It's odd to watch so many people blaming social media for riots, when everybody can see Twitter, Facebook and BlackBerry Messenger are just tools. We don't condemn cars because they're used by getaway drivers, and we don't blame roads for traffic accidents.
Politicians in Britain are trying to use the riots to pave way for control over this new medium of freedom. They didn't get away with suppressing freedom of the press, they won't get away suppressing freedom of communication.
We don't allow them to listen to our phone calls and cut us off when we say something disagreeable. There's no reason why anybody should be 'monitoring' BlackBerry Messenger for signs of an uprising.
Five years ago the press were all talk of what a police state Britain was becoming with CCTV cameras, tightened national security and identity cards. Now four year prison sentences are being handed out to young people creating events on Facebook that nobody's showing up to and David Cameron is talking about gaining the power to shut off networks when he deems appropriate?
To advocates of freedom, this should strike a nerve, as should the lack of media outcry at such a ridiculous idea.