The idea of blocking social media sites to stop the spread of misinformation that leads to riots is a “slippery slope,” according to one industry expert.

Michele Neylon, CEO of the domain registrar company Blacknight, said proving that a site is causing “actual harm” and is "inherently bad" would be challenging from a legal standpoint.

Almost 800 people have been arrested in the UK this month in connection with anti-immigration riots that began as a result of false rumours about a triple murder in Southport.

X owner Elon Musk has also faced criticism for his role in stirring up tensions in the UK, and Simon Harris warned last week that social media companies and their owners would be fined for allowing harmful content on their platforms under new regulations.

Internet service providers

On Breakfast Business with Joe Lynam, Mr Neylon said it would be possible to block the use of particular social media sites in Ireland.

“[Ireland] could force internet service providers (ISPs) to stop accepting or routing traffic to and from them,” he said.

“They could definitely do it, but it wouldn’t be an easy thing to do, and ISPs would push back hard.

“It would be something if there was an imminent threat to life, the ISP could say that no more traffic is going in a particular direction.

“More technical users would be able to get around it, but average users on their phone or laptop probably wouldn’t.”

Elon Musk. Image: AC NewsPhoto/Alamy

Mr Neylon questioned the ethics of such a move.

“Is that really the way we want to do things?” he said.

“It’s problematic because dissenting voices are important.

“It’s an interesting balancing test: do you block out the opinions that you don’t like, or do you try and educate the public a bit more?

“I am one of those people who believes in a free and open internet as much as possible, but at the same time, there are big state actors and powerful companies that can manipulate what we see as reality.”

Pushback

Mr Neylon also said blocking social media sites would lead to pushback.

“It is a slippery slope in some respects,” he said.

“You will need to be able to show that a particular social network is really inherently bad in some way, and that it’s causing a lot of actual harm.”

A man was also arrested yesterday for making threats against Taoiseach Simon Harris using social media.

Main image: Person with fingers on keyboard of laptop. Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire