England riots: Government mulls social media controls

Everyone,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14493497

This article as well as the events surrounding this article were during the riots that occurred last summer in England. What the article is about how the English government was assessing whether or not to "turn off social media...during times of social unrest".

The English government believed that social media as well as texting was used to orchestrate the horrific riots that occurred in the country last summer. Mr Cameron includes facebook, twitter and blackberry devices under social media.

The law side of this was whether or not the shutting down of social media during a time of unrest is a violation of civil liberties. Civil rights campaigners have attacked this proposal because they say that big events like this are used in order to control what people say and do. Jim Killock says that Cameron has to be "careful not to attack these fundamental needs because of concerns about the actions of a small minority".

John Bassett, a former senior official at GCHQ states that the government should "exert state control" over social media, but they should encourage the community itself to report any behavior that could result to the public being harmed.

This is one of many other attempts that a government has tried to strict/limit its citizens on what is said over social media. People have the right to express themselves through social media as long as it doesn't directly attack another person. Governments have the technology that can filter out social media sights for key words in order to be ready for possible social unrest. I don't believe a law could ever come into play that hinders an individuals right to express freedom of speech especially over the internet due to the actions of a select few such as the riots that occurred.

Finally, people have the right to speak and that right should not be violated.

Ramen Bath