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    Woman who first shared fake Southport suspect rumour that sparked riots arrested
    United Kingdom

    Woman who first shared fake Southport suspect rumour that sparked riots arrested

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    13 Comments

    1. OriginalZumbie on

      This feels a bit over the top, I guess it’s to send a message. What are they going to charge her with?

    2. Ruin_In_The_Dark on

      ‘Ali Al-Shakati **was** the suspect, he was an asylum seeker who came to the UK by boat last year and was on an MI6 watch list. **If** this is true, then all hell is about to break loose.’

      From “it’s definitely this guy” to “if I’m not talking baseless shit” in two sentences.

    3. ratttertintattertins on

      > It’s a stark reminder of the dangers of posting information on social media platforms without checking the accuracy

      I saw some speculation yesterday on this sub that she’d maybe be prosecuted under the 2023 Online safety bill.

      I’m curious if anyone knows if this is the first time this has happened. A person arrested for posting/reposting bullshit claims? I can’t think of another case quite like it.

    4. Donaldbeag on

      The hope not hate guy who tweeted fake reports of acid attacks will be bricking it when he sees what happens here

    5. lordnacho666 on

      So, what’s the worst that can happen? She gets a fine? Jail time? Someone tell us, or spread a rumor about what might happen, please.

    6. 8u11etpr00f on

      I agree that there need to be measures put in place to stop ‘fake news’ but it’s hard to know where to draw the line. There are so many genuinely thick people in this country who will repeat whatever they hear in order to seem ‘in the know’, it’s nigh impossible to know if they maliciously made it up or not.

    7. Such_Significance905 on

      Surely this has to end with more regulation of the social media companies.

      A huge part of why people post this kind of bullshit is that they receive adulation/influence/swagger/likes/points for doing so.

      This, combined with how Elon Musk is actively baiting the UK government seems to obviously lead to proper regulation in in the near future.

    9. honkballs on

      I wonder where the buck stops… she said a friend from Southport told her it, (if true) maybe she thought that was a reliable enough source…

      Is an online newspaper an official enough source? What if I repeat something I read on the telegraph and it turns out not to be true, am I liable for the lie I just distributed?

      Will people need hard first hand evidence before ever making a claim online now and speculation is illegal?

    11. ExpressAffect3262 on

      Honestly, this feels just absolutely stupid.

      To sole point the finger at this person as the result of the riots feels absolute barbaric.

      When the news broke, my local news outlet had comments filled with “Police aren’t telling us the identity because it’s probably an immigrant”. I imagine there were thousands more saying the same thing online, at the same time, without it coming from the above person.

    12. ApplicationCreepy987 on

      Whilst I have no sympathy for her, I query we are potentially threatening jail for the gullible who just fall for all misinformation. We need to target the sources.