Social media continues to have its role and presence in the court defined. Up until recently, social media has played more of a role in civil cases, but it is now finding its way into how criminal cases play out too. One such case is the Trayvon Martin murder case in Florida. Lizette Alvarez looks at how Mark O’Mara, the defense lawyer for George Zimmerman, is using social media in “Social Media, Growing in Legal Circles, Finds a Role in Florida Murder Case.”

Average Rating: 4.8 out of 5 based on 264 user reviews.

by Michael Kernan

We are all certain of our privacy rights in our financial and personal affairs.  We are also very familiar with trade secret protection of the way we do business and our business matters.  When you store these matters on the cloud, does that take away this privacy?  The U.S. government has suggested that it does.
Read more on this issue here.

Average Rating: 4.6 out of 5 based on 228 user reviews.

Social media platforms are growing in popularity in the Middle East. There have already been questions of censorship versus freedom of speech. Digital media engagement is strongest among younger demographics but is gaining steadily. As content is increasingly available on digital platforms, it is likely that other legal issues will arise. Yousef  Gamal El-Din provides more information on the changing landscape in “Social Media Giants Leap Into Arab World.”

 

Average Rating: 4.8 out of 5 based on 250 user reviews.

It’s easier than ever to make sure that your new Mobile App is compliant with Federal Trade Commission regulations on truth-in-advertising and privacy. The FTC has published a guide, Marketing Your Mobile App: Get It Right From the Start, to help developers. You can find the guide at the FTC website and the Bureau of Consumer Protection also provides a breakdown of the guide on their website.

Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 based on 181 user reviews.

An investigative story about the wealth of the Chinese premier’s family in The New York Times has resulted in Chinese censors blocking the newspaper’s websites and social media, including Sina Weibo which is similar to Twitter. It is common practice for the names of political leaders and their family members to be blocked on social media sites. For more details on the story, read “China Blocks NY Times Website Over Wen Report.”

 

Average Rating: 4.8 out of 5 based on 276 user reviews.

With changes to how the law regulates the interaction of employees and employers over social media use, it is more important now than ever to have clear social media guidelines in place. Those in the hotel industry may face unique challenges in this area. For instance, hosting celebrities can be great for business, but celebrities are inclined to value their privacy. Samantha Worgull’s article “Social Media Policy Key to Mitigate Liability” looks at the issues facing the hotel industry in using social media.

Average Rating: 5 out of 5 based on 275 user reviews.

Here’s a breaking story about Linn, a Norwegian woman, whose Kindle account was recently wiped by Amazon for no apparent reason. At least, to date according to the article, Amazon has not provided a satisfactory answer for their actions. Many are seeing this as an abuse of DRM (digital rights management). Mark King’s article “Amazon Wipes Customer’s Kindle and Deletes Account With No Explanation” provides more information on the incident. However, the information that is forthcoming may indicate that Amazon is attempting to prevent copyright problems due to customers buying books under false pretenses in one country to use in another. The global nature of internet commerce makes navigating the legal issues problematic.

Average Rating: 4.7 out of 5 based on 264 user reviews.

Twitter temporarily suspended the account of a British politician for tweeting the address of two men. Nick Griffin, a member of the British National Party, has been criticized for his open hostility to a number of groups, in this case a gay couple who had recently won a court case. Twitter only suspended the account temporarily and only removed the tweet that contained the address of the couple, so it appears the social media site continues to be a supporter of free speech. Posting an actual address or telephone number is against Twitter’s rules: “Privacy: You may not publish or post other people’s private and confidential information, such as credit card numbers, street address or Social Security/National Identity numbers, without their express authorization and permission.” It’s also against the rules to publish threats to others. The full list of Twitter rules can be found here. For more on the story about Nick Griffin, read “Twitter Suspends Account Briefly After UK Pol Attacks Gay Couple” by Lance Whitney

Average Rating: 4.9 out of 5 based on 278 user reviews.

Everything old is new again on social media. Human resources departments need to take a close look at their harassment and discrimination policies in relation to the use of social media. Tom Starner provides an in-depth look at these issues here.

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 273 user reviews.

There may still be loopholes for private employers to institute social media policies that limit their employees’ right to freedom of speech. Koch Industries current social media policy raises a number of questions about what a private company can or can’t do legally. Brendan Fischer’s article “Koch Social Media Policy May Be Unlawful; Employers Still Have Broad Leeway to Limit Employee Speech” points out several disturbing developments.

Average Rating: 4.6 out of 5 based on 256 user reviews.