The Day Freedom to Tweet Died

The news that social networking site Twitter has divulged the email addresses, phone numbers and other details of alleged abusive users to South Tyneside Council will undoubtably send a shiver down the spine of the injunction-breaching masses. The legal request, lodged in the US courts has forced the sit to give up the data, something many thought would not be possible when initiated by claiments from across the otherside of the pond.

The chief suspect in all the mischief making is independent South Shields councillor Ahmed Khan, who was first contacted by Twitter in April in regards to the court action. The ‘Mr Monkey’ account allegedly made grossly defamatory allegations about sitting members of the Council, incuding accusations of illegal drug use. These are stressful allegations indeed, but does it really take £75,000 of taxpayers’ cash to put an end to it?

This successful action will certainly make would-be injunction breakers think twice before pressing the enter button when naming a celebrity caught in a sordid scandal. It will also dispel the incredibly dangerous myth that social networking sites are somehow immune from the rule of law. But for millions of Twitter users who thought they had discovered the ultimate portal for incredibly free speech, it will hit them like a bucket of cold water.

Silicon Roundabout’s TweetDeck Windfall

Nothing I love to see more than an Old Street based tech start-up becoming so sexy that it gets snapped up by a US giant in a multimillion pound deal. Against the backdrop of the Obama visit, it appears that the US-UK special relationship is incredibly strong indeed. Many of the reports are saying that on its own, Tweetdeck had failed to turn a profit, but when you look at the final outcome, I guess that isn’t such a big issue.

I spent a couple of days last week enjoying far too many glasses of wine with a couple of tech journalists who were even more pro-Silicon roundabout than me, which is a rare thing. There are many who are undoubtedly sceptical about the UK’s ability to compete with our US cousins on the technology field. But this sale proves that after all is said and done, our tech wiz kids on Old Street are capturing global headlines with their innovations and ideas, which can only be a good thing.

Ryan Giggs Took on Twitter, and Lost

It is perhaps a cruel irony that after weeks of internet speculation, anonymous blog posts and fake twitter accounts blabbing the unspeakable, it was in the end a crusty old fashioned MP that sealed Ryan Giggs’ fate. The injunction which gagged the national media from reporting anything about the raunchy romp with Big Brother beauty Imogen Thomas was in some people’s eyes always doomed to fail. But it has to be said that the incredibly foolish attempt to sue Twitter and its millions of users undoubtedly accelerated the desire to name him in the House of Commons.

Alas, the injunction function doesn’t stop there. I know of a married actor who had a six month fling with ex-Rooney mistress Helen Wood, a TV personality whose lover quit the programme they were both in after an affair, also another celebrity who has gagged an ex-employee and most amusingly a comedian who was caught visiting a bondage parlour. All of these stories are protected by High Court injunctions, and anyone that breaches them on UK soil, whether in public or over the internet could face jail for contempt of court.

At the end of the day, social media is a tool of the masses and the general public don’t like being told what not to say. It can therefore only be a matter of time before the additional injunctions are breached and the floodgates open. Ryan Giggs managed to achieve the unthinkable, posing for family photographs, whilst simultaneously launching legal action that would only end with his identity being exposed. A word of warning to all of the rich and famous – the social media revolution is here to stay.

Suing the world? Can you Imogen it!

Twitter seems to have exploded today, with the footballer who scored with Big Brother star Imogen Thomas being names in nearly every post by approximately 1,000 different users. It certainly looks like the social media revolution is in full swing, with the masses rising up to say no to the bourgeoisie. It really is a foolish thing of [INJUNCTED] to do this, what the heck was he thinking?

Own goal: footy star attempts to sue Twitter over injunction breach

The football star who had a six-month fling with Big Brother celebrity Imogen Thomas has now formally taken legal action against US-based Twitter and ‘persons unknown’. This battle looks set to be long and bloody, with the UK court’s draconian defamation laws attempting to do battle with the US First Amendment. Legal experts have already warned that Twitter could simply laugh off the claims, which have infuriated the online community.

As I’ve mentioned before, the only real chance of the star securing any kind action against the anonymous posters would be to serve electronic papers to the user accounts breaching the injunction via direct message. This then leads to an IP address, which can be traced to the service provider etc.

Doubtless this attempted action will add some light relief to the other celebrities in the dock, the household name who was caught shagging a co-star, the actor who was having it off with Helen Wood and more recently the TV personality who is visits spanking establishments.

This really is a spectacular own goal by the football star, he is now drawing even more attention to himself and the Imogen case than ever before. Go on Imogen, speak out.

