Yes, in case you hadn't heard, British PM David Cameron apparently wants to ban people from social media if they might be plotting violence, among other things. GigaOm has a roundup of some reactions and further thoughts.
So a few progeek thoughts:
- Cameron is a complete dunce to even consider this. Secondly, though I credit him for going public with his insane thoughts and not plotting in private, he's now only convinced more people he's a potential dictator as opposed to thinking "man, I have some stupid ideas." He has just invited comparisons to Egypt and Syria, and *HE* gets to be Hosni Mubarak in people's minds.
- If this was even attempted, it would A) fail, and B) turn into something FAR more deadly and serious because Cameron would look like a dictator to many. If he thinks he has problems now, he should ask what happens when people think he's playing internet cop or worse.
- Be warned if stories of this get out – and perhaps get amplified by fear, loathing and, ironically, social media – there will be worse violence in Britain.
- We're fortunate that companies like Twitter put the smack down on this, though I hear mixed reports as to what RIM is doing.
- This is a serious progeek issue (as well as a human issue) – net freedom, real net freedom, is one of the most important issues of our time.
- This could screw with the British economy if it gets bad, further complicating world economic issues.
Cameron hasn't been handling things too well – this doesn't help and it's very troubling.