UK Public Prosecutor Cautions Against Retweets

In an address to London School of Economics on the issue of social media, Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC responded to an audience member who asked: "Is it an offence to retweet something grossly offensive?" The DPP replied: "You retweet, you commit an offence under the Act." The offence falls under Section 127 of the Communications Act, which outlaws sending a tweet that is "grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character".