British spy chief demands more access to Twitter, Facebook to thwart attacks

MORE INVASIVE: The new director of Britain's GCHQ, Robert Hannigan, said US tech companies Twitter Inc, Facebook Inc and WhatsApp needed to give governments even more access to their networks to thwart terrorists.

LONDON: Twitter and Facebook are so important to militant groups that the technology giants should give security services greater access to their networks to allow governments to foil attacks, the head of Britain's eavesdropping agency said. 

The new director of Britain's GCHQ, Robert Hannigan, said US tech companies Twitter Inc, Facebook Inc and WhatsApp were in denial about their unintended role as "the command and control networks of choice for terrorists".