Here are two more cautionary tales about mixing social media, specifically Facebook, with your legal career. Tom Gantert writes that Michigan’s “State Bar Urges Caution with Social Media, ” and the Kentucky Law Review also reports on a timely case: “Facebook Spoliation Costs [Virginia] Lawyer $522, 000; Ends His Legal Career.”
The US government wants to be able to mine all social media more efficiently in the name of national security. In addition to privacy concerns, are issues with finding software that can accurately determine risks. Marcus Wohlsen of the Associated Press reports in “US Government Seeks to Mine Social Media to Help Predict Future.”
Apparently, people can’t stop tweeting and blogging about Facebook. Since 2009, Facebook has been a leading topic on blogs and Twitter. Read “The Facebook Fascination on Social Media” to learn more about what the hot topics were on Facebook.
We’ve featured a few articles now on the contentious issue of who owns your social media contacts. Jonathan Barrick has some useful comments on “Who Owns the Account? Navigating the Minefield of Social Ownership.” The article provides tips on how to assess the issue when part of your job responsibility includes maintaining a social media presence.
Social Media is a global issue. Foong Cheng Leong provides some insight into “What Lies Ahead for Social Media” in Malaysia. The article touches on important US and Canadian cases that may impact on social media law in Malaysia where Twitter and Facebook users are growing in leaps and bounds. The article also provides a succinct summary of many of the important cases from 2011.
Social Media’s influence in marketing is only going to continue to grow. Social media offers an excellent way for marketers to connect with consumers and allows for fairly easy tracking of that contact. Lewis Humphries looks at “The Power of Social Media: Influencing Trading and the Markets.”
The Chief Justice of the Canadian Supreme Court recently spoke to a group of university students about the important role social media could play in the justice system. The Chief Justice comments on the role social media can play within courts and as an integral part of what we now think of as media in a larger context. Read all of her remarks in Mike Blanchfield’s article: “Chief Justice Muses About the Impact of Tweets, Facebook, and Others.”
It may seem like a lot of work to track all the changes in social media law with so many stories and cases emerging every day, but it’s money and time well spent. Jon Chavez’s article, “Law’s Stance on Social Media Fluid, Firms Told, ” points out why. It’s important that a company’s social media policies keep pace with changes in the law.
Cyberbullying of children through social media continues to be a persistent danger to children. However, attempts to curb it also continue to run up against defenders of First Amendment rights. Sam Stockard’s article, “Ketron to Reword Online Bully Law, ” looks at Senator Ketron’s attempts to strengthen online bullying legislation in Tennessee.
Still think people exaggerate when they talk about how pervasive social media has become in everyone’s life? According to a post on the CBS news site a “New Chicago Gang Book Explores How Gangs Are Using Social Media.”