Britney Spears Scares Off Somali Pirates: Hit Songs Used To Fend Off Thieves

Britney Spears' songs might be irresistable to teenage girls, but they're the last thing Somali pirates want to hear. The pop icon may be surprised to learn that her songs are used on the east coast of Africa to deter pirates from kidnapping crews on supertankers.

Merchant navy officer Rachel Owens said, according to Time, “[Spears'] songs were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them most. These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect.” Spears’ hits such as “…Baby One More Time,” and “Toxic” are among the songs used to keep pirates at bay.

A spokesman for the British Association of Private Security Companies also said, “Playing loud pop songs has been proven as one of the most effective ways of fending off attackers. As a tool against pirates, it is pretty effective. It’s all part of the development of sophisticated technology to make high-value cargo secure from attack. Each security company will have its own music choice.”

This is not the first time Spears’ music has been used as a scare tactic. In 2008, Guantanamo interrogators torture inmates with her songs. At the military detainment camp in Cuba, in addition to prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan, prisoners are kept awake as U.S. military personnel blast her songs relentlessly at extremely high volumes for days, weeks and even months. Music was introduced as a torture method at the end of 2003, reports the Huffington Post.