UK gov may block Twitter/Facebook to prevent riots | Hacker News Reader

UK gov may block Twitter/Facebook to prevent riots

metro.co.uk

21 pointswarrenmiller11 comments

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.

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.

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...

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.

"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.

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.

The same quote is on the offical Prime Minister's Office Website http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/pm-statement-on-disorder-in-...

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-... )

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.

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.

This story is the first related item...

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/871800-twitter-users-rally-to-jo...

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

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