Riots took place in Sunderland and elsewhere in the UK after online disinformation inflamed tensions over immigrationDrik/Getty Images
Last week, police in Pakistan charged a man with cyberterrorism in connection with a misleading news article blamed for inciting riots in the UK. The article falsely claimed that the killing of three girls in Southport, UK, was carried out by an asylum seeker and the misinformation spread rapidly on social media, fuelling anger over immigration.
The threat of online disinformation stirring up real-world trouble is a major worry for governments around the world, and it can be especially hard to…