

UK gov may block Twitter/Facebook to prevent riots - warrenmiller
http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/872080-uk-riots-david-cameron-hints-at-social-media-shut-down

======
weego
Please don't use the Metro as a source of news. For reference, it is a free
paper available around the UK rail network that consists largely of news
deemed not worthy of being put into a tabloid with the odd major story spun
into nonsense.

Even then, what he said clearly hints at stopping the users using it to
organise crime from having access rather than blocking it in general, so the
title is somewhat inflammatory.

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corin_
For any non-Londoners, the metro is a rag.

I hate Cameron and would love a new thing to rant about him on, but there
isn't one in this story. His quote specifically said _"people ... when we know
they are plotting violence"_.

If somebody is plotting violence and their twitter/facebook gets suspended,
I'm fine with that. But no, The Metro had to lead off with _"whether it would
apply only to individuals or could see networks shut down entirely"_.

Terrible, terrible journalism - but you get what you pay for from free
newspapers.

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jdp23
For those who don't like Metro, the Guardian has the same quote from Cameron:
"We are working with the Police, the intelligence services and industry to
look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these
websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and
criminality,

[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2011/aug/11/uk-riots-
day-f...](http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2011/aug/11/uk-riots-day-five-
aftermath-live)

~~~
corin_
See my comment - it's not that the quote is wrong, it's that they have
misinterpreted it to make it a more interesting story.

He's talking about shutting out individuals who are planning crimes - I have
no problem if he arrests those individuals, but I also wouldn't want to see an
article quoting him saying "peeople planning violence, etc etc will go to
prison" followed by a statement that it is unsure whether he means just those
people, or the entire country is going to prison.

~~~
ajays
"He's talking about shutting out individuals who are planning crimes - I have
no problem if he arrests those individuals,..."

Really? So if I were in London and joked about rioting, or "setting stuff on
fire", in a private communication with my friends, it would be OK to arrest me
even though I haven't done anything?

Wow.

~~~
corin_
Well sure you can take it to one extreme and say "I could get arrested for
making a joke", but I could take it to the other extreme and say "we can never
prevent terror attacks because they can't be arrested until after the attack".

I'm not a lawyer or a policeman, I've no idea exactly how it works, but I know
I would rather murders are prevented than just punished after, and I would
rather people planning on setting fire to London are prevented rather than
just punished after.

------
rmc
People are rightly questioning the reliability of this newspaper, however the
same statment & quotes are on the official website for the British Prime
Minsiter ( [http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/pm-statement-on-disorder-
in-...](http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/pm-statement-on-disorder-in-england/)
)

 _Mr Speaker, everyone watching these horrific actions will be stuck by how
they were organised via social media._

 _Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for
ill._

 _And when people are using social media for violence we need to stop them._

 _So we are working with the Police, the intelligence services and industry to
look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these
websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and
criminality._

------
rlpb
Twitter kept me safe. I cancelled my plans and stayed at home, thus avoiding
getting caught up in the riot.

Whatever is done, the positive effects of social networking must not be
undermined.

------
bobbles
This story is the first related item...

[http://www.metro.co.uk/news/871800-twitter-users-rally-to-
jo...](http://www.metro.co.uk/news/871800-twitter-users-rally-to-join-
coordinated-london-riot-clean-up)

------
bediger
Good luck with that. Did riots occur before Twitter/Facebook existed? No?
Well, then, carry on.

