The Law and Business of Social Media
June 16, 2017 - Advertising, Blockchain, Endorsement Guides, Cybersecurity, Free Speech

Social Links: Instagram’s new tool to denote paid posts; the world’s 1st autonomous-vehicle public transportation system for the masses; the “COVFEFE Act” would seek to ensure Trump’s tweets are preserved

Instagram is now allowing a limited number of users to identify branded content with a “paid partnership” subhead instead of using hashtags like #ad and #sponsored to identify sponsored posts. The platform says it plans to police paid sponsors’ disclosure obligations eventually, but—for now—educating and gathering feedback from Instagram’s community and launch partners is all Instagram hopes to achieve with the branded content tool.

Authorities in Helsinki plan to debut in the autumn what will be the world’s first regular driverless transportation system to reach the masses: public, autonomous-bus services. Will the job of “bus driver” one day join the list (along with “silent movie piano accompanist,” “elevator operator” and “switchboard operator”) of occupations rendered obsolete by new technologies?

On free speech grounds, a German parliamentary body struck down a draft German law that would have imposed up to 50 million euros in fines on social media companies that failed to remove or block racist and fake news posts within 24 hours or seven days, depending on whether the content’s racist or false nature is unambiguous.

To ensure President Trump’s tweets from the official @POTUS account and his personal account are preserved for future reference, Rep. Mike Quigley has introduced the COVFEFE Act, which would amend the President Records Act to include social media posts—a change that would ensure the President’s deleted tweets are documented for archival purposes and would make deleting tweets a violation of the Presidential Records Act subject to disciplinary action.

In a post on its “newsroom” page, Facebook published a list of seven “Hard Questions”—inquiries that address many of the most pressing issues today’s social media companies face, from the definition of “fake news,” to the fate of deceased users’ accounts. The post instructs readers to weigh in by emailing Facebook at hardquestions@fb.com.

Hoping to expand its user base, Twitter made design changes to its app again.

Examining one of the many ways Internet of Things devices pose security risks, Ars Technica describes a security consultant’s demonstration of how, using terrestrial radio signals, hackers can control a slew of Smart TVs, spying on the TVs’ owners using the TVs’ cameras and microphones and attacking other devices in the TVs’ owners’ home networks.

Despite the impact social media marketing can have on brand reputation, 60% of Fortune 500 CEOs reportedly have no social media presence at all.

Marketing Land and Business Insider published pieces describing how to use Snapchat’s new self-serve ad-buying tool, Ad Manager, the messaging app’s attempt to make advertising on Snapchat simpler and more accessible to small businesses.

Inc. Magazine provides a clear explanation of how the blockchain works, which industries it’s likely to change and what’s standing in the way of the blockchain’s widespread adoption.

There’s a new dating app for singles with little patience for protracted email exchanges.