British leadership has realised that banning citizens from using certain websites will not fix rioting, The Guardian reports. Accordingly, they’re ditching their ill-conceived, ill-advised proposal to block suspected rioters from Twitter, Facebook, BBM, and other equally stupid, pretend security measures.
The reversal came after the UK Home Office met with the social media groups in question, and RIM, which isn’t a social network but was fatuously grouped in with the rest. Lo and behold, UK Prime Minister David Cameron realised what we said weeks ago — tech can be used for starting riots, or it can be used for fixing them. A government spokesperson confirmed as much, saying that the new plan is to prevent criminal acts from sprouting in the first place, rather than ham-fistily banning websites wholesale: “The discussions looked at how law enforcement and the networks can build on the existing relationships and co-operation to prevent the networks being used for criminal behaviour.” Yes, you see, they can be used for good or bad, like a fork. Forks can go in my eyeball. Or steak. One is good. One is bad. Such is technology. Let’s all be glad to have this foolishness behind us–England’s got some sweeping up to do. [Guardian]