UK Riots: Proposed social media crackdown is wrongheaded and dangerous

London: In a move that has critics comparing the UK to China, Syria and Egypt, Prime Minister David Cameron has called for government to have the power to shut down social media services in times of violence. Parliamentarians were recalled from holiday yesterday to discuss the disorder that plagued London and other UK cities in the first half of this week. When Cameron asked, “whether it would be right to stop people communicating via [social media] websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality,” there was a roar of agreement from the House of Commons and a frustrated sigh from Twitter. After sitting transfixed by the rolling news coverage of arson, looting and mob violence, the country then found itself subjected to a stream of anti-technology soundbites from MPs, often in 140 characters or less. [caption id=“attachment_60126” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Any moral high ground that the UK might have had when talking about censorship by oppressive regimes has now, in this foolishness, been ceded. AFP Photo”] [/caption] “Free flow of information can be used for good,” said Cameron, “but it can be used for ill. When people are using social media for violence we need to stop them.” His position was vocally supported by fellow Conservative MP Louise Mensch, who used Twitter — seemingly without any hint of irony — to explain her position .

Common sense. If riot info and fear is spreading by Facebook & Twitter, shut them off for an hour or two, then restore. World won’t implode.

And really, stop w/ all the dramatics. Nobody is talking about “shutting down Twitter”. It’s about listening to police & a couple hours off.

The hypocrisy is staggering. The Tory government has never pulled back from criticising other governments for cutting off access to the Internet or censoring websites. In February, for example, Foreign Secretary William Hague had strong words for the Egyptian government after it cut access to the Internet.

It is a “huge mistake” for Egypt to shut down the internet or use violence against protesters or journalists, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Sunday, calling it “hugely damaging to Egypt and wrong in principle".

“I would urge the Egyptian government, and I have urged the Egyptian government, to respect rights of freedom of assembly and freedom of expression." “It would be futile over time to try to suppress such things.”

Any moral high ground that the UK might have had when talking about censorship by oppressive regimes has now, in this foolishness, been ceded. The Globe and Mail said that Cameron’s proposed restriction was “a tool of dictatorial regimes”. Gawker called the suggestion “stupid, useless and wrong”. The Sydney Morning Herald called it “totalitarian”. What stands now between the people of the UK and the government repression of online speech during times of crisis? We are already one of the most surveilled countries in the world. In 2006, Richard Thomas, the then Information Commissioner charged with ensuring that companies and government don’t do naughty things with the public’s data, said that we were “in danger of sleepwalking into a surveillance society”. Despite his strong words, politicians ignored him. But has Cameron taken a step too far? Is his blatant support for web censorship going to shake more moderate politicians and journalists awake? The pushback against Cameron’s populist kneejerk proposal has already begun. John Prescott, the former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, now a self-styled “cyber warrior” and member of the House of Lords, locked horns with Mensch on Twitter :

Social media is a powerful force for good. We need an inquiry into riot causes not a knee-jerk ban to please the Daily Mail #handsofftwitter @LouiseMensch Do you really think shutting down Twitter & Facebook is a sensible idea? http://t.co/sNvCNMC #handsofftwitter @LouiseMensch You used parliamentary privilege to make false accusations about @piersmorgan. Why stop others free speech? #Handsofftwitter

His Tweets prompted a lot of responses from people who’d found Twitter useful and calming during the riots, for example, Peg Murray Evans responded :

@johnprescott I live above a shop in Sheffield. Tweets from @syptweet provided much reassurance that all remained calm in South Yorkshire.

It might be surprising, but @syptweet is the official Twitter account of the South Yorkshire Police who use Twitter to provide followers with information about what’s happening in their region. During the riots they were able to calm fears by debunking rumours and providing up-to-date information for local residents:

Latest from control room: No reports of disorder. Do you know any different? We want to make sure our communities feel safe and are safe.

The Sussex Police also defended Twitter :

We’ve found it a useful tool for putting out accurate, up to date info & for community engagement.

They went even further, putting out an update on a page which looks suspiciously like a blog , entitled “Social media a force for the good in Sussex”:

Media Relations will continue keeping the people of Sussex informed with relevant, accurate and up to date information regarding any disorder or any rumours of disorder in Sussex.

Yesterday’s debate was, in the main, as shallow and venal as the looters’ desire for a new pair of trainers. Few of UK’s MPs seem to have any real understanding of the web in general and social media in particular. It is time for those that do, that technically literate minority, to stand up and be heard, to protect us from Cameron and his cronies’ crass stupidity. As a country, we simply cannot afford to let our government mess with the web: It would be bad for us as individuals, for businesses, and for society as a whole. As the Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group (of which I was a founder) said :

Citizens also have the right to secure communications. Business, politics and free speech relies on security and privacy. David Cameron must be careful not to attack these fundamental needs because of concerns about the actions of a small minority.

What we need now is calm, thoughtful, wise leadership. The question is, will we get it?