Law

The Manchester striker Federico Macheda has been fined £15,000 ($24,000) for admitting to tweeting a homophobic slur.

This is the latest in a series of fines – many of which have been slapped on sports figures – for inappropriate tweeting.
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A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Twitter must hand over the identity of a user who made threats against Michelle Bachmann on the network.
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In a strange case that seems more money-hungry than concerned about justice, a Melbourne Australia man is suing Twitter for being the outlet on which defamatory tweets were posted about him.
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The Communications and Information Minister of Indonesia has said that anyone found tweeting content that violates the law could face between 7 and 12 years in prison.
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“Crap! Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!” 

That’s the tweet that got trainee accountant Paul Chambers a criminal record, earning him the title of first British citizen to be convicted for something he tweeted. However, Chambers isn’t going down without a fight, and has challenged the conviction in the UK high court.
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Brazilian authorities are pretty peeved at Twitter. Apparently, users are tweeting to warn each other of traffic checkpoints, radar guns and other safety precautions on the roads – and this has made Brazil mad enough to sue the company for facilitating certain law-breaking accounts.
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Amnesty International is urging South Korea to release a man they have in custody. And his crime? Retweeting their Northern enemy.
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It’s a good thing SOPA didn’t pass, or else over 4,000 Twitter users would be facing some serious legal troubles… and, in all likelihood, so would Twitter itself.
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Twitter and Facebook present unique challenges and opportunities for law enforcement. They can provide insight into illicit communication between terrorists… or they can give Homeland Security a reason to flip out over a joke.
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New privacy legislation proposed in the European Union will require Twitter, Facebook, Google and other mega internet companies to delete all user data if that user wishes it deleted – or else face hefty fines.
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