In a fun convergence of dumb social media behaviour and bureaucratic ineptitude, two idiotic Brits were detained by armed guards at Los Angeles International Airport for incredibly dumb (but totally harmless) tweets about “destroying America” and “diggin’ up Marilyn Monroe”.
Leigh Van Bryan and his friend Emily Bunting were held, because Leigh had (weeks prior) tweeted at a friend “free this week for a quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America? x”. He claims it’s totally innocent British slang, but the Department of Homeland Security was unconvinced, noting that the Irishman had also “posted on his tweeted website account” that he was going to exhume Miss Monroe. That’s apparently a Family Guy reference, which doesn’t make it any less annoying. Naturally, DHS checked the pair for spades.
Everything about this is hugely stupid and annoying, and I’m totally OK with refusing entry to the US based on idiotic Twitter parlance. But it’s still a little amazing and a lot disconcerting that the DHS mess up your holiday because it never learned its context clues. [The Sun via Hacker News]