Comments on: Blaming the tools: Britain proposes a social-media ban

By: Theo

Theo — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:28:14 +0000

I think Frank Zappa said something like: “Stupidity has a certain charm – ignorance does not”

By: Carl Forscht

Carl Forscht — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:18:07 +0000

Set fire to say LA, Chicago and NY City and see how fast our freedom of speech in the US would be suppressed, Twitter and Facebook would only be a small part of it. I sincerely hope violence like this never happens in the US, but clearly many Americans have no idea to what lengths our government at the local, state and federal levels would go to shut down violent descent. Then of course the rioters would also have armed citizens to contend with. You can smugly sit in judgement of the British move to silence social media if you like. However, if a similar situation happened here – it would get far uglier very fast. I say this because neither our Government, nor our people play games with violence. If people want violent and deadly, we’ve got violent and deadly on tap – as we have demonstrated in our history at home and abroad. Tell me the US isn’t badass. We all know this is true. All you have to do is search the web for historic accounts of riots in the US. You’ll get a better understanding of what our government is capable of. Remember KENT STATE! Just one example.

By: Carl Forscht

Carl Forscht — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:44:51 +0000

I think you’re underestimating how tough the US would be If the same thing happened here. A blackout on social media is a very mild thing to do in the face of violence and destruction of property. Our government would do the same thing. Rioters inflicting violence and destruction in the US would be lucky if they weren’t shot. Not just by the police but property owners as well.

By: Lakewood IT Support

Lakewood IT Support — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:24:59 +0000

What a load of nonsense Britain isn’t thinking about a social media ban at all.

By: Michael A. Robson

Michael A. Robson — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 12:22:47 +0000

Exactly like China.

By: Yann

Yann — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 05:20:20 +0000

Maybe because you can’t kill with a twitt…

By: Greg Janice

Greg Janice — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:01:54 +0000

Stupid Brits! Internet, under net, overnet, they will NEVER stop free speech once a democracy. RIOT on Brits and overthrow your tyrant government. This is what shapes the world when the balance of power is the minority, the majority rules!

By: Todd

Todd — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:49:34 +0000

How far they take it should be nowhere if they are going to cherry-pick the situations. How hypocritical to cry foul on Egypt and others for similar actions then say “oh, but we will act or implement it correctly”. If we acted like this for all the rhetoric here in the US there’d be lots of people, politicians, and websites in trouble. I also find the argument highly ironic in that they are saying words equal or result in actual violence. Seems like they tell victims of bullying or domestic violence that words and threats are just that and they can’t really help you much unless something actually happens….which in some cases is too late.

By: Bruce Lenhart

Bruce Lenhart — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 12:04:56 +0000

Guess who already did it? San Fran: transit police cut mobile service to stop protest http://t.co/gGKHtHC Looks like the US beat you to it – not even emergency service, good thing no one needed medical aid during the time. Well thought out plan, that one.

By: Useful Design

Useful Design — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 03:41:14 +0000

And as if someone block from T&FB won’t find dozens of other ways to network with their friends online. Julian Assange mentioned in a long interview that revolutionaries in Egypt and other countries were telling each other *not* to use T&FB because the state was monitoring them. Even shutting down the whole of Twitter or FB would do nothing to stops this unrest. It’s intergenerational in the making an much more complicated than most seem to want to acknowledge.

As for Cameron’s comment that parts of UK society are sick, when a person has a cancer do we say oh, evil cancer (well some do, Dennis Potter called his Rupert) or do we observe that the silly person was eating lots of animal protein and fats, no exercise etc etc don’t they know that causes Cancer? London societies diet is all about status and looting, this comes as no surprise to me. 70% of all London’s economic activity is trading and banking (read institutionalised looting).

There is an underclass in London and not for the first time in history it is biting back, ungrateful as that might seem to civilised folk.