Celebrity stalking? Check. Updating friends on what you had for dinner? Check. Organizing a large-scale protest against unfair election results, and informing the world about human rights violations happening in your country? Check and check.

Throughout the length of its lifespan, Twitter has become all kinds of things for all kinds of people. And now, it can add another title to its ever-evolving list of uses: peacekeeper/law enforcer. Time Magazine just published an article on the London police force's attempt to use Twitter as part of an effort to promote better transparency to the public, as well as to help enforce peace during a planned environmental protest:

Environmental campaigners had announced plans to set up a 3,000-person-strong "camp for climate action" in the British capital on Aug. 26. In the days leading up to the event, police and protesters both promised to start tweeting information to ensure its peaceful running. "We set up a Twitter site specifically," says Chief Superintendent Helen Ball, the Met officer charged with explaining the purportedly high-tech, low-visibility operational policy. "The use of Twitter is within a range of different communication methods, improving understanding of why police are doing what they're doing."

Although they were hoping to actively use the social networking site in their attempts to keep the event as orderly as possible, the London police force still seems to be easing into the idea of publicizing their movements and intentions:

Despite having trumpeted the role Twitter would play in operations, the Met emitted only three terse tweets during the first day of the camp. "Mobile police station, for help or info, is in Wat Tyler Road," read @CO11MetPolice's last tweet of the evening.

Using Twitter really is a two-way street. In addition to providing the public with information on their activities, the London Metropolitan Police can now use the online service to track the activities of those who utilitze Twitter to organize their protests. Or as the author puts it:

Who needs undercover policing when activists document everything they do on Twitter?

With Twitter slowly conquering the law enforcement world, where will it go next? We will just have to wait and see.