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Twitter To Meet With UK Government About Riots

Posted by timothy on from the paper-and-whistle-makers-too-I-hope dept.

"Twitter has confirmed that it will meet with the UK Home Secretary on Thursday, after being called in for discussions over the role it played in the recent UK riots. Twitter will send a representative to the meeting scheduled for August 25. Both Facebook and RIM will also send representatives to the meeting in regards to their effects on the riots."

5 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. Other representatives by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Will there be representatives from the telephone company, and the postal services, to answer for the roles they played in the riots? What about mainstream print, radio, and television media who made others aware of the riots, and carried the idea of unrest to others, who then joined in?

    The communication medium is but the messenger.

    1. Re:Other representatives by bennomatic · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I heard most of those rioters wore shoes. Maybe shoe companies should be taken to task for all the malfeasance they enable.

      --
      The CB App. What's your 20?
  2. Double Standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When it happens in Egypt and Libya, its an amazing tool for freedom of speech and the spread of democracy.

    When it happens in your own back yard, its a problem.

    1. Re:Double Standard by no-body · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Any social problems in that area - like high unemployment, low standard of living, educational/career dead-end. other types of violence/repression, possibly from government agencies?

      And - if so, what are the solutions of the local governments?

      One person protesting there was interviewed and stated that news media would not care unless fuss would be created.
       
      A fine line.... right.

    2. Re:Double Standard by AngryDeuce · · Score: 4, Insightful

      With the speed with the government can clamp down on the citizenry with it's resources, it's only fair that the population have access to the same level of coordination. I think we would all agree that all societies have the right of self-determination, and if self-determination takes the form of open rebellion and revolution, that's the price we pay for democracy.

      These days, freedom to communicate via the internet and text messaging is almost as important as the right to assemble, and definitely as vital. The powers that be are using their authority in order to force it's agenda on the citizenry. Whether they agree or not, if the citizenry decides to rise up against them and defy their authority, is immaterial. Government exists at the will of the people, not the other way around.