But underscoring how deeply the riots had rocked this nation, lawmakers across the political spectrum were condemning the role of social media in the riots, calling for a way to blunt their use as tools of violence.
Rampaging youths, authorities say, used BlackBerry Messenger, Twitter, Facebook and other social media to organize disturbances, sharing meeting times and locations and, in some cases, openly calling for the spread of criminality. BlackBerry Messenger, which does not charge for text messages, was particularly popular among the largely poor youths who rioted.
One BlackBerry text circulating in London on Monday night urged rioters to pour into the Enfield neighborhood of north London, where a Sony distribution center was set ablaze. Another text called on rioters to attack stores in the famous shopping district of Oxford Circus: “Everyone run wild, all of London and others are invited! Pure terror and havoc & Free stuff. Just smash shop windows and cart out da stuff u want!”
But there were also comments, including several on Facebook, that rather than organizing riots, simply spoke out in their support. It’s unclear whether those would be seen as inciting violence and thus be targets of a British government campaign.
“The riots are 4 us to show the police that they cnt bully us,” said one posting on the Facebook page of a user named Priceless King.
Experts warn, however, of technical issues in blocking or interpreting encrypted BlackBerry instant messages, which operate on a special network. Theresa May, Britain’s home secretary and the minister in charge of policing, said she would meet with representatives from social media companies to come up with a plan, though the government appeared to be testing the waters of public opinion before pressing ahead.
May said, however, that social media have clearly been used “to coordinate criminality and stay one step ahead of the police.”
BlackBerry officials would not directly comment on the government’s announcement. But the company said in a statement: “As in all markets around the world where BlackBerry is available, we cooperate with local telecommunications operators, law enforcement and regulatory officials.”
But student activists — including those who in December helped organize a political protest against budget cuts that turned violent after a breakaway group vandalized central London businesses — decried the move as a full-on attack on freedom of expression. They questioned whether such measures would be used against them as well, warning that the government could be going down a dangerous road toward silencing voices of social dissent.
“This puts Cameron in very poor company internationally,” said Martin Young, 22, who took part in the December student protests. “This is the same reaction by the Middle East and North African governments, which we condemned for having no respect for privacy and freedom of communications.”
Special correspondent Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi contributed to this report.
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