Indy poll shows public want Twitter regulated

Over half of the public (54 percent) polled for the Independent on privacy and gagging orders agreed the Government "should ensure greater regulation of the internet and social media like Twitter to protect people's rights to privacy" - with 40 per cent disagreeing with that statement.

Support for tougher curbs on material published online is higher among Labour and Liberal Democrat voters (each 58 per cent) than Conservative voters (50 per cent).

Almost three-quarters of voters (70 per cent) agreed that courts had been "too willing to grant injunctions to enable the rich and famous to protect their private lives", with just 25 per cent disagreeing.

The ComRes survey finds that nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of the public believed that "celebrities and sports stars owe their lifestyle to their public profile so they should not complain about intrusion into their private lives", while 30 per cent disagreed.