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David Cameron moots blocking of social media sites
The prime minister said the government is assessing the possibility of restricting access to Facebook and Twitter to help stamp out the riots.
The prime minister claimed everyone who has witnessed the "horrific actions" of rioters in cities across England will have been struck by the way they were organised via sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Although he accepted the free flow of information can be a force for good, Mr Cameron insisted it can also be used "for ill".
"When people are using social media for violence we need to stop them," he asserted.
As a result, the Conservative Party leader revealed the government is working with the police, the intelligence services and the broadband industry to discuss whether or not it would be right to prevent people from using these sites "when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality".
Mr Cameron also said the police have been asked if they need any other powers to help stop the disorder, such as the ability to force the removal of face masks.
Responding to the prime minister's comments, the Open Rights Group (ORG) stated it has four "broad concerns" over plans to regulate private communications and social media.
The organisation claimed Facebook and Twitter should not be restricted as they can also be used to deal with problems encountered, while it is not fair that innocent users of these services should be affected.
It insisted the coalition should steer clear of suspending Twitter accounts as this step would "represent the worst type of so-called 'self-regulation'" and could result in abuses.
The plans also represent potential security and privacy concerns for users of social networks and the BlackBerry Messenger service, while the government would set a "bad example" if it adopts the same tactics as the administrations in Bahrain, China and Saudi Arabia, the ORG stated.
"Making laws in haste, with limited analysis and information, to deal with an exceptional problem is likely to create unbalanced laws and abuses of our rights," it added.