Technology defeats terrorism?

The AP reports some very interesting news about Iraq. People are turning in terrorists using their cell phones.

The tip came in fast, telegraph-terse, and discreet. Maj. Mohammed Salman Abass Ali al-Zobaidi of the Iraqi National Guard scrolled down to read it: "Black four-door Excalibur. Behind cinema."

From cell phone screen to local authorities: Acting on the recent text message tip to the Iraqi National Guard commander, police in a nearby town tracked down a black car behind the theater, and arrested the driver for suspected links to insurgent attacks.

In the volatile Shiite-Sunni towns south of Baghdad known as the "triangle of death," Iraqi civilians increasingly are letting their thumbs do the talking, via Arabic text messages sent from the safety of their homes, Iraqi security forces and U.S. Marines say.

Text messaging allows the Iraqis to turn in terrorists without exposing themselves to discovery. They can sit in their home (or in the theatre), make a phone call and turn a terrorist in, all without saying a word or speaking to an official who may or may not be working for the terrorists.

Pretty cool, huh?