The alleged affair of Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs with ex-Miss Wales and Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas has caused quite a stir in the cyber world when a Twitter executive announced they are willing to turn over private user information to the UK police for violating the athlete's obtained court ruling against media exposure.

The UK head of Twitter, Tony Tang, declares that the site is ready to adhere to local laws if they were asked to surrender user information such as names, email addresses, and other useful details that might resolve the case. Tang adds that they will notify their users if their information is about to be surrendered. Although Twitter holds no responsibility to defend their users, Twitter is set to defend their users' right to do so, he claims in a tech forum held in Paris after he was asked about the case.

The petition was filed after the weekend boom of 75,000 mentions of Giggs' name in Twitter and because of its approval, anyone who violates the ruling is susceptible to penalties or even jail time depending on their actions. Authorities might find it hard to identify and pinpoint each and every single one of the 75,000 Twitter offenders, but some prominent celebrities, television presenters, radio show hosts and website owners have already been recognized and could face thousands of pounds and dollars in fines.

Ryan Giggs, a married man, filed a petition normally called as a gagging order to prevent tabloids, celebrity shows, and websites to report any information containing his name, Thomas' name, and their said affair. Originally, this kind of court ruling is done in privacy, and prohibits anyone, including the authorities, from announcing the names of people who wanted the protection. The authority of the ruling extends globally, hovering over US-based social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.