Twitter account identity revealed
Mr Monkey
In a groundbreaking case of huge potential, a British person using a different account name in a twitter account has had his account details disclosed based on a court order against his consent. This was not a decision of the English courts but instead based on a California court ruling.
The underlying issue related to allegedly defamatory comments made about decisions made by South Tyneside Council by a twitter account in the name of “Mr Monkey”.
A person using a twitter account in a different name may still not use his or her real name when setting up a twitter account, but there does have to be a related email address and information may also reveal which computer has been used to make postings which can link an individual to an account.
Based on these criteria, the spotlight in terms of the Mr Monkey account has fallen on Mr Ahmed Khan, who is a South Tyneside Councillor. Mr Khan denies that he is responsible for the twitter postings in question but is known to be a critic of the Council from within.
South Tyneside Council is believed to have spent about £75,000.00 on this case. It appears that Mr Khan is now also considering applying for judicial review.
