UK To Shut Down Social Networks?

Stoobalou writes "In a move worthy of China's communist regime, UK PM David Cameron wants to shut down social networks whenever civil unrest rears its head in Britain's towns and cities. Speaking in the House of Commons, Cameron said, 'Everyone watching these horrific actions will be struck by how they were, organized via social media. Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill. 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.'" So far I haven't heard anyone blame the Rock 'n Roll music, but if social networks aren't a good enough culprit, you could also try blaming video games.

China?

[creat3d]

Worthy of China? Sure, but Egypt was the first time that came to mind while watching this disgraceful session live... that didn't work too well BTW.

Argh

[SpooForBrains]

As soon as people started muting shutting down Blackberry Messenger, I had a bad feeling that this bullshit would follow.

The politicos don't understand the role that social media and internet communications play in people's lives. They wouldn't suggest shutting down the POTS network, or the postal service. Well, actually, that's giving them too much credit. They'd probably suggest exactly that.

Re:China?

[elrous0]

Egypt was completely different. You see, they were a government we that was *not us*. So when they did it, it was oppression. When *we* do it, it's a necessary step to maintaining public order. See the difference?

Re:Worked well before...

[frap]

Those situations have absolutely no baring on what happened here in the UK and you can't compare them. In those countries, they were actively uprising against a political struggle and the whole of the nation was behind the movement. In the case of the UK riots, it was essentially a load of complete reprobates wanting to cause as much trouble as possible and loot some free shit from houses and business. The feeling over here, on the whole, is one of utter disgust and I would imagine that most people in the UK would support any actions that could prevent the spread of violence if it can be justified. This might be a step too far, but as someone above me mentioned, it's only being discussed at the moment. Twitter was a complete nightmare throughout the ordeal, with fake and unsubstantiated reports being broadcast and getting people worked up for absolutely no reason.

Re:China?

[Cimexus]

Exactly right. Slashdot always does that: takes the worst possible misinterpretation of anything that a government, or anyone even vaguely related to government, says. Especially non-US governments. Even if it was an off hand comment, mere suggestion, or slip of the tongue from some random MP with negligible political influence, the Slashdot headline will read as if it is already an enacted, freedom-crushing law. Even if it's obvious to blind Freddy that it has no practical possibility of ever becoming reality.

That is the case here: Cameron knows full well that you can't 'shut down' social networks (you block one site/protocol/etc, and another pops up to take it's place - it's like the pointless battle against torrent sites etc.) He's just trying to score some political brownie points with certain segments of the population.

See also: compulsory Australian internet filter (which never existed, never had any hope of existing, and was never actually even introduced into Parliament as a Bill, let alone passed - but many on Slashdot who just read the headlines no doubt thought, and still think, that Australia has some kind of government-run filter). A couple of particularly vocal politicians were pushing it, but it could never have got through the Senate. In the end it became nothing more than a voluntary filter, blocking the tiniest handful of sites, and implemented by just two ISPs (who did so for their own commercial reasons, not due to a law).

Re:China?

[Culture20]

That is why the riots continue every night, because the looters discovered that the government won't stop them any more.

No, the riots continue because the looters discovered that Londoners can't defend themselves against a group with just a knife or a cricket bat. The police can never defend anyone in a riot, especially if all the police normally carry is a stick.

Now the citizens are banding together to protect themselves. To the government this is even more frightening than the looters themselves.

Indeed. It's why the British government took their citizens' pistols, and why the English took the Scot's swords.