Why John Swinney's intervention again shows misinformation is the greatest threat to democracy

Such was the speculation online over the identity of the accused in the Southport case that judge Andrew Menary took the rare step of allowing the naming Axel Rudakubana, the 17-year-old boy charged with the murders of the three girls killed in the knife attack.

Judge Menary told the court the measure was designed to curb the spread of misinformation. False claims had spread online the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.

However, the measure has done little to douse the unrest that has violently erupted across the country.

Police over the weekend were confronted by fresh riots in Rotherham, Hull and Middlesbrough – but Scotland has not been spared from the scourge of misinformation.

First Minister John Swinney was forced to intervene yesterday, describing speculation over the identity of the accused in a stabbing incident in Stirling as “unhelpful”.

Police Scotland had taken the unusual step of identifying the suspect as “a white man and local to the Stirling area”, after a rumour suggesting the attacker had been Muslim was promoted online by Tommy Robinson, the founder of the English Defence League.

The very real threat to public order will require calm heads and real leadership – and that leadership must start with decisive legislative action against the social media firms at the root of the problem.

Other Western nations have already taken action. In Australia, the government is drafting legislation that would hold digital platforms accountable for harmful misinformation and disinformation online, in the wake of two horrific knife attacks in Sydney.

Our political leaders, including those here in Scotland, will need to act with similar speed and purpose to prevent the disturbing scenes witnessed in recent days from getting far, far worse.