There Was Never Any Civil Unrest Until The Internet Came Along

It won't be surprising to find out that the way people communicate with each other (texting and cell phones) is, in fact, the way people communicate with each other. But in the UK, and to a lesser extent Philly where we've had some mob issues, the press just runs with ZOMG THE KIDZ ARE ORGANIZING ON THE INTERNET!!!!, without actually ever pointing to any evidence of such activities on the twitter and the facebook. They just love their SCARY NEW TECHNOLOGIES WILL KILL US ALL stories. And this is fucking stupid.

Ministers and the security services are planning draconian powers to shut down or disrupt mobile phone messaging services and social networks in times of civil disorder.

Downing Street sources said they were considering the "moral and technical" questions of how to grant new powers blocking all mobile communications to prevent rioters organising through websites such as Twitter and the BlackBerry Messenger service.