On May 11, 2022, the Fifth Circuit reinstated Texas state law HB 20 which allows private parties to sue tech platforms with 50M+ MAUs for their censorship of user-generated content based on “the viewpoint of a user or another person”. On May 13, technology lobbying groups NetChoice and the Computer...
Twitter released a statement saying it plans to continue refusing the Indian government’s orders to ban accounts belonging to journalists, media outlets, and politicians who have been critical of the government’s policies. Read more at the Columbia Journalism Review.
Russian authorities are escalating pressure on social media companies, forcing them to censor online content deemed illegal by the government, according to Human Rights Watch. Social media platforms have received warnings and face fines and potential blocking for failure to comply with Russia’s...
The “right to be forgotten” has been central to the global debate over the balance between individual privacy and freedom of information and of the media in recent years. Such right has been affirmed by the European Court of Justice, as well as later in the UK, although its application in other...
India’s government has threatened to punish employees at Twitter with fines and jail terms of up to seven years for restoring hundreds of accounts it has ordered the company to block. Most accounts were critical of the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. Read more at BuzzFeed News.
The Supreme Court of India sought responses from the Centre and others on a plea seeking framing of a law to regulate social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and make them responsible for allegedly spreading fake news and hate speeches. Read more at The Quint.
Google opened a centre to tackle harmful online content, in a move also designed to ease regulatory concerns about how the company and other tech giants police a growing problem on the internet. Read more on Reuters.
In a hearing on her nomination for Commerce Department secretary on Tuesday, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo told lawmakers that she will pursue changes to Section 230 if confirmed. Biden said he wanted to revoke the law last year. Read more at The Verge.
Rules passed in November set broad parameters for the country’s internet regulator to censor online content. Pakistan’s government says it will review the regulations that rights groups have decried as a draconian measure to limit freedom of speech and increase internet surveillance. Read more at Al...
Users of major mobile carriers can no longer access a service that detailed the personal information of police officers, a possible sign that the city is turning to tactics used in mainland China. Read more at The New York Times.
Ankara has imposed advertising bans on Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest after they failed to appoint local representatives in Turkey under a new social media law, according to decisions published on Tuesday. Read more from Reuters.