Twitter users served with privacy injunction
By politics.co.uk staff
Twitter has been served with a privacy injunction by lawyers acting for a Premiership footballer, it has been reported.
The story marks an extraordinary moment in the continuing struggle between privacy-seeking celebrities and social media sites.
Details of an alleged affair between the footballer and a reality TV star were publicised by a Twitter account this month, along with several other allegations about other high-profile figures, in a move which many commentators said made a mockery of super-injunctions.
But the new development signals the first legal attempt to shut down the seemingly anarchic nature of social media.
An entity known as 'CTB' is suing Twitter and some of its users over the incident, in case number HQ11X01814 at the high court, according to Bloomberg news agency.
Twitter itself and "persons unknown responsible for the publication of information on the Twitter accounts" are named as defendants in the suit.
The development comes on the same day that a report into super-injunctions was published by the master of rolls.
Respnding to the report, Lord Judge said people who defy legal restrictions and "peddle lies" over the internet should have to pay damages.
