Based on copyright infringement, emotional distress and other claims, a federal district court in California awarded $6.4 million to a victim of revenge porn, the posting of explicit material without the subject's consent. The judgment is believed to be one of the largest awards relating to revenge porn. A Socially Aware post that we wrote back in 2014 explains the difficulties of using causes of action like copyright infringement—and state laws—as vehicles for fighting revenge porn.
The highest court in New York State held that whether or not a personal injury plaintiff's Facebook photos are discoverable does not depend on whether the photos were set to "private," but rather "the nature of the event giving rise to the litigation and the injuries claimed, as well as any other information specific to the case."
A federal district court held that Kentucky's governor did not violate the free speech rights of two Kentucky citizens when he blocked them from commenting on his Facebook page and Twitter account. The opinion underscores differences among courts as to the First Amendment's application to government officials' social media accounts; for example, a Virginia federal district court's 2017 holding reached the opposite conclusion in a case involving similar facts.
Having witnessed social media's potential to escalate gang disputes, judges in Illinois have imposed limitations on some juvenile defendants' use of the popular platforms, a move that some defense attorneys argue violates the young defendants' First Amendment rights.
A bill proposed by California State Sen. Bob Hertzberg would require social media platforms to identify bots—automated accounts that appear to be owned by real people but are actually computer programs capable of simulating human dialog. Bots can spread a message across social media faster and more widely than would be humanly possible, and have been used in efforts to manipulate public opinion.
This CIO article lists the new strategies, job titles and processes that will be popular this year among businesses transforming into data-driven enterprises.
A solo law practitioner in Chicago filed a complaint claiming defamation and false light against a former client who she alleges posted a Yelp review calling her a "con artist" and a "legal predator" after, allegedly pursuant to the terms of his retainer, she billed $9,000 to his credit card for a significant amount of legal work.
Carnival Cruise Line put up signs all over the hometown of the 15-year-old owner of the Snapchat handle @CarnivalCruise in order to locate him and offer him and his family a luxurious free vacation in exchange for the transfer of his Snapchat handle—and the unusual but innovate strategy paid off. Who knew that old-school billboards could be so effectively used for one-on-one marketing?
Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.
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