Andre Yoskowitz
8 Apr 2011 13:27
The U.S. government is said to be considering using social networking sites as a way to release terror alerts and other relevant info from the Department of Homeland Security.
Additionally, the 5-level system will be removed and replaced with just two; elevated and imminent.
Each level will have an "expiration date," and will be removed after that date or extended if extra caution is still required.
The new system should begin at the end of this month.
Says the AP:
According to the draft plan, before an official alert is issued, there is a multi-step process that must be followed, starting with intelligence sharing among multiple federal, state and local agencies, including the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center and the White House. If the threat is considered serious enough, a Homeland Security official will call for a meeting of a special counterterrorism advisory board. That board would be expected to meet within 30 minutes of being called. If it's decided an alert is necessary, it would need to be issued within two hours."