Digital Media
Is Content Moderation a (Perhaps Un-)Necessary Evil, or a First Amendment Good?
Jeff HermesA consideration of the role that editorial discretion and content moderation play in the marketplace of ideas.
Data Security & Privacy 101
Resources exploring data security (what businesses are obligated to do in the event of a data breach, the financial implications, and best practices for responding), and data privacy ( how our patchwork of laws impacts businesses).
Michigan Judge Gives Boot to Libel Suit By Man Who Gave Nazi Salute, Shouted ‘Heil Hitler’ At School Board Meeting
Herschel P. FinkA man who disrupted a suburban Detroit school board hearing with a Nazi salute and shouts of “Heil Hitler!” to protest a proposed mask mandate, and then sued for libel after his actions were widely reported, lost his case against five news outlets.
Court Allows Twitter Account Suspension Action to Partially Proceed Past Dismissal Stage
Giselle GironesTwitter had moved to dismiss the complaint under Section 230.
Eleventh Circuit Weighs in on First Amendment Rights of Online Platforms, as Parallel Case in Fifth Circuit Takes Swift Detour to Supreme Court
Jeff HermesMay 2022 was a dramatic month for cases heard by the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits raising First Amendment challenges to state laws that purport to regulate social media sites.
Second Circuit Holds that Facebook Is Not a State Actor Based on Content Removal
Alexa Millinger and Daniela Mays-SanchezThe Second Circuit affirmed that Facebook did not violate plaintiff’s Constitutional rights to free speech and due process by allegedly deleting and blocking his Facebook posts.
A New World of Intangible Property: NFTs and IP Rights
Milton Springut and Stephanie M. SmithAn exploration of some of the potential intellectual property challenges, strategies, and controversies that may arise around NFTs.
News Anchor’s Right of Publicity Claims Can Proceed to Discovery
Tobin RajuThe court recognized Hepp sufficiently alleged that she had spent considerable time and effort cultivating an image, implying, but not expressly holding, her image had commercial value.
Section 230 Does Not Apply to Retweet Because Author Said He “Vouch[ed] for” the Retweeted Article
Sara Benson & Cindy GierhartThe Court held that Section 230 “may provide immunity for someone who merely shares a link on Twitter” but “it does not immunize someone for making additional remarks that are allegedly defamatory.”
Northern District of California Dismisses Case Against Facebook and Twitter
Allyson Veile and Maggie StrouseThe decision joins the growing collection of case law rejecting First Amendment claims against social media companies for exercising control over the content that appears on their platforms.