The riots across the UK were – in part – fuelled by a series of digital deceptions which spread like wildfire on social media.
They have raged for a fortnight but were sparked by false claims online that an asylum seeker had carried out the Southport stabbings.
This false story appealed not only to the far right, but also to young, disaffected young men and women who turned up to cause mayhem.
The pace of the spread of disinformation, and the ease at which some believed it, is a major concern for the government and law enforcement.
But it is not a new concern.
Read more: Last photo of Southport victim as hundreds line streets for funeral
The government says that while social media can be a force for good it comes with huge risks.
It has already enshrined into law ways in which people can and should be protected by online harms.
But the latest series of incidents has highlighted major shortcomings.
Jordan Parlour was the first person to be sent to jail for his social media posts during the riots. Pic: West Yorkshire Police
These shortcomings have been, in the immediate term, addressed by traditional means: harsh sentences handed down by judges and communities coming together to deter the far right from causing trouble in towns and cities.
But measures to curb online harm are far more complex.
The government now says it wants children to learn about fake news, online information and how to check facts from the moment they step foot in school.
This could deter youngsters from believing everything they read and making poor decisions as a result.
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The government has social media platforms in its sights as incitement spreads – and the X owner Elon Musk seems to be limbering up for a fight.
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His posts claiming “civil war was inevitable” in the UK following the riots have been condemned. But he’s also shared posts that turned out to be untrue, including one that claimed rioters would be sent to “emergency detainment camps” on the Falklands.
So even the man in charge of one of the world’s biggest and most influential social media platforms seems not to be immune from being duped by fake posts.
