the system collected 20 million tweets. "You need to start with a target. With 20 million tweets, it's pretty hard to scroll through," he said.

One person the authorities appeared to target was an "ambassador from a prominent country" who was tweeting his location after a match. Macrae didn't say which country the ambassador was from but implied the U.S. by noting that the game happened to occur on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York. "It was a bit of a security risk that he was doing that. His security detail was a bit apprehensive when we alerted them," Macrae said.

Matching location with social media information can be both a blessing and a curse. There is an acceptance that geolocation can be a positive aspect of social media, but for people in mission-critical roles, it can backfire, said Tim Pippard, director of defense, security and risk consulting for IHS Consulting.

For instance, in 2007 soldiers in Iraq took photos of a new fleet of Apache helicopters that just arrived. Adversaries in Iraq found the photos online and were able to discover the location. A month later, the base, which had been at a secret location, was bombed, he said.

Just last week the U.S. Army released a directive warning personnel about the potential danger in geotagging photos.

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Public safety sees opportunity, pitfalls in social media

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

QuickPlay Media, Inc., the leading provider of managed solutions for the distribution of premium video to IP-connected devices, today announced that CEO Wayne Purboo will present a session detailing how mobile and TV service providers can compete with Over-The-Top (OTT) offerings at the third annual Over-The-Top TV Conference (OTTCON) being held March 20-21, 2012 in Santa Clara, CA.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012 Over-the-Top-TV Conference

OTTCON 2012, Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA

Meeting Room 3

For more information on the event, visit: http://www.QuickPlay.com/ottcon2012

About QuickPlay Media

QuickPlay Media is the leading provider of managed solutions for the distribution of premium video to IP-connected devices. Successfully used by the worlds largest communications and media companies, QuickPlays OpenVideo platform provides the most scalable and secure way for companies to deliver engaging multiscreen entertainment experiences. For more information, please follow QuickPlay Media on Twitter at @quickplaymedia. Interested parties can also follow QuickPlay on Facebook at facebook.com/quickplaymedia.

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QuickPlay Media Shares Lessons Learned on how TV Service Providers can Better Compete with Over-The-Top TV Offerings ...

Argentina is facing new accusations it reached a new low trying to control the media and suppress dissenting voices.

Published: March. 15, 2012 at 9:47 AM

BUENOS AIRES, March 15 (UPI) -- Argentina is facing new accusations it reached a low in trying to control the media and suppress dissenting voices.

Spanish journalist Alberto Padilla, a former CNN reporter, says an Argentine television channel received government orders to suspend a program minutes before he was to go on air for a live interview.

An order to stop the program came directly from Argentine Federal Planning and Public Investment Julio Miguel de Vido, Padilla said in comments widely published and broadcast in the non-government media.

The broadcast suspension order Tuesday apparently had more to do with what preceded the planned interview on the C5N channel than with Padilla himself, the reports indicated.

Channel presenter Marco Longobardi was interviewing former government minister Alberto Fernandez, a critic of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, when the transmission was interrupted in the middle of a follow-up question.

"It was a brutal act of censorship, I have 15 years in this trade and have never seen anything like it," Padilla said.

The Mexican-born journalist is a recognized media figure in Latin America and worked previously at the CNN.

The following morning broadcaster Infobae Group, owner of the channel, issued an apology for what it called "excess of formalism." The channel previously explained it suspended the broadcast because Longobardi's program had exceeded the allotted time.

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Argentina under fire for muzzling press

New study from PwC unveils key trends driving change in the retail industry in 2012 Retailers must Find new ways to engage consumers as social media continues to transform the shopping experience

TORONTO , March 14, 2012 /CNW/ - Today's consumers are more empowered than ever before, with social media and mobile technology transforming the shopping experience. With over half (53%) of global internet shoppers expecting to spend more online in the future and consumers becoming increasingly sophisticated, retailers need to act now to insure a seamless multi-channel experience, according to a new study from PwC. The study, Customers take control - How the multichannel shopper is changing the global retail landscape, identifies key trends that will shape and transform the retail industry in 2012.

Alain Michaud, Canadian National Leader, Retail and Consumer, PwC, commented:

"With more than 70% of customers engaging in multi-channel shopping, it's clear that the convergence of in-store, online and mobile shopping has arrived. Retailers should leverage this convergence and re-evaluate their organizations to create a winning customer experience focused on integrating channels, taking mobile technology to new heights and creating a personalized shopping experience. Retailers who do not deliver this seamless experience and invest in the necessary changes to their business models, run a very real risk of losing market share."

Key Study Findings: The survey of over 7,000 online shoppers across three continents covering eight markets, shows a remarkably consistent picture across the world, with internet shopping becoming an integral part of day-to-day behaviour.

Alain Michaud commented:

"The reasons why shoppers choose a favourite are quite different in each country, which means it's going to be difficult to serve multiple countries, using one website and product range - unless, like Amazon, you have an extremely broad offer or, like Apple, a unique and globally compelling product range. In essence, consumers are creating their own multi-channel experiences by leveraging multiple retailers across a single category or product."

The integration of social, mobile and location-based technologies is providing a whole new locally-specific shopping experience. Retailers can send offers to encourage nearby customers to enter their shops and customers reap the benefits of coupons delivered on their mobile devices as they stand in front of the product.

Alain Michaud commented:

"Achieving retail growth in 2012 and beyond requires a 360-degree approach to customers, using accessible technologies like video, mobile, email and social media to improve traditional tactics. In order to communicate more effectively with customers, retailers must use innovative ideas to differentiate their brand."

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Savvy global consumers take control: Retailers lag behind

MONTREAL - As Montreal cops brace for this years edition of the march against police brutality which will coincide Thursday with student demonstrations against tuition hikes the officer in charge of overseeing crowd control operations has a message for would-be participants:

We know theres going to be a lot more people present at this years anti-brutality march, Chief Inspector Alain Bourdages told reporters Wednesday. And we want those people to know that bad people are going to be present, and theyre going to use the fact that theyre (inside a crowd) to commit criminal acts and other people are going to be caught in it.

This years march is the 16th. Out of the last 15, 13 turned into illegal assemblies that ended with arrests. Id urge anyone who shows up tomorrow who sees any illegal act going on to leave the march.

Weve had demonstrations of 30,000 students; it went very well. People have shown that even in large numbers, they can behave. The problem is when you have 100 or 200 people whose only intention is to hide in that group and to start breaking the law.

Bourdages made his comments during a rare meeting between police and the news media during which the Montreal forces approach to crowd control was explained and illustrated.

The meeting took place a week after a March 7 protest outside Loto-Qubecs office on Sherbrooke St. during which student protester Francis Grenier suffered a serious injury to his right eye after apparently being struck by a police flash grenade.

Bourdages called the incident deplorable and said it is under investigation but added that the crowd control grenades would remain in use.

The Rubber Ball grenade is meant to be thrown over the heads of protesters and explodes into two pieces with a 175-decibel blast before depositing a cloud of CS gas less intense than pepper spray onto those below.

Nine such grenades were used when demonstrators clashed with police March 7, police said, while aerosol cans spraying CS gas were used 37 times.

Bourdages said Montreal police applies a continuum of force when it comes to crowd control. Verbal warnings to disperse are followed by physical but non-forceful contact repeating the message.

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Montreal police brief media on crowd control