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...
Facebook says it has significantly reduced distribution of all content on pages and profiles run by the Myanmar military, the Tatmadaw, “that have continued to spread misinformation”. These accounts will not be recommended to people, Facebook said on February 11. Read more at Medianama,
As the European Commission sets out plans for a Digital Markets Act, ARTICLE 19 calls for protection of users’ human rights to be at the center of plans to regulate the role platform gatekeepers play in the future of Europe’s digital environment. Read more at Article 19.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) and the European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP) mark a step change in the EU policy approach to online disinformation. The ambition of the two new initiatives is to move from self-regulation towards a co-regulatory framework in a bid to make big tech companies more...
The Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Communications ordered mobile networks and internet service providers in the country to block Twitter and Instagram, according to Norwegian company Telenor, which offers mobile services in the country. Read more at CNN Philippines.
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.