ID :
202449
Sat, 08/20/2011 - 13:44
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/202449
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UK Summons BlackBerry, Twitter, Facebook Bosses
TEHRAN (FNA)- Concerned over the role played by the social media in inciting unrests during the recent protests in the UK, a top British Parliamentary body headed by Indian-origin MP Kieth Vaz asked the bosses of Twitter, Facebook and BlackBerry to appear before it.
"Today I have written to the Chairmen of Twitter, Facebook and BlackBerry because it is absolutely clear that the new media had a role in the number of people who turned up at various places," Vaz, Chairman of the influential Home Affairs Committee of the House of Commons, said.
"It is clear that people were using the private BlackBerry network" to announce that there is going to be unrests in such and such street and such and such time, he said.
"This is a new phenomenon to the world and it certainly challenges all police forces," Vaz said.
For protestors in the UK, the communication tool of choice has apparently been BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) which acted as their private social network for rallying around potential targets, British media reports said.
The Scotland Yard has already said that it was tracking down the persons who posted messages on social media, that were used to organize and coordinate the unrests in London.
BBM, as it is known, is an instant messaging application and allows users to communicate in a similar way as text messaging, but effectively without charge, as traffic is exchanged via the Internet.
Despite London's claims about supporting freedom of expression and flow of information, Britain's Prime Minister threatened to block access to social networking websites following the outbreak of social unrests in the country, London in particular.
Cameron addressed a statement to the parliament last week, warning to unleash a clampdown on the web-based social outfits, including Facebook, Twitter and Research in Motion, the producer of BlackBerry devices.
He said the government would consider applying the ban against the people, who are suspected of 'inciting violence online.'
The premier cautioned the websites to take more responsibility for their contents.
Unrest has rocked Britain in a scale unprecedented in 30 years following the police's killing of black male Mark Duggan in a shooting spree in the London suburb of Tottenham August 4.
Tension erupted august 6, when a few hundred people gathered outside a police station in Tottenham to protest the killing.
The protests have spread to major cities like Birmingham, Liverpool, and Bristol.
Cameron's threat, meanwhile, defied the White Hall's claim to being an advocate of human rights and freedom of expression.
"Today I have written to the Chairmen of Twitter, Facebook and BlackBerry because it is absolutely clear that the new media had a role in the number of people who turned up at various places," Vaz, Chairman of the influential Home Affairs Committee of the House of Commons, said.
"It is clear that people were using the private BlackBerry network" to announce that there is going to be unrests in such and such street and such and such time, he said.
"This is a new phenomenon to the world and it certainly challenges all police forces," Vaz said.
For protestors in the UK, the communication tool of choice has apparently been BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) which acted as their private social network for rallying around potential targets, British media reports said.
The Scotland Yard has already said that it was tracking down the persons who posted messages on social media, that were used to organize and coordinate the unrests in London.
BBM, as it is known, is an instant messaging application and allows users to communicate in a similar way as text messaging, but effectively without charge, as traffic is exchanged via the Internet.
Despite London's claims about supporting freedom of expression and flow of information, Britain's Prime Minister threatened to block access to social networking websites following the outbreak of social unrests in the country, London in particular.
Cameron addressed a statement to the parliament last week, warning to unleash a clampdown on the web-based social outfits, including Facebook, Twitter and Research in Motion, the producer of BlackBerry devices.
He said the government would consider applying the ban against the people, who are suspected of 'inciting violence online.'
The premier cautioned the websites to take more responsibility for their contents.
Unrest has rocked Britain in a scale unprecedented in 30 years following the police's killing of black male Mark Duggan in a shooting spree in the London suburb of Tottenham August 4.
Tension erupted august 6, when a few hundred people gathered outside a police station in Tottenham to protest the killing.
The protests have spread to major cities like Birmingham, Liverpool, and Bristol.
Cameron's threat, meanwhile, defied the White Hall's claim to being an advocate of human rights and freedom of expression.
