So, the PCC has ruled on the @Baskers case, the headline is 'Twitter messages are not private', and Twitter is full of insightful comments along the lines of 'Well, duh' and 'Who knew?'
But when everyone has finished feeling smug, they might like to consider what the real privacy issue is here. This is not about whether a comment made in an open forum is considered publicly available - of course it is. This is about whether there is a public interest in making it into a news story. In the case of @Baskers, there was no news, just tabloid bullying. Hoorah, we are all equally exposed to being selectively quoted to bolster a paranoid and vindictive world view! It is sad that the industry regulator didn't or couldn't recognise this, and it will be even sadder if people kerb their freedom of expression in response to the random attacks of the redtops.
