Social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook have rapidly become the organizing platforms for protest movements throughout the world.

But the BlackBerry Messenger service has proven to be the network of choice among those staying on top of the riots and looting that have gripped London in the past two days, according to a report from TechCrunch.

BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM, provides users several advantages over other social media platforms. BlackBerry users are able to communicate privately, via the BBM service. Users simply exchange their PIN numbers assigned to their BlackBerry phones. User’s can quickly set up chat groups, by sharing those PIN numbers via traditional social networks or through non-public SMS text messages.

According to TechCrunch, the lower cost of BlackBerry phones compared to iPhone and Android smartphones have made them the preferred phone of Britain’s disaffected youth. While iPhone is more popular among the 25-34 year old set in Britain, 37% of 16-24 year and an equal percentage of 12-15 year olds favor BlackBerrys, in large part because of the free BlackBerry messenger service, according to a study by Ofcom, and indpendent regulator for the United Kingdom’s communications industry.

A search on Twitter for phrases associated with the riots and also containing “BBM” reveals just how much the organisational loop has been created on the BlackBerry network, TechCrunch noted.