<p> The Internet is not a law-free zone, the British government's top law officer warned Twitter users yesterday, adding that he would not hesitate to take action over offending posts.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Attorney General Dominic Grieve, the government's chief legal advisor in England and Wales, spoke out following a series of high-profile court cases involving postings made on the micro-blogging site.<br /><br />"If somebody goes down to the pub with printed sheets of paper and hands it out, that's no different than if somebody goes and does a tweet," Grieve told BBC radio.<br />"The idea that you have immunity because you're an anonymous tweeter is a big mistake.<br />"I don't want to take action but if I think it is necessary to prevent crime, such as racially aggravated harassment, then I won't hesitate to do it."<br /><br />A student who mocked English Premier League footballer Fabrice Muamba on Twitter after he collapsed on the pitch with a heart attack in March was jailed for 56 days after admitting a racially aggravated public order offence.<br /><br />Some 17 arrests have been made in connection with the alleged naming on Twitter of the woman that Wales footballer Ched Evans was last month convicted of raping.<br /><br />In March, former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns won a libel action against ex-Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi in the first libel action heard in England against a post on Twitter.<br /><br />Judge David Bean dismissed fixing allegations levelled against the cricketer by Modi, leaving Modi facing a bill of more than USD 800,000.<br /><br />Grieve said the government did not need to create new laws as existing ones already make it illegal to "grossly offend" or "cause distress"</p>
<p> The Internet is not a law-free zone, the British government's top law officer warned Twitter users yesterday, adding that he would not hesitate to take action over offending posts.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Attorney General Dominic Grieve, the government's chief legal advisor in England and Wales, spoke out following a series of high-profile court cases involving postings made on the micro-blogging site.<br /><br />"If somebody goes down to the pub with printed sheets of paper and hands it out, that's no different than if somebody goes and does a tweet," Grieve told BBC radio.<br />"The idea that you have immunity because you're an anonymous tweeter is a big mistake.<br />"I don't want to take action but if I think it is necessary to prevent crime, such as racially aggravated harassment, then I won't hesitate to do it."<br /><br />A student who mocked English Premier League footballer Fabrice Muamba on Twitter after he collapsed on the pitch with a heart attack in March was jailed for 56 days after admitting a racially aggravated public order offence.<br /><br />Some 17 arrests have been made in connection with the alleged naming on Twitter of the woman that Wales footballer Ched Evans was last month convicted of raping.<br /><br />In March, former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns won a libel action against ex-Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi in the first libel action heard in England against a post on Twitter.<br /><br />Judge David Bean dismissed fixing allegations levelled against the cricketer by Modi, leaving Modi facing a bill of more than USD 800,000.<br /><br />Grieve said the government did not need to create new laws as existing ones already make it illegal to "grossly offend" or "cause distress"</p>
