Social Links: Twitter sues U.S. government to protect account holder’s ID; Minn. court orders Google to disclose users who searched crime victim’s name; Facebook targets revenge porn
- Twitter is suing the Department of Homeland Security in an attempt to void a summons demanding records that would identify the creator of an anti-Trump Twitter account. Facebook has joined the fight against the nonconsensual dissemination of sexually explicit photos online—content known as “revenge... ›
N.Y.’s New Cybersecurity Regulations: What Financial Services Companies Need to Know
By: Nathan D. Taylor
With corporate data security breaches on the rise, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has adopted rules requiring financial institutions to take certain measures to safeguard their data and inform state regulators about cybersecurity incidents. Intended to thwart future cyberattacks and... ›Social Links: Instagram makes it easy to label content as “sponsored”; Facebook combats fake news; better firefighting through drones
By: Aaron P. Rubin
A court ruled that a particular 98-character tweet wasn’t sufficiently creative to warrant protection under German copyright law. Inspired by a recording posted to Snapchat of a physical attack on a 14-year-old boy, a California bill would make it illegal to “willfully record a... ›Delaware Paves the Way for Blockchain Technology
By: Spencer D. Klein
Blockchain has been a hot buzzword in tech circles for some time, and, increasingly, we’re seeing companies—even Fortune 500 companies—announce blockchain-related initiatives. One particular area of interest to corporations is the use of blockchain not for Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, but for the creation... ›Supreme Court Rules Cheerleading Uniform Designs Are Copyrightable
By: Jennifer Lee Taylor
On March 22, 2017, the Supreme Court held in Star Athletica, LLC v. Varsity Brands that design elements of cheerleading uniforms may be protected under the Copyright Act. The 6-2 decision, written by Justice Thomas, clarified the scope of protection afforded to clothing designs... ›Overview of Emerging Cybersecurity Issues
In the most recent edition of his CyberSide Chat series, Socially Aware contributor Andy Serwin discusses emerging cybersecurity issues including: The need to strike a balance between the efficiencies of the Internet of Things and the increased cyberattack vulnerability that usually goes along with... ›- - Event
Join us at SXSW Interactive 2017!
Socially Aware editors John Delaney and Aaron Rubin will be in Austin, Texas for SXSW Interactive from March 10th to March 15th. They plan to “live tweet” a number of the presentations via our @MoFoSocMedia Twitter account. If you will be in Austin for SXSW... › Watch Out: The Federal Trade Commission Continues to Watch the (Alleged) Watchers
By: Julie O'Neill
If your company collects information regarding consumers though Internet-connected devices, you will want to take note of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent privacy-related settlement (brought in conjunction with the New Jersey Attorney General) with smart TV manufacturer Vizio, Inc. The settlement is significant... ›Social Links: YouTube reaches major milestone; Google tries to ferret out hate speech; justices consider constitutionality of barring social media access
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Google unveiled a new tool designed to combat toxic speech online by assessing the language commenters use, as opposed to the ideas they express. Is a state law banning sex offenders from social media unconstitutional? Based on their comments during oral arguments in Packingham... ›Social Links: Google Maps gets social; Twitter puts trolls in time out; today’s teens take to chat rooms
By: Aaron P. Rubin
New York City’s Conflicts of Interest Board has issued guidelines prohibiting elected officials from using official social media accounts for political purposes or having their staff draft content for their personal social media accounts. Congress has begun paving the way for the deployment of... ›