The internet has spawned a new level of violence and intolerance that is truly frightening.

It is my view that extreme literature and images, easily available at the click of a switch, are encouraging a significant minority to commit acts of hatred that leave us all in shock and disbelief.

Nothing could better underline my point than the appalling massacre of 50 Muslims at prayer last week in Christchurch, New Zealand.

At their most vulnerable, and unguarded, they were easy prey for the violent, white supremacist who gunned them down.

This horrendous act was filmed and streamed live online by the killer’s body camera.

Despite urgent attempts to halt it, the footage went viral and still, seven days on, is available.

The host internet platforms are reportedly wringing their hands, claiming they are unable to put the genie back in the bottle, with new sites springing up as soon as others are quashed.

This is utterly unacceptable.

The influence of these giants is all pervasive, their earnings limitless, yet they claim to be powerless.

It’s already well documented the harm that extreme online content can do to impressionable young minds.

But now there’s evidence that some social media sites are fomenting terror and fanning the flames of extremism.

While ISIS infamously harnessed the power of the internet to recruit and inspire, the other side is equally virulent.

The New Zealand murderer frequented several notorious white supremacist sites, where paranoia spreads like wildfire and new posts add oxygen to the flames.

Accessibility and use of the internet are linked to hate crimes, attacks on minorities and refugees, with the UK, Germany and Scandinavia particularly implicated.

What clearly can be a force for good, also feeds the dispossessed, the angry and those who are easily tipped over the edge.