Socially Aware

April 04, 2022 - Advertising, Digital Content, E-Commerce, Privacy, Social Media Policy
Social Links: Behavioral targeting under scrutiny from lawmakers
By: Aaron P. Rubin, Julie O'Neill and Anthony M. Ramirez
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to take aim at social media platforms that collect and use personal information that build algorithms to target individuals across a variety of dimensions when users engage with those platforms, most prominently in the form of advertising and other
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December 21, 2021 - Digital Content, E-Commerce, Privacy, Social Media Policy, Compliance
Facebook rebrands as “Meta;” disables facial recognition capabilities
By: Aaron P. Rubin, Julie O'Neill and Anthony M. Ramirez
In late October, Facebook announced that it would change its name to Meta , signaling a shift of the social media giant’s focus toward the metaverse , a virtual space where social media, gaming, augmented reality, virtual reality, and cryptocurrencies converge and allow people
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May 28, 2020 - DMCA, E-Commerce, European Union, Cyberbullying, Employment Law, Ethics
Social Links: A report suggesting DMCA changes; a new social-media-use regulation for Fla. Bar members; big changes at Facebook
By: Julie O'Neill
A new report from the U.S. Copyright Office suggests that Congress should fine-tune the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to, among other things, alter the takedown system that platforms must adhere to in order to be eligible for the safe harbor the DMCA affords
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January 23, 2018 - E-Commerce, European Union, Product Liability
Proceed To Check Out? The Impact Of 2018 European E-Commerce Reforms
By: Alistair Maughan, Kristina Ehle and Sana Ashcroft
The European Union (EU) has made reform of the e-commerce rules in Europe one of its main priorities for 2018. The European Commission has already published two proposed Directives relating to cross-border e-commerce but legislative progress has been slow—a situation that the Commission plans
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August 10, 2017 - E-Commerce, FTC, Online Reviews
Get Your Gripe On: The Consumer Review Fairness Act Is Live
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Searching “millennials killed…” on the Internet returns over 1.5 million results in .65 seconds. Commentators have blamed the generation raised by tablets, smartphones, and apps for killing everything from marriage to brunch , often deriding today’s youth for being too opinionated and too obnoxious.
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June 13, 2017 - Class Actions, E-Commerce, Terms of Use, Litigation
E-tailers Rejoice as Decisions Limit Suits in Federal Court for Alleged Violations of N.J.’s Controversial Consumer Protection Law
Last year, this blog raised concerns regarding the TCCWNA, its growing popularity with plaintiffs’ lawyers and the implications for online retailers. At a high level, the TCCWNA is a New Jersey consumer protection law that focuses on contractual terms (including online terms of service)
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November 22, 2016 - First Amendment, E-Commerce, Cyberbullying, UK, Free Speech, Litigation, Wearable Computers
Social Links: IMDb sues over right to post actors’ ages; Facebook tests jobs feature; Pinterest adopts “tried it” button
By: Aaron P. Rubin
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has filed suit to overturn a law that requires the popular entertainment website to remove the ages or birth dates of people in the entertainment industry upon request. Vine might not be history after all. Twitter users posted more than
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November 02, 2016 - E-Commerce, European Union, Compliance
European Commission Publishes Draft Regulation Prohibiting Geo-Blocking by Online Traders and Content Publishers
As part of the European Commission’s Digital Single Market initiative, the European Commission has published a draft Regulation aimed at preventing traders from discriminating against customers located in other EU Member States by denying those customers access to e-commerce sites, or by redirecting those
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August 24, 2016 - E-Commerce, Protected Speech, Terms of Use, Cyberbullying, Marketing, Privacy, Right To Be Forgotten, Infographic, Mobile
Now Available: The August Issue of Our Socially Aware Newsletter
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 discuss the impact online trolls are having on social media marketing;
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July 19, 2016 - Class Actions, E-Commerce, Terms of Use, Litigation
Controversial New Jersey Consumer Protection Law Creates a Potential “Gotcha” for E-Commerce Companies
By: Anthony M. Ramirez
If your company is involved in selling products or services to consumers in New Jersey over the web or through mobile apps, you’ll want to read this blog post. In what amounts to a feeding frenzy, plaintiffs’ lawyers are working overtime bringing class action
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