TORONTO – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is down with Internet slang – well, sort of.
An internal FBI document titled “Twitter Shorthand,” obtained through a freedom of information request (FOI) through FOI website MuckRock, has unveiled the agency’s list of nearly 3,000 Internet shorthand definitions.
While it’s unclear why the FBI compiled the list – other than to understand what those crazy kids are saying these days – it’s most likely a guide for intelligence agencies overseeing communication on social media.
Needless to say, it’s pretty entertaining.
In addition to explaining that “<3” is meant to represent a heart, the guide points out that “COP” could mean “close of play” or simply a police officer.
Here are some of the best entries:
“JC”: Jesus Christ/Just curious/Just chilling
“LOL”: Laugh(ing) out loud
“BFP”: Bad for pictures/Big fat positive (i.e. pregnant)
“NSFV”: Not safe for viewing/vegetarians/vegans
“2”: To, Too, Two
“BMUS”: Beam me up Scotty
“ASL”: Age? Sex? Location?
“BBM”: BlackBerry messaging
“SW”: So what/Star Wars/Street worker
“BIBO”: Beer in, beer out
“HGH”: Haters gonna hate
“BSOD”: Blue screen of death (MS Windows)
If you want to use the FBI’s handy Twitter shorthand guide, you can read the entire thing here.
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