The Law and Business of Social Media
December 20, 2017 - First Amendment, Artificial Intelligence, Cyberbullying, Disappearing Content, UK, Section 230 Safe Harbor, Free Speech

Social Links: Twitter’s tougher anti-hate-speech policy; tech-industry-friendlier version of bill to narrow the §230 safe harbor; 2017’s top posts

In an effort to deter hate groups from tweeting sanitized versions of their messages, Twitter has began considering account holders’ off platform behavior when the platform evaluates whether potentially harmful tweets should be removed and account holders should be suspended or permanently banned.

In connection with Congressional efforts to deter online sex trafficking by narrowing the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230 safe harbor protection for website operators from claims arising from third-party ads and other content, a revised House bill would require proof of intent to facilitate prostitution, helping to address Internet industry concerns regarding the legislative initiative.

YouTube is making a concerted effort to remove disturbing videos featuring children in distress.

Concerned about the effect fake news could have on the democratic process, lawmakers in Ireland proposed a law that would make disseminating fake news on social media a crime.

A proposed cybersecurity law in Vietnam would require foreign tech companies like Google to establish offices and store data in that country. According to this op-ed, such a relatively late attempt to rein in Vietnam’s social media use would “most certainly trigger a popular backlash” and “seem like a retrograde move.”

A new report from clinical experts in the UK recommends that children younger than five-years-old should never be permitted to use digital technology without supervision.

Snapchat is rolling out a redesign that places all the messages and Stories from a user’s friends to the left side of the camera, and stories from professional social media stars and media outlets that the user follows to the right of it. But will people over the age of 30 still have no idea how to use the platform?

Instagram is testing a direct messaging app that would replace its current inbox. Called Direct, the app stands independent of that Instagram platform and, like Snapchat, opens to the user’s camera.

Artificial intelligence is allowing people to actually enjoy the moments they photograph by significantly cutting down the time it takes to share and catalog pictures.

There’s a browser extension that will hide all the potentially upsetting stories in your social media newsfeeds, but it’s not perfect. And maybe that’s a good thing.

Hmmm—in a tumultuous year, the ten most-liked posts on Instagram of 2017 all belong to Beyoncé, Cristiano Ronaldo or Selena Gomez.

In contrast, the most popular tweets of this year concern politics, tragedy and, well, chicken nuggets.