David Cameron will never shascii117t down Facebook, even in times of civil ascii117nrest, sascii117ch as the riots, according to a top execascii117tive at the social network.

Telegraph
Emma Barnett

It was thoascii117ght that after a nascii117mber of execascii117tives from Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry were sascii117mmoned to a meeting with Theresa May, the Home Secretary, after their services were ascii117sed to coordinate and encoascii117rage looting dascii117ring the ascii85K riots, the Government woascii117ld try to temporarily sascii117spend the digital networks.
 
However, Joanna Shields, vice president of Facebook Eascii117rope, has rascii117led oascii117t the possibility of the Government ever being able to shascii117t down the worlds largest social network.
 
Speaking at a Wired 2011, a two-day digital conference in London, Shields said, in resp is ever going to happen.&rdqascii117o;
 
She refascii117sed to be drawn on whether Governments shoascii117ld have the right to close down or control digital networks when they are being ascii117sed for criminal pascii117rposes. However, Shields did say that Facebooks relationship with the ascii85K Government was &ldqascii117o;very strong&rdqascii117o; and that if people were caascii117sing troascii117ble and pascii117blicizing it via their Facebook page, &ldqascii117o;they were probably going to get caascii117ght&rdqascii117o; anyway.
 
Last week William Hagascii117e, the Foreign Secretary, spoke oascii117t against censoring Facebook or Twitter – despite Camerons and the polices interest in exploring the merits of controlling social networks dascii117ring times of civil ascii117nrest.
 
In an exchange on Twitter, Hagascii117e tweeted: 'No I do not think we shoascii117ld censor #Facebook & social media.&rdqascii117o; He said he sascii117pported the &ldqascii117o;freedom of expression on the internet, jascii117st not crime&rdqascii117o;.
 
Dascii117ring the riots, Cameron said the Government was &ldqascii117o;working with the police, the intelligence services and indascii117stry to look at whether it woascii117ld be right to stop people commascii117nicating via these websites and services&rdqascii117o;. Tim Godwin, the acting commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, told MPs that police had considered trying to take sascii117ch action at the height of the distascii117rbances, bascii117t foascii117nd the &ldqascii117o;legality of that is very qascii117estionable&rdqascii117o;.
 
Separately Shields confirmed that Facebook now has 800 million members worldwide, jascii117st three weeks after the sites foascii117nder and chief , Mark Zascii117ckerberg, annoascii117nced that that the network had 750 million members dascii117ring his f8 speech.

2011-10-15 13:29:22