Arrests for ‘offensive’ Twitter and Facebook messages up by a third in London, by Gareth Corfield.

Two-and-a-half thousand Londoners have been arrested over the past five years for allegedly sending “offensive” messages via social media, statistics have revealed.

The full number of arrests made by the Metropolitan Police for alleged breaches of Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 increased by 37 per cent over the last five years.

A breach of section 127 is a criminal offence carrying a potential six month prison term or a fine of up to £5,000.

Arrests For Social Media Posts Surge In London, by Allee Manning.

…Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 … broadly defines illegal communication as “using public electronic communications network in order to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety,” a definition that could, frankly, apply to pretty much every website on earth at some point, particularly Britain’s own Daily Mail.

…the legislation has been used to arrest Twitter users responsible for making racist or anti-Muslim comments.

In Britain, Police Arrest Twitter And Facebook Users If They Make Anti-Muslim Statements, by Jim Edwards.

British police are arresting people in the middle of the night if they have made racist or anti-Muslim comments on Twitter following the murder of a soldier by two Muslims in Woolwich, London. …

The arrests come at the behest of British Muslims, who fear a backlash against them following the death of Rigby, the New York Times says: “The police and Muslim groups have said that there have been anti-Muslim episodes in many parts of the country, the most common involving derogatory messages on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.”