Welcome to Socially Aware

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.

March 26, 2015 - Advertising, Financial Institutions
UK’s Financial Services Regulator: No Hashtags in Financial Promotions
Earlier this month the UK’s financial services regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), issued its final guidance on financial promotions made via social media channels. As we reported last year , the FCA issued long-awaited draft guidance in August 2014 on the use of
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March 25, 2015 - Internet of Things, FTC, Privacy
The New Frontier in Interest Based Advertising: FTC Shifts Focus to Cross-Device Tracking
By: Julie O'Neill
As consumers increasingly connect to the Internet using multiple devices—such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, TVs and wearable devices—advertising technology companies have rapidly developed capabilities to reach the same consumers across their various devices. Such “cross-device” tracking enables companies to target ads to the
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March 23, 2015 - Online Promotions, Privacy, Employment Law
Five Vital Questions on the Implications of UK Law on Social Media
Chevy Kelly , a partner in the UK-based Social Media Leadership Forum, recently sat down with Socially Aware’s own Sue McLean , a Social Media Leadership Forum member, to discuss the legal implications of UK companies’ use of social media as part of their marketing
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March 16, 2015 - Copyright
First-Ever Award of “Any Damages” for Fraudulent DMCA Takedowns Under Section 512(f)
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Under section 512(f) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), copyright owners are liable for “any damages” stemming from knowingly false accusations of infringement that result in removal of the accused online material. Section 512(f) aims to deter abuse of the DMCA requirement that
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March 12, 2015 - Terms of Use, Privacy
Data for the Taking: Using Website Terms and Conditions to Combat Web Scraping
By: Mercedes Samavi
Is it stealing to take data without permission from a public website, or is it simply making use of resources that are made available to you? “Web scraping” or “screen scraping” is the practice of extracting large amounts of data from public websites using
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March 10, 2015 - Terms of Use
Who Will Update My Status When I’m Dead?: The Biggest Social Media Platforms’ Policies on Deceased-User Accounts
By: Aaron P. Rubin
It’s often said that, when it comes to regulating technology, U.S. laws aren’t up to speed. That includes U.S. trusts and estates laws, which, in many cases, do not say much about what happens to your digital assets after you die. Unless you or your
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March 04, 2015 - Copyright
With Highly Anticipated Copyright Decision, The AutoHop Litigation Is Coming to a Close
By: J. Alexander Lawrence
In 2012, DISH Network announced two novel product offerings that would result in considerable backlash from the four major broadcast television networks and set in motion a three-year, wide-ranging, multi-front battle with the networks. As the dust now begins to settle, the copyright litigation
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March 03, 2015 - Copyright
Twenty Years Down the Road: A Q&A With Paul Goldstein, Author of Copyright’s Highway
More than two decades have passed since internationally recognized copyright law expert and award-winning novelist Professor Paul Goldstein of Stanford Law School (and Of Counsel to Morrison & Foerster) published his landmark book, Copyright’s Highway: From Gutenberg to the Celestial Jukebox —a wide-ranging and
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March 02, 2015 - Online Promotions
Oh Snap! Social Media, Snapchat and the Need for Platform-Specific Marketing Strategies
One of the fascinating things about social media is that, from a marketing standpoint, each social media platform offers its own unique set of features and opportunities; as a result, a marketing strategy that proves successful on one platform is likely to be a
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February 17, 2015 - Status Updates
Status Updates: Social media for minimalists; Pinterest’s plans; Super Bowl XLIX on social
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Social media for minimalists. These days, the information flooding the news feeds on some social media platforms can feel overwhelming and redundant. Take Twitter, for example—a medium whose popularity has resulted in a user experience that technology futurist Nova Spivack compares to “a crowded
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Welcome to Socially Aware

UK’s Financial Services Regulator: No Hashtags in Financial Promotions

The New Frontier in Interest Based Advertising: FTC Shifts Focus to Cross-Device Tracking

By: Julie O'Neill

Five Vital Questions on the Implications of UK Law on Social Media

First-Ever Award of “Any Damages” for Fraudulent DMCA Takedowns Under Section 512(f)

By: Aaron P. Rubin

Data for the Taking: Using Website Terms and Conditions to Combat Web Scraping

By: Mercedes Samavi

Who Will Update My Status When I’m Dead?: The Biggest Social Media Platforms’ Policies on Deceased-User Accounts

By: Aaron P. Rubin

With Highly Anticipated Copyright Decision, The AutoHop Litigation Is Coming to a Close

By: J. Alexander Lawrence

Twenty Years Down the Road: A Q&A With Paul Goldstein, Author of Copyright’s Highway

Oh Snap! Social Media, Snapchat and the Need for Platform-Specific Marketing Strategies

Status Updates: Social media for minimalists; Pinterest’s plans; Super Bowl XLIX on social

By: Aaron P. Rubin