Last week, people in Britain had to sit back and witness an unprecedented level of peace-time civil unrest in the country, as rioters and looters rampaged through streets damaging homes and businesses, looting and some starting fires.
It became clear that social networks were being used to organize some of the disorder, and police kept tabs on Facebook, Twitter and other online services. Two men in their early 20s have been dealt serious punishments for attempting to organize rioting using their Facebook accounts.
22 year old Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan from Warrington, and 20 year old Jordan Blackshaw from Marston, near Northwich, have been jailed for four years for attempting to incite violence, even though police said their attempts failed.
"If we cast our minds back just a few days to last week and recall the way in which technology was used to spread incitement and bring people together to commit acts of criminality, it is easy to understand the four year sentences that were handed down in court today," said Assistant Chief Constable Phil Thompson.
"The sentences passed down today recognise how technology can be abused to incite criminal activity, and send a strong message to potential troublemakers about the extent to which ordinary people value safety and order in their lives and their communities. Anyone who seeks to undermine that will face the full force of the law."
The good side of social media was also seen however. UK users used Twitter to organize clean-up efforts in their communities and to organize their own street protection in the nights following the violence.
There has been concerns raised from some MPs and other areas that some riot-related punishments are too severe. In this case, it highlights that information posted on social networking sites is public speech, and can be treated by the courts as just that. It's no secret that sitting behind a computer screen provides a false sense of security for people when they communicate with others or the public at large.
UPDATE: Jordan Blackshaw is to appeal, with his solicitor saying his family has been shocked by the sentencing, and claiming that it was really just a "misguided and misplaced joke."
Written by: James Delahunty @ 17 Aug 2011 8:27
