The headlines on Thursday were adamant: a meeting of the National Assembly Planning Committee, held via Zoom, had been “hacked”, with members allegedly subjected to pornographic images and racist abuse.

At first blush it seemed a clear-cut case of digital skulduggery. But while the internet is home to many awful people, it is also a repository of wisdom, such as the aphorism: never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. ..