During the riots in Britain earlier this month, modern technology and social media were used to co-ordinate looting and destruction, and to outwit the police.

Authorities have since met with leading social networks as part of a probe into how the use of tools like the Blackberry Messenger service, Twitter and Facebook helped co-ordinate the unrest.

But as Britain asserts internet freedoms for rebellious youth in the Middle East, talk of blocking people from using such services locally has many accusing the country of flirting with hypocrisy.

Al Jazeera's Rory Challands reports.