Social media expert concerned Vancouver riot could set precedent for Internet surveillance | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com
Alexandra Samuel, the director of the Social and Interactive Media Centre at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, said that while she’d like to see “every last one of these folks prosecuted”, she’s concerned about the public way in which riot participants are being identified.
Facebook and Tumblr pages have sprung up encouraging users to upload photos of riot instigators and identify them.
“I think we need to differentiate between using social media to hold law enforcement and to hold abuses accountable, and using social media as an extension of the state’s role in law enforcement,” Samuel told the Straight by phone.
