Video: How Blackberry Messenger was used to organise London's riots

Blackberry, would have been as surprised as the British government at its sudden and infamous use in sparking the riots in London. What began as riots against the police in Tottenham over the fatal shooting of Mark Duggen, last Thursday, has now spiralled into a third day of increasing and unmanageable violence across Britain, into Nottingham, Birmingham and Liverpool. Widely now being called ‘copycat’ events shops have been vandalised and looted across the board.

And, mobile phones, technology and networking has played more than its fair share, in this urgent build-up.

Unlike twitter that was used to organise the Tunisian revolution, Blackberry’s Messenger Service, commonly known as BBM was used like a vast SMS tool among teenagers to organise and set off the most unusual and violent riots all over the United Kingdom.

An open network, that can be monitored, ‘followed’ and ‘retweeted’, Twitter is fairly transparent and open to observation. BBM users on the other hand have to exchange ‘pins’ to be part of the broadcast.

Firstpost’s Executive News Producer, Durga Raghunath in Mumbai, spoke to Consulting Editor, Technology Suw-Charman Anderson, in London to understand the use of technology in the London riots.