Twitter opens London office amid Premier League footballer super-injunction storm

Microblogging site Twitter is preparing to open an office in London as it faces potential legal sanctions after users flouted a UK super-injunction granted to a Premier League footballer.

The sports star applied for the super-injunction to prevent his name being published in connection with an affair with Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas, but thousands of Twitter users have named him in posts.

Despite being sued by the footballer, Twitter is advertising several positions in the UK, including an account executive and a communications manager, according to The Telegraph.

But lawyers have indicated that, if Twitter opens an office in the UK, it may find itself more tightly bound by Britain's strict libel laws, the paper said.

In the past, Twitter has argued that, because it is based in the US, it abides by US law and any legal challenges would have to be made under the US Communications Decency Act.

In terms of the Act, web companies are not liable for what their users post, which means the Twitter posts about the footballer would be considered legal in the US.

But the issue gets murkier across borders, says the New York Times.

In a report issued last week, the UK's most senior judge, Lord Chief Justice, Igor Judge, said that people who flout injunctions online could be liable, the paper noted.

He said ways had to be found to prevent the misuse of modern technology.