U.K. Judge Bans Media from Publishing Case Information on Twitter and Facebook

A judge in the U.K. has prohibited media from publishing information on Facebook or Twitter that could reveal the identity of a life-support patient. The injunction also bans the media from publishing information related to the patient’s identity in newspapers, magazines, and other computer networks. This is the first time Twitter and Facebook have been specifically named in an injunction.

However, Twitter and Facebook are both American companies and do not necessarily have to comply with the injunction from the British court. One international media attorney claims that British courts would need to ask U.S. courts to aid in the injunction. Even then, the attorney states, the U.S. courts could not intervene if they determined that the order breached the First Amendment.

See Catherine Smith, Facebook, Twitter Banned in Life-Support Case, Huffington Post, May 14, 2011.

Special thanks to David Luber (attorney, Hollywood, FL) for bringing this article to my attention.