As a follow up on our previous story on the Cybercrime Prevention Act, here, the Supreme Court of the Phillipines has suspended the law. Concern was raised over provisions in the law which would have seen the possibility of imprisonment for those expressing peaceful opinions on the internet through social media. Floyd Whaley’s report, “Philippine Court Suspends Contentious Internet Law”, appeared in The New York Times online edition.
Social media is posing problems for ensuring fair trials in other countries. Currently, Australia has formed a working group to study the issue. The group was formed after some Facebook pages caused concern over an on-going trial. Jane Lee and Dan Oakes examine the issue in “States to Tackle Social Media Laws After Alarm Over Fair Trial for Accused.”
The Cybercrime Prevention Act may have far reaching negative effects on free speech on social media networks. While the new law is meant to be “a measure against hacking, identity theft, spamming, cybersex and online child pornography”, there are fears that it will be used in libel cases which are a criminal offense in the Philippines. For the full story read, “Media Groups, Filipinos Protest Tough Cyber Law” by Hrvoje Hranjski.
While states are busy passing legislation to protect your passwords from employers and schools, Americans still have little in the way of guaranteed privacy on social media sites. The police can rely on a 1986 law that was extended to the internet by the Patriot Act to conduct surveillance on social media sites without a warrant. Declan McCullagh provides more details in his article “Feds Snoop on Social-Network Accounts Without Warrants.”
This is a subject that most people don’t want to contemplate, but it’s definitely something you should be thinking about. Who controls your posts on Facebook and Twitter after you die? As of right now, it is the social media site itself. The sites are the ones who set the policy, but a push for new federal regulations may change that. This could be an issue of particular concern when it comes to issues of intellectual property. What about any material that might be copyrighted? It’s not just a matter of personal information that may be stored online; there may also be valuable intellectual property stored there. ScienceDaily’s article “Federal Law Needed to Safeguard ‘Digital Afterlives’, Expert Argues” draws on the article “Facebook’s Afterlife” by Jason Mazzone.
Governor Jerry Brown very appropriately tweeted that he had signed the social media privacy bills. He later followed up with a press release. The Los Angeles Times online version carried the story “Gov. Jerry Brown Tweets That He Signed Social Media Privacy Bills.”
California’s new social media privacy law, which passed last month but is still pending signing into effect, may be a boon for employers and employees alike unless you look at the financial industry. The new law would help to protect individuals’ privacy and protect employers from liability. Matt Williams provides some insight into the benefits in his article “California Ramps Up Social Media Policy.”
Dan Jameson provides insight into the potential pitfalls that the law could pose in the securities industry and other financial industries: “Privacy Laws Threaten Compliance.”
First responders and law enforcement can find valuable and helpful information on social media. Information from social media can be used in conjunction with other sources of information to help gauge a situation before law enforcement or first responders are actually at the site. New tools are also allowing agencies to sift through the mountain of postings to identify social media posts that may indicate a threat to an individual or society at large. As always, the interest from these “agencies” raises questions of free speech and privacy. Dale Peet’s article “Social Media Analytics Can Aid Law Enforcement, First Responders In Civil Unrest, Disasters, Investigations” provides a thorough look at the benefits to such agencies in maintaining an active role in social media.
In a global environment, social media sites must be aware of differing standards and laws among their many users. The line between hate speech and free speech is rarely clear, and social media sites try to clarify their own stance through their own terms of use and guidelines. Somini Sengupta examines the issue in “On Web, a Fine Line on Free Speech Across the Globe.”
In a follow up to Wednesday’s post, Twitter has complied with a Manhattan Judge’s order to hand over a user’s tweets or fact a contempt of court charge. However, the tweets will remain sealed pending an appeal. Read Don Reisenger’s article “Twitter Hands Over Occupy Protestor’s Tweets” for more information.