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The U.S. Secret Service has put out a tender for a computer system that can spot sarcasm on Twitter.

Yeah, good luck with that one.

It emerged after the release of documents on a government website that show the agency wants to buy technology that can, among other things, 'detect sarcasm and false positives'.

Really? The U.S. Secret Service is seeking a Twitter sarcasm detector and has put out a work tender looking for a software system to analyse social media data

Advertising on the Federal Business Opportunites website, the agency says the device needs to accurately analyse social media data so it can detect potential threats to national security.

That has left freedom of speech campaigners and language and computer experts up in arms, not least because they think it is impossible.

Ginger McCall, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, warned that the move could stifle people's ability to freely express themselves.

'It will likely sweep in some First Amendment-protected expression,' she said. 'It has a tendency to quell dissent, to make people think twice before they express themselves online.'

Software and language experts have also warned that such a system simply won't work.

Peter Eckersley, technology projects director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said project is doomed because computers cannot comprehend the complexities of a nuanced conversation.

The 'intelligence' service: Software and language experts have warned that such a system simply won't work

'It's difficult not to be sarcastic about the idea of the Secret Service automatically, algorithmically, examining all of your social-media posts to determine, among other things, that you're being sarcastic,' he said.

The tender calls for a social media analytics software tool that can analyse Twitter data in real-time, identify statistical patterns and present complex data in a clear, concise way.

As well as detecting sarcasm, the tool needs to be able to identify 'influencers', gauge sentiment around particular topics, and interpret content in multiple languages.

The agency does not explain the purpose of the analysis, but does set out its mission, which includes 'preserving the integrity of the economy', and 'protecting national leaders, visiting heads of state and government'.

Ed Donovan, a spokesman for the Secret Service, told the Washington Post that the software would allow the organisation to monitor its own footprint on Twitter, as well as the important issues that are trending on the social network.

'The ability to detect sarcasm and false positives is just one of 16 or 18 things we are looking at,' Donovan told the newspaper. 'We are looking for the ability to quantify our social media outreach.'

However, in a sign that the agency's software is not completely up to date, the tender notice specifies the analysis tool must be compatible with Internet Explorer 8, which was released in 2006.