Samenvatting

This article examines developments concerning ‘online-driven public disturbances’ and their impact on the role of the mayor. In the future, such disturbances will occur not only offline but increasingly online as well. Mayors possess significant authority in public order management, yet they lack pre-emptive online intervention powers. The article first reviews the past fifteen years and then discusses two future scenarios. In the first scenario, the mayor has no online powers and depends on other agencies. In the second scenario, the mayor is endowed with the ability to combat online troublemakers. The future of public order management, both online and offline, will influence the mayor’s authority and overall public safety. Upcoming decisions will also affect the balance between privacy and security, and the influence that major tech companies exert on local governance.