Part 4 – Section 230: 27 Years Old and Still in the Spotlight
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Socially Aware is devoted to the law and business of social media, proactively addressing emerging issues and keeping our clients informed of new developments. We cover fields such as artificial intelligence, privacy and data security, Section 230, intellectual property, and much more.
- Section 230: 27 Years Old and Still in the Spotlight In our fourth installment of our six-part series examining Section 230—the segment of the 1996 Communications Decency Act (CDA) that immunizes online service providers from liability stemming from content created by third parties—we’ll examine... ›
State Lawmakers Introduce Laws Governing Teen Use of Social Media
By: Lawrence W. Gallick and Lindsay B. Harris
In case you haven’t noticed, state legislatures have been hard at work drafting, passing, and trying to pass laws that govern minors’ use of social media. Several states have passed laws requiring social media companies to implement certain policies, including age verification and parental... ›Social Links: April 2024
By: Aaron P. Rubin, Anthony M. Ramirez and Lawrence W. Gallick
As we reported in 2023, Utah was the first state in the nation to enact laws limiting minors’ use of social media. In early March 2024, Republican Governor Spencer Cox effectively repealed and replaced the previously enacted legislation in an effort to fend off... ›Supreme Court Clarifies the Boundaries of Public Official Liability on Social Media
By: J. Alexander Lawrence and Justin Kareem Rezkalla
In its recent opinion in Lindke v. Freed , the U.S. Supreme Court addressed when public officials may be held liable for violating the First Amendment for silencing critics on social media. The Court held that a public official violates the First Amendment for... ›Social Links: March 2024
By: Aaron P. Rubin, Anthony M. Ramirez and Lawrence W. Gallick
Conversations around AI continue to dominate the headlines in early 2024 and show no signs of abating anytime soon. Here are few of the stories and trends we’ve been tracking at Socially Aware. A deepfake technology scam cost a multinational company’s Hong Kong office... ›Part 3 – Section 230: 27 Years Old and Still in the Spotlight
By: Aaron P. Rubin, Anthony M. Ramirez and Lawrence W. Gallick
In the prior two installments of our six-part series examining Section 230, the section of the 1996 Communications Decency Act (CDA) that immunizes online service providers from liability stemming from the publication and filtering of content created by a third party, we looked at... ›An Enforceable Browsewrap . . . or Not?
By: Aaron P. Rubin and Lawrence W. Gallick
On February 12, 2024, in Patrick v. Running Warehouse LLC , the Ninth Circuit held that a defendant’s arbitration agreement contained in a website terms of use was enforceable, using the test the court articulated in 2022 in Daniel Berman v. Freedom Financial Network.... ›Court Prohibits Ohio’s AG From Enforcing Social Media Parental Notification Act
By: Lawrence W. Gallick and Aaron P. Rubin
A court in the Southern District of Ohio has issued a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the Social Media Parental Notification Act, an Ohio law that would require social media platforms to obtain parental consent for users under 16. NetChoice LLC, an industry group... ›Meta Announces AI Content Identification for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
By: Aaron P. Rubin
In a significant move toward enhancing transparency and trust in digital content, Meta has announced plans to introduce labeling for AI-generated images across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs, highlighted the initiative as part of Meta’s commitment to lead with transparency... ›Central District of California Upholds Grindr’s Immunity Under Section 230 Amidst Growing Concerns over Social Media Safety for Children
By: Lindsay B. Harris and Aaron P. Rubin
Recent Senate hearings on social media safety have spotlighted the urgent need to protect children online, a concern that’s increasingly challenging the legal frameworks governing online platforms. Against this backdrop, the immunity that online platforms enjoy under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act... ›