Taming the Wild West

ONE of the most important roles of the internet is as a bastion of free speech which can defy government censorship. In the same way, Britain’s liberal immigration policy has meant that, for a century or more, this nation has provided a refuge for political firebrands whose views are unwelcome in their own countries.

The advent of Islamist radicalism, however, has resulted in both these platforms of free speech becoming badly abused. Abu Hamza, the radical Muslim cleric serving a jail sentence for inciting murder and racial hatred, claims that his own sermons made no contribution to radicalisation. Yet, if that was the case, it was hardly for the want of trying.

A more telling point, however, in the report by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee is the claim that the internet is a breeding-ground for terrorism. Indeed, as the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, Sir Norman Bettison, says, it is “the latter-day Wild West”, a lawless world of open frontiers.

However, even though governments have struggled to claim dominion over this new territory, Sir Norman’s experience is that the internet can still be policed by consent. As the head of a unit set up to investigate potentially dangerous websites, he has overseen the removal of 273 sites and pages in the last 18 months, not through confrontation or prosecution, but through patient negotiation with service providers.

As the MPs’ report makes clear, the triggers for terrorism come in an endless array of guises. Even if the internet were shut down, Islamist terror would still continue. But persistent policing can play a crucial role in preserving the web for those who would use its freedoms wisely.