Superinjunctions make ass of the law

HAS Twitter killed the superinjunction? If you are a celebrity watcher, the chances are that you can google information that this newspaper is legally prohibited from publishing — a situation that makes an ass of the law.

The rise of the so-called superinjunction has made the situation even worse because the media is not even allowed to report on the very existence of these injunctions. Any breach of such an order is contempt of court and could land a newspaper editor in jail.

But, while neither the courts nor politicians show any appetite to tackle the problem, an internet phenomenon may change all that. A single Twitter user has drawn 80,000 followers to a list of celebrities alleged to have taken refuge behind superinjunctions.