I’m surprised Ryan Giggs wasn’t named as player of the year

Manchester United's official Player of the Year Awards are without doubt a key event. The lavish ceremony is an opportunity to honour the talents of some of the team’s most distinguished football stars. His experience, skills and dedication make him a household name, but alas, Mr Giggs fell short on this one. The photographs were indeed excellent, but what on earth was he holding in this left hand?

Will the media obsession with Pippa ever end?

Weeks on and the national obsession with Pippa Middleton’s bottom appears to be growing, not shrinking. This fascination has party been fuelled by the social media revolution that has enabled mischievous users to create a series of fan sites on Facebook where users can ‘like’ Miss Middleton’s behind. I was most amused this morning to discover that her rear even has its own dedicated Twitter feed which boasts over 2,000 followers from across the globe.

To top it off, the Mirror appears to have found a new angle on the story in today’s paper, revealing exactly how the maid of honour keeps herself trim. Will this obsession ever end? Not likely.

Why Chris Huhne IS Guilty…

There’s one thing we know Huhne IS guilty of – and that’s his horrendous media management against the backdrop of allegations in the Sunday papers that he forced his wife to take points for speeding. The headlines were inflamed further when it was revealed his estranged wife Vicky Pryce was the one who taped him, ouch. To top it off, the nationals also carried stories yesterday reporting that during the incident in question, Pryce was at a posh economists’ dinner in the city centre and would have had to be superwoman to get there in time to get snapped by the speed camera. Yet Huhne stands by his story. The one thing we can deduce from this whole fiasco is someone is telling porky pies, the question is – who?

So how does one respond to such devastating allegations to limit the damage? We spoke to Daniel Hamilton, Director of Big Brother Watch this morning who seemed equally concerned about Huhne’s performance, “From a media relations perspective, his statement refuting the allegations was a disaster. Delivered at break-neck speed in a dimly lit corridor, Huhne's washed-out appearance served only to communicate to the public the level of stress and discomfort he was in.”

“It was about as far from the type of upbeat, defiant and self-confident performance politician convinced of his own innocence would have turned in as possible,” he added.

Indeed, Mr Huhne’s performance did have somewhat of a ‘dead man walking’ tone to it, whether that was his intention of now. It’s also noticeable that David Cameron appears to be swiftly distancing himself from the whole sorry mess. We’ll end by echoing a final note from Hamilton’s comments, which hit the nail squarely on the head. “It's no longer a question of if Huhne will go - but how long it's going to take. Do yourself, your (erstwhile) supporters and your family a favour, Chris - and resign".

Is it time for Imogen to breach her injunction?

The sight of a tearful Imogen Thomas sat on the This Morning sofa telling the world how her reputation had been trashed whilst the rich footballer with whom she had a six-month fling is safely hiding behind a gagging order, would shake even the toughest of viewers. The debate around the use of privacy laws to block embarrassing stories which could harm or humiliate families have proved incredibly controversial over the last few weeks. It is also important to note that these are not allegations of defamation, whereby the court order claims the account of Miss Thomas is untrue. Actually, the very fact that the loophole of ‘privacy’ is being drawn upon to gag the former Big Brother star is effectively an admission of guilt by the other party involved, saying it did happen, but if you report it then the story would breach my privacy.

There have been numerous injunctions granted to a series of public names recently, but few have captured the interest and imagination of the Imogen Thomas case. This is party because of her media-friendly image, which has included a stream of stories and snaps from freelance photographers as the national media have watched her struggle again the wealthy footy star. What is also most striking about this case is that this is one of the first court orders to be officially breached via social networking site Twitter. A hastily whipped up Twitter account has proceeded in revealing the names of those who have taken legal action to stop their names hitting the press, but the account has also made at least two glaring errors in the identification process, causing a great deal of stress for others who have nothing to do with the super injunction farce.

Many media commentators have claimed that Twitter, which is based in San Francisco, is outside of UK jurisdiction and therefore free to allow these comments to be published. In legal terms this is indeed true, but completely overlooks the fact that users of the site are publishing content in the public domain and thus liable for a breach of the court order if they reside within the UK. Every computer has a footprint or an IP address, and users eagerly posting behind the assumed wall of anonymity should tread carefully. Legal papers have been served via an URL sent in a direct message over Twitter before, the moment you click on the link, your computer’s unique number will be logged. It only takes a few more steps before your service provider is forced to reveal your name and home address and thus you are served with papers for breaching a court order and could end up in jail.

But rather than have a series of vigilantes naming and shaming all the wrong people, it would be better for Imogen to confirm the name of the man herself, thus breaching the court order and opening the floodgates for more stories. Imogen can and will win this battle in court, and that’s the court of public opinion. In doing so, she will set a new benchmark for free speech and destroy the draconian privacy laws that have hampered our national media for so long.