Socially Aware

January 21, 2020 - Securities Law, Cybersecurity, IP
SEC Staff Issues Guidance on Technology, Data & IP Risks in International Operations
On December 19, 2019, the Staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance issued guidance outlining the Staff’s views about disclosure obligations that companies should consider with respect to technology, data and intellectual property risks that could arise when operations
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November 26, 2019 - Influencer Marketing, Cyberbullying, Online Reviews, Cybersecurity
Social Links: FTC fights fraudulent online product reviews; Twitter takes another swipe at trolls; Influencers affect everything from cybersecurity to career choices
By: Aaron P. Rubin
The high-end skincare brand Sunday Riley has settled lawsuits filed by the Federal Trade Commission claiming that the brand’s founder encouraged employees of her eponymous company to set up accounts “under different identities” on the cosmetics retail site Sephora.com and leave positive reviews for
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September 16, 2019 - Data Security, Web Scraping, Marketing, Privacy, Cybersecurity
Ninth Circuit’s LinkedIn Decision Does Not Greenlight the Unauthorized Web Scraping of Public Websites
By: J. Alexander Lawrence
A recent decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a dispute between LinkedIn and hiQ Labs has spotlighted the thorny legal issues involved in unauthorized web scraping of data from public websites. While some may interpret the LinkedIn decision as greenlighting such
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January 29, 2018 - Blockchain, DMCA, Influencer Marketing, Stored Communications Act, Cybersecurity, Compliance
2017: Our Greatest Hits
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Last year we covered a wide range of online legal and business subjects intended for readers ranging from Internet entrepreneurs to social media marketers, from online shoppers to e-tailers, from networkers to influencers (and the brands that pay them). The topics of our blog
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January 18, 2018 - Internet of Things, Data Security, Privacy, Cybersecurity, Product Liability, Compliance
Connected Devices Bring New Product Liability Challenges
By: Erin M. Bosman and Julie Y. Park
“My Google Home Mini was inadvertently spying on me 24/7 due to a hardware flaw,” wrote a tech blogger who purchased Google Inc.’s latest internet of things (IoT) device. Following the incident, a pact of consumer advocacy groups insisted the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
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January 08, 2018 - Blockchain, Marketing, Cybersecurity
A List of Lists
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Often derided as clickbait, listicles get a bum rap. They can be light on substantive content, sure, but sometimes that’s a good thing, especially for the busy readers of legal blogs, who would do well to treat themselves to some easily browsable reading material
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September 05, 2017 - FTC, Data Security, Cybersecurity, Compliance
More Insight From the FTC on Data Security—or More of the Same?
By: Julie O'Neill
Recent challenges to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) authority to police data security practices have criticized the agency’s failure to provide adequate guidance to companies. In other words, the criticism goes, businesses do not know what they need to do to avoid a charge
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August 25, 2017 - Data Security, Privacy, Cybersecurity
In-Depth Report: Privacy + Data Security
By: Aaron P. Rubin
As Socially Aware readers know, privacy and data security issues are among the most critical legal issues confronting companies that do business online. With ransomware attacks and hacking incidents on the rise, and with privacy and data security laws becoming increasingly burdensome, companies are
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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
By: Aaron P. Rubin
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
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June 02, 2017 - Advertising, Endorsement Guides, Artificial Intelligence, Marketing, Cybersecurity
Social Links: Twitter modifies Privacy Policy; YouTube ad-policy changes lower some video creators’ payouts; teen beats Ellen DeGeneres’s re-tweet record
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Twitter updated its online Privacy Policy to disclose that Twitter will be personalizing content and facilitating interest-based advertising by sharing information about its users’ online activity both on and off the microblogging site. Since YouTube resolved to give brands greater control over the kind
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