Libyan Opposition Uses Dating Site To Talk In Code

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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

As Al-Jazeera tries to reach more Americans, the Libyan opposition is trying to build connections to itself. The country's secret police monitor communications, including social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, so government opponents have had to find another way to communicate.

STEVE INSKEEP, host:

The solution is to turn to romance. You can't deny love. So the anti-Gadhafi activists have created accounts on Mawada, a popular Muslim dating website. And they've been speaking in coded messages, according to ABC news.

MONTAGNE: One example: May your day be full of Jasmine. That's a reference to the so-called Jasmine Revolution sweeping Arab nations. And I lllllove you, with five Ls, meant that they are working with five comrades. One opposition leader said he now has more than 170,000 admirers.

And this is NPR News.

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