Social Links: Russia’s threat to block Facebook; Google’s publisher-friendly move; a cease-and-desist letter worth emulating
- As part of a new tracking system, the Department of Homeland Security will be keeping records of immigrants’ social media handles and search results. Russia to Facebook: Turn over user-information or risk being blocked. Google is ending a policy that required news sites to... ›
Yes, the Trolley IS a Problem
Recently, the “trolley problem,” a decades-old thought experiment in moral philosophy, has been enjoying a second career of sorts, appearing in nightmare visions of a future in which cars make life-and-death decisions for us. Among many driverless car experts, however, talk of trolleys is... ›- - Advertising, Artificial Intelligence, European Union, FTC, Influencer Marketing, Privacy, UK, Employment Law, Online Endorsements
Social Links: Social media influencers earn big bucks for endorsements, while the FTC settles a suit against influencers; European court sides with employee axed over emails reviewed by employer
By: Aaron P. Rubin
In 2016, brands spent $570 million on social influencer endorsements on Instagram alone. This recode article takes a looks at how much influencers with certain followings can command, and whether they’re worth the investment. And don’t overlook the legal issues associated with the use... › The Blockchain Revolution
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Blockchain is shaping up as one of the most disruptive IT technologies since the Internet itself, with broad-ranging applications that could transform businesses across the spectrum. Companies that ignore the opportunities—and challenges—created by blockchain and cryptocurrencies may find themselves left behind as more nimble... ›Social Links: Bills that would take a bite out of §230; court opinion on social media & ethics; using evidence on social media to determine unemployment benefits eligibility
By: Aaron P. Rubin
A federal appeals court in Miami held that a judge needn’t necessarily recuse herself from a case being argued by a lawyer with whom the judge is merely Facebook “friends.” Bills in both houses of Congress propose amending Section 230 of the Communications Decency... ›More Insight From the FTC on Data Security—or More of the Same?
By: Julie O'Neill
Recent challenges to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) authority to police data security practices have criticized the agency’s failure to provide adequate guidance to companies. In other words, the criticism goes, businesses do not know what they need to do to avoid a charge... ›Zazzle Fizzles: Website Operator Denied Copyright Safe Harbor Protection for Its Sale of Physical Products Featuring User-Generated Images
We discussed last year the trend toward companies seeking to monetize user-generated content. A recent Central District of California decision in Greg Young Publishing, Inc. v. Zazzle, Inc. serves as an important reminder of the serious risks that can arise from seeking to commercially... ›In-Depth Report: Privacy + Data Security
By: Aaron P. Rubin
As Socially Aware readers know, privacy and data security issues are among the most critical legal issues confronting companies that do business online. With ransomware attacks and hacking incidents on the rise, and with privacy and data security laws becoming increasingly burdensome, companies are... ›Social Links: A seminal opinion on web scraping; Obama breaks Twitter record; court holds state’s subpoena law applies to digital communications
By: Aaron P. Rubin
In an opinion granting a preliminary injunction preventing LinkedIn from blocking a startup’s use of information in LinkedIn profiles accessible to the entire public, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California expressed doubts that a federal anti-hacking law—the Computer Fraud &... ›Could the Use of Online Volunteers and Moderators Increase Your Company’s Copyright Liability Exposure?
With over one billion websites on the Internet, and 211 million items of online content created every minute , it should come as no surprise that content curation is one of the hottest trends in the Internet industry. We are overwhelmed with online content,... ›