Socially Aware

September 16, 2015 - FTC, Online Promotions, Online Reviews, Compliance
FTC Continues Enforcing Ad Disclosure Obligations in New Media and Issues a Warning to Advertisers
By: Julie O'Neill
In December 2014, we noted that the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) settlement with advertising firm Deutsch LA, Inc. was a clear signal to companies that advertise through social media that they need to comply with the disclosure requirements of Section 5 of the FTC
... ›
September 08, 2015 - First Amendment, Litigation
Federal District Court Strikes Down Law That Bans Ballot Selfies
By: Aaron P. Rubin
The U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire recently struck down on First Amendment grounds a 2014 amendment to New Hampshire Revised Statute 659:35 that made it illegal for New Hampshire voters to post pictures of their completed ballots to social media.
... ›
September 02, 2015 - Event
Your Votes Can Help Us Share Our Expertise at SXSW Interactive 2016!
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Our managing editors John Delaney and Aaron Rubin will be attending SXSW Interactive on March 11 th through 16 th , 2016. In connection with the event, John and Aaron have proposed two presentations based on topics that have been covered on this blog:
... ›
August 31, 2015 - First Amendment, Terms of Use, Cyberbullying
The Top Social Media Platforms’ Efforts To Control Cyber-Harassment
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Social networking platforms have long faced the difficult task of balancing the desire to promote freedom of expression with the need to prevent abuse and harassment on their sites. One of social media’s greatest challenges is to make platforms safe enough so users are
... ›
August 27, 2015 - First Amendment, Status Updates, Cyberbullying, Marketing, Defamation, Section 230 Safe Harbor
Status Updates: Appeals court upholds anti-cyberbullying law; better marketing through neural networks; restaurant owner turns the tables on Yelp critic
Positive I.D. The tech world recently took a giant step forward in the quest to create computers that accurately mimic human sensory and thought processes, thanks to Fei-Fei Li and Andrej Karpathy of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The pair developed a program that
... ›
August 26, 2015 - Marketing
“Notes” Update Shows Facebook’s Continued Efforts to Increase Already Impressive User Engagement
By: Aaron P. Rubin
As the number of social media platforms continues to grow, users’ online activity is becoming increasingly divided, requiring social media companies to prove to potential advertisers that they not only have a lot of registered users, but that those users are engaged and spending
... ›
August 24, 2015 - topics/undefined, Discovery, Litigation
Social Media E-Discovery: Are Your Facebook Posts Discoverable in Civil Litigation?
By: J. Alexander Lawrence
Judge Richard J. Walsh began his opinion in Largent v. Reed with the following question: “What if the people in your life want to use your Facebook posts against you in a civil lawsuit?” With the explosive growth of social media, judges have had
... ›
August 17, 2015 - topics/undefined, Terms of Use, Fraud
Federal District Court: “Browsewrap” Terms and Conditions Provide Sufficient Notice to Defeat False Advertising Class Action
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Websites sometimes present their terms of use (“TOU”) to users merely by including a link to those TOU on the website without requiring users to affirmatively accept the terms by, for example, checking a box or clicking an “I accept” button. As we have
... ›
August 10, 2015 - First Amendment, Online Reviews, Litigation
Washington State Court Refuses to Unmask Anonymous Online Reviewer
By: Aaron P. Rubin
In a precedent-setting ruling, the Washington Court of Appeals in Thomson v. Doe refused to grant a motion to compel brought by a defamation plaintiff who had subpoenaed the lawyer-review site Avvo.com seeking the identity of an anonymous online reviewer, holding that, for a
... ›
July 28, 2015 - Internet of Things, Trademark, FTC, Live streaming, Cloud Computing, Copyright, IP, First Amendment, Bankruptcy, Privacy, Infographic, Online Reviews, Wearable Computers
Hot Off the Press: The July/August Issue of Our Socially Aware Newsletter Is Now Available
By: Aaron P. Rubin
The latest issue of our Socially Aware newsletter is now available here. In this issue of Socially Aware , our Burton Award -winning guide to the law and business of social media, we present a “grand unifying theory” of today’s leading technologies and the
... ›

FTC Continues Enforcing Ad Disclosure Obligations in New Media and Issues a Warning to Advertisers

By: Julie O'Neill

Federal District Court Strikes Down Law That Bans Ballot Selfies

By: Aaron P. Rubin

Your Votes Can Help Us Share Our Expertise at SXSW Interactive 2016!

By: Aaron P. Rubin

The Top Social Media Platforms’ Efforts To Control Cyber-Harassment

By: Aaron P. Rubin

Status Updates: Appeals court upholds anti-cyberbullying law; better marketing through neural networks; restaurant owner turns the tables on Yelp critic

“Notes” Update Shows Facebook’s Continued Efforts to Increase Already Impressive User Engagement

By: Aaron P. Rubin

Social Media E-Discovery: Are Your Facebook Posts Discoverable in Civil Litigation?

By: J. Alexander Lawrence

Federal District Court: “Browsewrap” Terms and Conditions Provide Sufficient Notice to Defeat False Advertising Class Action

By: Aaron P. Rubin

Washington State Court Refuses to Unmask Anonymous Online Reviewer

By: Aaron P. Rubin

Hot Off the Press: The July/August Issue of Our Socially Aware Newsletter Is Now Available

By: Aaron P. Rubin