Facebook and Twitter users warned they could be breaking law by discussing on-going court cases Attorney General said online posts could be in contempt of court Like media, wider public will be banned from passing comment publicly Warnings on particular cases sent to media will be published on Twitter The warnings have been designed to ensure a fair trial takes place By Jack Doyle Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC, said anyone posting remarks about a particular case online could be in contempt of court Facebook and Twitter users have been warned they could be breaking the law by posting online comments about on-going court cases. The Government's chief legal officer, Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC, said anyone posting remarks about a particular case online could be in contempt of court. While court cases are in progress, newspapers and other media organisations are required to comply with reporting rules - so the case is fair. Information about defendants from outside court, as well as comments on innocence and guilt, are banned. Anyone who breaks them can be hauled before a judge, charged and even jailed. In future, warnings on particular cases sent to media will be published on Twitter by the Attorney General's Office - so the wider public are aware of the dangers of passing comment in public. Mr Grieve said the advisory notices, which have previously been issued only to print and broadcast media outlets on a "not for publication" basis, are designed to make sure that fair trials take place. Mr Grieve said: "Blogs and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook mean that individuals can now reach thousands of people with a single tweet or post. This is an exciting prospect, but it can pose certain challenges to the criminal justice system. In days gone by, it was only the mainstream media that had the opportunity to bring information relating to a court case to such a large group of people that it could put a court case at risk. In future, warnings on particular cases sent to media will be published on Twitter by the Attorney General's Office - so the wider public are aware of the dangers of passing comment in public That is no longer the case and is why I have decided to publish the advisories that I have previously only issued to the media. This is not about telling people what they can or cannot talk about on social media - quite the opposite in fact, it's designed to help facilitate commentary in a lawful way. I hope that by making this information available to the public at large, we can help stop people from inadvertently breaking the law, and make sure that cases are tried on the evidence, not what people have found online. The advisories will be published on the Attorney General's Office (AGO) section of the gov.uk website and also through the AGO's twitter feed - @AGO-UK.