The " Social networking " question !

In the aftermath of the the British street riots two young men - 20 and 22 years old - have been charged and each given four year gaol sentences for using social networking to incite others to riot.
Neither actually took part in the riots, and yet their terms of imprisonment are longer than that of any of the actual perpetrators.

The offence with which they were charged was " encourage another to assist the commission of an indictable offence ".

It seems inevitable that governments in many countries are going to consider shutting down social networking sites such as " Facebook " and " Twitter " the moment civil unrest seems likely to get out of hand.   This is already happening in the Arab world, where demonstrating mobs are using civil disobedience to try and unseat tyrannical governments.

The question is - "  Can  communication of ideas be legitimately a target of closure to prevent public disorder ? "

The civil liberties people will give that an emphatic " No " !    It would be a short step further to take control of the content broadcast on television news - or the news printed in newspapers - as is the norm in totalitarian regimes overseas.    Half a century ago the Soviet Union constructed jamming stations along it's borders to prevent citizens having access to news from the rest of the world.    There is always a great temptation for governments to control precisely what their citizens hear and read.

But - at the same time - those who use social networking must realise that there are consequences if it is used for evil.    Just as journalists are subject to libel laws and can be brought before the courts to account for their views, those who willfully urge others to break the law on social networking sites are subject to the laws of their country of residence.

It is a misconception that what is printed on the net hides behind a veil and can not be traced.   Cyber space is not without foot prints - and when someone sits at a keyboard they can expect whatever they type to come back to haunt them.

Britain's sad events will throw the spotlight on social networking, but the gaoling of these two men simply proves that the correct checks and balances are already in place !