It’s official: Twitter breaks down as super injunction scandal goes into overdrive.
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Following the naming and shaming of Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs (pictured) as the man behind the super injunction that has divided Britain, Twitter may be getting more than it bargained for.
Punters wishing to log on this morning have been met with this greeting: “Twitter is over capacity. Please wait a moment and try again.”
Its visitor numbers spiked more than 22 per cent at the weekend according to Experian Hitwise figures as the public flocked to the site to determine the identity of the footballer behind the super injunction against the social network. Giggs’ lawyers served a banning order against Twitter last week.
This marked the busiest day in history for the site with “Ryan Giggs suing Twitter” the fourth most popular search keywords.
This traffic was 10 per cent higher than its previous busiest day, May 9th, when a site purporting to name all celebrities currently holding super injunction emerged.
One SmartAlec, posing as Chelsea footballer, Frank Lampard, wrote on the site: “Ryan Giggs is suing Twitter. I can’t Imogen why.”
Giggs, whose name had already been published around 75,000 times to date as the identity behind the injunction, was seeking to prevent Twitter from publishing his name any further as the married man who allegedly had an affair with former Big Brother star Imogen Thomas.
Thomas, who had already been publicly revealed by media, was not covered by the super injunction.
However, the revelations could bite Twitter where it hurts as UK politicians are to review the regulations surrounding social media, pledging a “balance between privacy and freedom of expression” as celebrities seek to protect their privacy despite the advent of free speech and uncensored sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Considering social media is still a new phenomena It could also work in its favour and prevent celebs like Giggs seeking to muzzle it in the future.
The sex scandal also sent fury thorough British media, who were prevented from uncovering the scandal, following the granting of the super injunction by British courts.
However, Giggsy’s lawyers need not have wasted their time as British Liberal Democrat MP, John Hemming, publicly named and shamed the footballer yesterday in the House of Commons using parliamentary privilege.
