If your company operates a website or blog that hosts user-generated content, you’ll want to read this post carefully.
We’re ringing the alarm bell on an important new U.S. copyright law development that, if ignored,...more
“Yellow journalism” websites are using social media to capitalize on popular ideology. And they’re making a bundle.
New York City recently passed the country’s first law protecting the wages of “gig economy” workers. The...more
For corporations, the mobile app is today’s website.
Back in the late 1990s, no self-respecting company, no matter how stodgy and old-fashioned, wanted to be without a website.
Originally published in Law360,...more
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has filed suit to overturn a law that requires the popular entertainment website to remove the ages or birth dates of people in the entertainment industry upon request.
Vine might not...more
Commercializing user-Generated Content: Five risk reduction strategies -
We’re in the midst of a seismic shift in how companies interact with user-generated content (UGC).
For years, companies were happy simply to...more
Because it bases its assesments on job title, location and industry, LinkedIn’s new Salary feature might be more accurate than are other online compensation estimation tools....more
The Internet of Things is apparently to blame for the Web outage that paralyzed the online world earlier this month.
Justin Timberlake took down his “ballot selfie” from Instagram after Tennessee authorities made clear...more
Facebook at Work, the on-the-job version of the web’s most popular social media platform, will launch in London on October 10th.
Add iHeartRadio to the list of Internet radio platforms that will be offering an on demand...more
We’re delighted to publish our Social Media Safety Guide for Companies, which highlights key considerations to keep in mind in using social media to promote your company’s products and services and to engage with customers....more
The California Supreme Court agreed to hear Yelp’s case arguing that requiring the company to remove a one-star review of a law firm “creates a gaping hole” in the immunity that shields internet service providers from suits...more
9/27/2016
/ Bots ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Driverless Cars ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Google ,
Hackers ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
LinkedIn ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Safety Precautions ,
Snapchat ,
Social Media ,
Transparency ,
Trolls ,
Twitter ,
Websites ,
Yelp
Instagram now allows users to hide offensive comments posted to their feeds. Take that trolls!
Soon you’ll be able to watch Twitter content like NFL Thursday Night Football on a Twitter app on Apple TV, Xbox One and...more
9/21/2016
/ Ad-Blockers ,
Ballots ,
EU ,
Google ,
Instagram ,
Internet Streaming ,
Selfies ,
Snapchat ,
Social Media ,
Twitter ,
YouTube
Snapchat is on track to rake in an enormous amount of ad revenue by 2017.
Also, there’s mounting evidence that the company is working toward developing a Google Glass-like product.
We have written previously...more
Instagram now allows users to zoom in on photos in their feeds and at least 11 brands are already capitalizing on the new feature.
Pinterest acquired Instapaper, a tool that allows you to cache webpages for reading at a...more
9/6/2016
/ Advertising ,
Facebook ,
Instagram ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Funds ,
Investors ,
Journalism ,
Mobile Apps ,
Photographs ,
Pinterest ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Snapchat ,
Social Media
Google is cracking down on mobile pop-up ads by knocking down the search-result position of websites that use them.
The National Labor Relations Board decided a social media policy that Chipotle had in place for its...more
8/29/2016
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Endorsement Guidelines ,
Google ,
Hate Speech ,
Instagram ,
Jury Selection ,
Kardashians ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Native Advertising ,
NLRB ,
Personal Data ,
Pop-Up Ads ,
Revenge Porn ,
Social Media ,
Truth in Advertising ,
Twitter ,
UK ,
Visa Waiver Program
A recent California court decision involving Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) is creating considerable concern among social media companies and other website operators....more
8/25/2016
/ Communications Decency Act ,
Defamation ,
Internet ,
Online Reviews ,
Safe Harbors ,
Section 230 ,
Social Media ,
Takedown Notices ,
User-Generated Content ,
Website Owner Liability ,
Websites ,
Yelp
Twitter took steps to remedy its harassment problem.
In addition, over the last six months, Twitter suspended 235,000 accounts that promoted terrorism....more
Facebook introduced technology that disables ad blockers used by people who visit the platform via desktop computers, but Adblock Plus has already foiled the platform’s efforts, at least for now....more
8/15/2016
/ Ad-Blockers ,
Amicus Briefs ,
Copyright ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
LinkedIn ,
Mobile Apps ,
PETA ,
Snapchat ,
Social Media ,
Software ,
Twitter ,
Web Scraping
We’re in the midst of a seismic shift in how companies interact with user-generated content (UGC).
For years, companies were happy simply to host UGC on their websites, blogs and social media pages and reap the resulting...more
Instagram now allows celebrities to block trolls. The rest of us will have to continue trying to ignore Instagram trolls.
While Facebook reached new highs last quarter, Twitter continued to stumble. Will adding more live...more
8/1/2016
/ Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) ,
Defamation ,
Emoji ,
Facebook ,
Instagram ,
LinkedIn ,
Pinterest ,
Snapchat ,
Social Media ,
Trolls ,
Twitter ,
Yelp
Facebook Messenger joins the elite “one billion monthly users” club just four years after its release as a standalone app....more
7/25/2016
/ Criminal Prosecution ,
Distracted Driving ,
Evidence ,
Facebook ,
Mobile Apps ,
Revenge Porn ,
Snapchat ,
Social Media ,
Trial Court Orders ,
Trolls ,
Twitter ,
User-Generated Content ,
Video Games
We have become inured to the sight of people staring at their phones rather than engaging with one another or enjoying their real-life surroundings. But, over the past two weeks, enslavement to mobile devices rose to new...more
If your company is involved in selling products or services to consumers in New Jersey over the web or through mobile apps, you’ll want to read this blog post....more
7/20/2016
/ Class Action ,
Consumer Contracts ,
Consumer Fraud ,
E-Commerce ,
Internet Retailers ,
Mobile Apps ,
NJ Supreme Court ,
Savings Clause ,
Spokeo ,
Spokeo v Robins ,
Terms and Conditions ,
Warranties ,
Websites
The UK wants to use the blockchain to track the spending of welfare recipients.
Some believe that a recent Ninth Circuit holding could turn sharing passwords into a federal crime under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act....more
7/18/2016
/ Blockchain ,
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) ,
Facebook ,
Live Streaming ,
Mobile Apps ,
Patent Applications ,
Patents ,
Snapchat ,
Social Media ,
UK ,
Vine ,
Virtual Reality
Earlier this year, I helped moderate a lively panel discussion on social media business and legal trends. The panelists, who represented well-known brands, didn’t agree on anything. One panelist would make an observation,...more
Mixed Messages: Courts Grapple With Emoticons and Emoji -
Emoticon and emoji are ubiquitous in online and mobile communications; according to one study, 74 percent of Americans use emoticons, emoji and similar images...more