Snapchat has caught on with “oldies” (that’s people 35 and older, FYI).
The Chinese government has forbidden online media from reporting news spread on social media sites.
A 14-year-old and his mom are suing...more
The Internet is abuzz over the Facebook algorithm change. Here are the implications for marketers and publishers and for regular users.
U.S. Customs wants to start collecting the social media accounts for foreign...more
Facebook signs more than $50 million worth of deals with media firms and celebrities to create videos for its live-streaming service....more
Lots of press surrounding Microsoft’s purchase of LinkedIn: Will LinkedIn change as a result? Will the Microsoft purchase inspire a Twitter acquisition?
“Spam King” gets 30 months in jail for sending 27 million messages....more
Social media has upended a number of industries. Is Wall Street next?
Facebook is getting into the video game live-streaming business....more
6/10/2016
/ Arrest ,
Facebook ,
Google ,
Internet ,
Marketing ,
Offensive Language ,
Personal Brands ,
Snapchat ,
Social Media ,
Twitter ,
UK ,
Websites
In a fascinating, must-read article, a Google design ethicist explains the techniques that engineers and entrepreneurs employ to keep us hooked on the web.
A majority of U.S. adults—62%—now get their news on social...more
6/3/2016
/ Barack Obama ,
Email ,
Emoji ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Google ,
Hate Speech ,
Instagram ,
Prison ,
Russia ,
Social Media ,
Social Networks ,
Websites
The Newspaper Association of America has filed a first-of-its-kind complaint with the FTC over certain ad blocking technologies.
Is it “Internet” or “internet”? The Associated Press is about to change the capitalization...more
Here’s how Twitter is loosening up its 140-character limit.
The federal government will now check the social media history of prospective employees before granting them security clearance....more
The Great Instagram Logo Freakout of 2016.
A UK council policy reportedly grants its members power to spy on residents by setting up fake Facebook profiles....more
How To Protect Your Company’s Social Media Currency -
Today’s companies compete not only for dollars but also for likes, followers, views, tweets, comments and shares. “Social currency,” as some researchers call it, is...more
4/29/2016
/ Clickwrap Agreements ,
Data Security ,
Digital Single Market ,
EU ,
EU-US Privacy Shield ,
Internet of Things ,
IP License ,
Online Reviews ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Social Media ,
US-EU Safe Harbor Framework
A lawsuit alleges this Snapchat feature is making driving even more dangerous, and it’s not texting or instant messaging.
This state is considering imposing hefty fines on jurors who post information to social media...more
Today’s companies compete not only for dollars but also for likes, followers, views, tweets, comments and shares. “Social currency,” as some researchers call it, is becoming increasingly important and companies are investing...more
3/22/2016
/ Breach of Contract ,
Communications Decency Act ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing ,
Facebook ,
Google ,
Section 230 ,
Social Media ,
Takedown Notices ,
Terms of Service ,
Young Lawyers ,
YouTube
Welcome to the newest issue of Socially Aware, our Burton Award winning guide to the law and business of social media. In this edition, we offer tips for a successful—and legal—advertising campaign; we examine a New York...more
3/9/2016
/ Advertising ,
B2C ,
Big Data ,
Digital Goods ,
Discovery ,
Discovery Rule ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Internet Retailers ,
Marketing ,
Mobile Apps ,
Native Advertising ,
Social Media ,
Terms and Conditions ,
User-Generated Content
Last year, entrepreneurs, companies and courts grappled with questions over content owners’ rights with respect to livestreaming, Yelp reviewers’ anonymity expectations, bankruptcy creditors’ access to business’ Facebook and...more
January is the month when lists—lists of predictions, lists of trends, lists of feats and lists of failures—pervade social media newsfeeds and publications’ headlines. Here at Socially Aware we’re making an annual tradition...more
Since its launch in 2011, the social media platform Snapchat has generated its share of negative press, with most of that press in some way related to the very characteristic that, at least initially, helped Snapchat to...more
Five social media law issues to discuss with your clients -
The explosive growth of social media has clients facing legal questions that didn’t even exist a few short years ago. Helping your clients navigate this...more
10/15/2015
/ Anonymity ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Blogging Platforms ,
Browsewrap Agreement ,
Class Action ,
Clickwrap Agreements ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Customer Lists ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Defamation ,
Discovery ,
Discrimination ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Enforceability ,
EULA ,
Evidence ,
Facebook ,
Facebook Friends ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Internal Investigations ,
Job Applicants ,
Mobile Apps ,
Motion to Compel ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Online Endorsements ,
Online Reviews ,
Passwords ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Popular ,
Privacy Policy ,
Protected Class ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
RadioShack ,
Representations and Warranties ,
Screening Procedures ,
Section 5 ,
Social Media ,
Social Media Account Ownership ,
Social Media Policy ,
Subpoenas ,
Terms and Conditions ,
Terms of Use ,
Third-Party ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Workplace Investigations
Operators of social media platforms and other websites typically manage their risks by imposing terms of use or terms of service for the sites. As we previously wrote, websites must implement such terms properly to ensure...more
10/6/2015
/ Barnes and Noble ,
Browsewrap Agreement ,
Enforceability ,
Facebook ,
Hertz ,
Instagram ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Online Contracts ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Social Media ,
Terms of Service ,
Terms of Use ,
Unilateral Modification ,
Websites
The U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire recently struck down on First Amendment grounds a 2014 amendment to New Hampshire Revised Statute 659:35 that made it illegal for New Hampshire voters to post pictures...more
Social networking platforms have long faced the difficult task of balancing the desire to promote freedom of expression with the need to prevent abuse and harassment on their sites. One of social media’s greatest challenges...more
9/1/2015
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Consent ,
Cyberbullying ,
Facebook ,
Google ,
Harassment ,
Instagram ,
Internet Privacy ,
Reddit ,
Social Media ,
Social Networks ,
Terms of Use ,
Twitter
As the number of social media platforms continues to grow, users’ online activity is becoming increasingly divided, requiring social media companies to prove to potential advertisers that they not only have a lot of...more
Welcome to the newest issue of Socially Aware, our Burton Award winning guide to the law and business of social media. In this edition, we present a “grand unifying theory” of today’s leading technologies and the legal...more
7/29/2015
/ Advertising ,
Consumer Bankruptcy ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Creditors ,
Data Collection ,
Data Storage Providers ,
Digital Assets ,
Discovery ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Evidence ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hashtags ,
HBO ,
Live Streaming ,
Marketing ,
Online Reviews ,
Retail Tracking ,
Sanctions ,
Showtime ,
Social Media ,
Spoliation ,
Trademarks ,
Twitter ,
Yelp
There oughta be a law? As we’ve reported previously, states all around the country have enacted laws that criminalize the posting of revenge porn—nude photographs published without the subject’s consent, often by an ex-lover...more
7/22/2015
/ American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ,
Blogs ,
Felonies ,
First Amendment ,
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress ,
Misdemeanors ,
Revenge Porn ,
Search Engines ,
Social Media ,
Tinder ,
Twitter
Pin pain. As a primarily visual social media platform whose self-described purpose is to help users bookmark and save “good stuff you find anywhere around the web,” Pinterest has raised copyright infringement questions since...more
The explosive growth of social media has clients facing legal questions that didn’t even exist a few short years ago. Helping your clients navigate this muddled legal landscape will have them clicking “like” in no...more