COMMENT | By all accounts, it is a frightening scenario. The riots in England were caused by a man sitting about 8,500km away in Lahore, Pakistan.

How did he do it? From his studio, where he worked as a web designer, Farhan Asif used YouTube and Facebook to spread misinformation about the British teenage suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three girls and injured 10 other people on July 29 at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport.

Violent disorder then broke out in Southport before spreading to towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland, fuelled by misinformation, the far-right, and anti-immigration sentiment.

Farhan was linked to a website that gave a false name for the suspected Southport attacker and suggested incorrectly that...