(Image Source: ZDNet)

BY DANNY MATTESON

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Is social media to blame for organizing recent riots in London? Some think so. But they’re not accusing the usual suspects. ABC explains.

“...some observers have noted that the social media that has really helped ‘organize’ the looting is not Twitter or even Facebook, so central to uprisings throughout the Arab world earlier this year. Many of the teenagers running through London's streets are communicating by BlackBerry Messenger.”

So why would rioters use Blackberry Messenger over other far more popular and far reaching social media tools? According to The Next Web UK, it has two distinct advantages. 

“It seems that BlackBerry Messenger is the perfect instant messaging tool for rioters, given that it’s free to use (unlike text messages).... Also, whilst Twitter is very much a public platform, BBM can be used to communicate between groups in private.”

But some observers wonder if that privacy will hold up. Research in Motion, or RIM, the company that makes BlackBerry devices, tweeted this in response to the London riots.

“We feel for those impacted by the riots in London. We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can.”

So how is RIM going to “assist” the authorities? According to writers at TechEYE by giving up private user information. 

“Unfortunately for the rioters there is only one way that RIM can do that. It will provide the cops with decrypted messages from its servers and identify the callers.”

But some think the authorities may have a hard time putting rioters behind bars even with the decrypted messages in hand. The Wall Street Journal explains.

“It could be even difficult to prove, I think, if some of these people are actually on the scene or not. I mean, can you be arrested for shouting fire in a movie theater you’re not in?”

Thankfully, social media has a dual nature. According to Mashable, the same technology that was used to tear London down is being used to build it back up.

“Twitter and Facebook have shown to be the perfect platforms for mobilizing cleanup... The @RiotCleanup Twitter page has amassed more than 50,000 followers... On Facebook, a similar page has emerged as the central location for information...”

In breaking developments ZDNet is reporting that Research in Motion has been hacked for working with the police, and again, it’s not the usual suspects. 

“...for once, it’s not Anonymous or LulzSec behind this security breach but rather an unknown group that is now being referred to as “TeaMp0isoN.”

Follow Newsy for more news on the London riots as they develop.

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