Internet Law

DC Circuit rules for PETA in First Amendment challenge to agency’s social media comment filters

The National Institutes of Health violated the First Amendment when it used keyword filters that blocked Facebook and Instagram comments that criticized animal testing, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Jul 31, 2024 2:45 PM CDT

Lawyer thought he was working with feds when he lost retirement savings to scammers

A 76-year-old retired lawyer in Arlington, Virginia, lost about $740,000 in retirement savings to sophisticated scammers who led him to think that he was helping the federal government catch thieves trying to gain access to his retirement and bank accounts.

Jul 30, 2024 11:54 AM CDT

Former BigLaw partner settles defamation suit against social media influencer

A former Greenberg Traurig partner has reached a settlement with a social media influencer he accused of posting defamatory videos seeking to falsely depict the lawyer as an abusive husband and spouse.

Jul 8, 2024 1:22 PM CDT

Moons, Fire and Pigs: Emojis can be confusing in court

Sometimes an eggplant is just an eggplant, but in the emoji world, it’s usually not. But is sending someone an eggplant emoji or a winky face proof of sexual harassment? When does a gun emoji mean someone is threatening another person with death? Does a thumbs-up emoji mean acceptance of a contract? These are all questions presented in courtrooms across the country and the world.

Jul 2, 2024 3:06 PM CDT

Law requiring proof of age to access online adult content will get Supreme Court review

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to consider what standard should be used to evaluate the constitutionality of a Texas law that requires proof of age to access websites with pornography and other adult content.

Jul 2, 2024 12:35 PM CDT

States can’t regulate social media platforms to achieve ‘speech nirvana,’ Supreme Court says

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday favored the First Amendment rights of social media companies to moderate content in a decision that sent two cases back to lower courts for more analysis.

Jul 1, 2024 10:25 AM CDT

5th Circuit ‘glossed over complexities,’ Supreme Court says in refusing to curb US social media contacts

Two states and five social media users don’t have standing to sue U.S. officials for allegedly pressuring social media companies to curb protected speech, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

Jun 26, 2024 9:49 AM CDT

Appeals court upholds negligent homicide conviction for encouraging suicide by electronic means

A defendant living in Indiana who encouraged a Tennessee woman in online conversations to kill herself for his sexual pleasure can be found guilty of criminally negligent homicide, a Tennessee appeals court has ruled.

Jun 12, 2024 11:32 AM CDT

Woodchipper and bomb threats on social media allegedly traced to Chicago-area prosecutor

A Wheaton, Illinois, man is facing charges for allegedly posting threats on social media made while he was an assistant state’s attorney in DuPage County, Illinois, outside Chicago.

May 29, 2024 2:38 PM CDT

TikTok and the U.S. government dig in for legal war

A defiant TikTok is preparing to fight for its life in court after President Biden signed a law calling for its forced sale or ban in the United States, a legal battle that could reshape American speech freedoms in the internet age.

Apr 25, 2024 1:00 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw partner can’t get cyberstalking injunction against blogger, judge says

A former Greenberg Traurig partner can’t get a cyberstalking injunction against a blogger who posted videos of the lawyer yelling and telling his wife that he hates her, a Florida state judge has ruled.

Apr 18, 2024 2:57 PM CDT

Could privacy laws be changing? Here’s what’s brewing in Congress

Congressional negotiations over data privacy and children’s online safety took a notable step forward this week as House and Senate leaders unveiled bipartisan proposals and started ramping up their consideration of the measures.

Apr 15, 2024 2:30 PM CDT

Supreme Court likely to reject limits on White House social media contacts

The Supreme Court seemed prepared Monday to reject a Republican-led effort to sharply limit the federal government from pressuring social media companies to remove harmful posts and misinformation from their platforms.

Mar 19, 2024 9:45 AM CDT

‘When Rape Goes Viral’ looks at why cases like Steubenville happen

After cases like in Steubenville, Ohio, where the assault of an unconscious girl at a party by two boys was filmed and spread on social media, “the question gnawing at everyone, myself included, was: What were these kids thinking?” writes Anna Gjika.

Mar 6, 2024 9:51 AM CST

Justices skeptical of Texas, Florida laws that bar platforms from deleting content

A majority of the Supreme Court seemed broadly skeptical Monday that state governments have the power to set rules for how social media platforms curate content, with both liberal and conservative justices inclined to stop Texas and Florida from immediately implementing laws that ban the removal of certain controversial posts or political content.

Feb 27, 2024 8:50 AM CST