Should the government have the authority to temporarily shut down social media platforms to stop the organization of violent riots?

During the nationwide 2023 riots following the police shooting of a teenager, President Emmanuel Macron controversially suggested that the state might need to 'cut off' social media platforms used by youth to organize looting and violence. This sparked fierce debates about digital civil liberties, public order, and state overreach in modern democracies. Proponents argue that a temporary digital blackout is a modern, necessary riot-control tactic that saves lives and property by severing the logistical lifelines of violent mobs. Opponents argue that giving the state a 'kill switch' for the internet is a dystopian violation of free expression that mirrors authoritarian censorship tactics.