Russell Brand tweets - and removes - phone number of Daily Mail reporter quizzing him on his taxes
Russell Brand has found himself at the centre of another online debacle after posting the contact information of a Daily Mail reporter, looking to quiz him on his tax arrangements, on Twitter.
The comedian tweeted the phone number and email address of Daily Mail reporter Neil Sears after he passed a business card through Brand’s mother’s letterbox. Brand removed the tweet, featuring an image of the business card, from his account followed by 8.7 million users after 40 minutes.
The now-removed tweet, could be legally contentious with a tax avoidance allegation targeted at the publication’s owner Lord Rothermere. It said: “Lord Rothermere and @DailyMailUK avoid tax. One of their senior reporters wants to talk about it.”
In a later tweet, Brand apologised, explaining that the reporter had approached his mother’s home.
That was a bit nuts. He put it thru me door with "please call" on it. They're bothering me Mum. Deleted it. I'm human.
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) December 8, 2014
Brand could face a Twitter ban for posting the private information of the reporter which may breach the social network's rules which state: "You may not publish or post other people's private and confidential information, such as credit card numbers, street address or Social Security/National Identity numbers, without their express authorization and permission."
Of late, Brand has been on the receiving end of a campaign of tabloid attacks for his views on society as a whole.
Last week, the Sun published an article called "20 Reasons Why Russell Brand is the Biggest Hypocrite in Britain". The newspaper even dropped its paywall to ensure the story had as many viewers as possible.