Fri 27th of May 2011, filed under Social Media
Lord Sugar Twitter comment attracts attention from Attorney General
The potential pitfalls of celebrities using social media channels such as Twitter have come to the fore once more – with the spotlight now falling on business mogul star of The Apprentice, Lord Sugar.
Attorney General Dominic Grieve is set to examine a tweet made by Lord Sugar in regards to a high-profile trial – the expenses case against Lord Taylor of Warwick – amid concerns it may have an unfair influence on the jury.
Mr Justice Saunders made Grieve aware of the January tweet, and said: "I was concerned that if seen by a juror it might influence their approach to the case."
He added that the referral was not a means of taking action against Sugar himself, but more an investigation into any potential effect Twitter could have on the fairness of a trial.
Twitter trouble
The news comes as the head of Twitter in Europe has revealed that users who break local laws using the website could find themselves in trouble.
Speaking at the e-G8 conference in Paris, Twitter official Tony Wang said that users would be notified if legal requests were made for their details. However, this may prove a difficult policy for the company to enforce, as Twitter currently only requires very few details before an account can be opened. As a result, the social networking service may look to bolster its requirements at registration.
