Facebook Removes 'Credible Threats of Violence' After London Riots

Facebook said Thursday afternoon that it has "ensured any credible threats of violence are removed from Facebook" following Prime Minister David Cameron's call for a social media crackdown.
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday that Scotland Yard and intelligence agencies are considering a ban on social media for those known to be plotting violence.
Although public scrutiny has fallen on both Twitter and the Blackberry Messenger private messaging service, chatter about the London riots has also lanced on the world's largest social-networking site. A Facebook representative said that Facebook would meet with the Home Secretary to explain the steps that Facebook has taken.
"We look forward to meeting with the Home Secretary to explain the measures we have been taking to ensure that Facebook is a safe and positive platform for people in the UK at this challenging time," a Facebook spokesman said in an email. "In recent days, we have ensured any credible threats of violence are removed from Facebook and we have been pleased to see the very positive uses millions of people have been making of our service to let friends and family know they are safe and to strengthen their communities."
Cameron has talked tough about cracking down on social media, which it is widely believed was a medium for the rioters, which topped 1,009 individuals at press time. Of those, 464 were charged. The New York Police Department has already set up its own social-media unit, which will monitor online chatter for criminal activity.
"We are working with the Police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality," Cameron said in a speech before the House of Commons.
Cameron did not go into detail about how that might work or how potential offenders would be identified. "Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill," Cameron said. "And when people are using social media for violence we need to stop them."
BlackBerry maker Research in Motion later said it would cooperate with officials should they need lawful access to data related to the riots, prompting hackers to deface the official BlackBerry blog.
Twitter, for its part, told the Daily Mail that it would not close the accounts of suspected rioters.
But Cameron also called out Facebook as a positive influence in remarks he made on Wednesday.
"We have seen the worst of Britain, but I also believe we have seen some of the best of Britain - the million people who have signed up on Facebook to support the police, coming together in the clean-up operations."
Facebook has faced its own threats of violence, of a sort, with a reported concerted attack against the site by "Anonymous" on Guy Fawkes Day, Nov. 5. And the site has also suffered a backlash against the disclosure of mobile-phone contact information, which must be agreed to in its mobile applications.
Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities forbids users from making genuine threats of violence or hate speech. The site has systems in place to manage reports of hate speech or other infractions, and the site prioritizes the review of content that is egregious during sensitive times with a view to further reducing takedown time and discourage bad actors on the site, a spokesman said.