The political debate about the role of the internet in terrorism, following three attacks in the UK, has become confused. It is driven by frustration on one side that the ethics, values and legalities of the real world are not simply applied online. On the other, politicians of all parties do not always understand the technology or the economics of the internet and are portrayed as asking for the impossible.

But it is in the interests of both sides — and all of us — that the internet is not a values-free zone. Technology is morally neutral, but providers and consumers are not. The digital and “real” worlds are not separate, they are the same. If we are to preserve the freedom of the internet, the greatest achievement of this age, we need to meet this challenge. How to do so is complex and needs untangling.

There are two separate complaints about the internet: that it facilitates covert communication between terrorists through encrypted messaging, and that it enables the spread of radicalising propaganda by hosting extremist material.