GCHQ created a program to collect the tweets of a select group of security professionals and hackers to save analysts “reading up at home”. According to documents published by The Intercept, GCHQ launched a program called LOVELY HORSE to stop them missing out on information relating to cyber defence. The program was necessary because the spooks in Cheltenham were struggling to keep up to date with Twitter sources.

Among those being monitored on Twitter were security experts working at Silicon Valley companies, former senior military figures and various anonymous twitter accounts. At the time of the leaked document only 60 Twitter handles were on the target list, but employees were encouraged to drop more Twitter handles in “the suggestion box”.

Most people who appeared on the LOVELY HORSE list seem to be taking it in good humour:

GCHQ – please deliver maple syrup to room 716. Thanks. I'll leave a couple Looneys for ya.

— Kevin Mitnick (@kevinmitnick) February 5, 2015

They could have just installed TweetDeck…