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Your First Amendment rights are probably the last thing you think about when you click the Like button on Facebook . But just in case you were wondering, that innocent little blue thumbs-up logo is not constitutionally protected free speech. At least, not according to a district court judge in Virginia, who was the first to decide such a question in federal court. The case before Judge Raymond Jackson was this: a local sheriff had fired six of his employees, some because their actions "hindered the harmony and efficiency of the office," according to the New York Times . One of those employees, it turned out, had clicked the Like button on the page of the sheriff's political opponent. That may sound like a firing offense.
Facebook Like Can Get You Fired, Says Judge
Louisiana has enacted a new law requiring sex offenders and child predators to disclose their criminal status on their Facebook and other social networking profiles. The law — a first of its kind in the U.S. — says sex offenders must include the crime for which they were convicted, the jurisdiction of their conviction, a description of their physical characteristics and a residential address within their profile. It will go into effect August 1. Facebook already refuses to let registered sex offenders create profiles, according to its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. But this new law, according to State Rep.
State Law Requires Sex Offenders to List Status on Facebook
Only about half of all parents are aware of cyberbullying incidents involving their children, in part because more kids are accessing Facebook using chat applications and cell phones away from their family. A joint survey by SocialShield and comScore of 2,000 parents with children between the ages of eight and 17 reveals that only about nine percent of parents reported knowing about cyberbullying involving their kids, while other data shows that as many as twice that number of children claim to be the victims of cyberbullying. For example, a survey by the Cyberbullying Research Center found that 21 percent of children claim to have been victimized by cyberbullying, and a Pew Research Center report found that as many as 15 percent of teenagers have had “online meanness” directed at them. One reason adults may be in the dark about bullying behavior is a result of how they use the social networking site.
STUDY: Bullies Outnumber Victims 4:1 On Facebook
Facebook Murder-For-Hire Plot Lands Two People in Prison
A murder-for-hire plot that started with a Facebook message resulted in a prison sentence for Ohio residents Christine Metter and her 77-year-old father. Metter stared at the courtroom floor on Thursday when a judge sentenced her to 10 years in prison for attempting to hire a man on Facebook to kill her ex-husband. Metter, 41, of Ohio and her father Al Zombory, 77, were convicted of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder in January. Zombory was sentenced to nine years in prison on Tuesday. It all started with a conversation Metter had on Facebook with a friend from high school. Metter complained about her ex-husband to the friend, saying he had custody of her oldest daughter and planned to fight for custody of the other three children.
Facebook denied a report Monday from the UK's Sunday Times that the company is reading text messages sent by users that have installed its popular app on their mobile phones. "The Sunday Times has done some creative conspiracy theorizing but the suggestion that we’re secretly reading people’s texts is ridiculous,” said Iian Mackenzie, Facebook's head of European communications in a post entitled "Today's Bad Journalism." An earlier report in the Sunday Times suggested that Facebook was ogling users' private texts based on the Facebook for Android app's permissions.
Facebook Denies Looking At Your Text Messages [VIDEO]
Patent Wars: Yahoo Claims Facebook Is Infringing
Yahoo, desperately in need of new revenue models, has hit upon the patent litigation stratgy and is now alleging that deep-pocketed Facebook is infringing 10-20 Yahoo patents including things that cover "the technical mechanisms in the Facebook's ads, privacy controls, news feed and messaging service." As Tim Lee wrote for Slate on Monday , it's important to understand that these infringement suits don't need to claim deliberate copying and, indeed, generally don't allege any such thing. And because of the logistics involved "most software firms don't even try to avoid infringement." But when a firm gets as big and successful as Facebook that makes it a ripe target for litigation over issues the company probably ignored back when it was busy building its product and its business.
Yahoo wants Facebook to start paying for its right to use various Internet technologies that Yahoo says it holds patents for. If Yahoo aggressively pursues a strategy of asserting its intellectual-property rights, it could lead to a new phase of patent wars, this one involving some of the biggest names in social networking. In a statement first reported by The New York Times , Yahoo told Mashable it "has a responsibility to its shareholders, employees and other stakeholders to protect its intellectual property." "We have invested substantial resources into these innovations," the statement continued. "We must insist that Facebook either enter into a licensing agreement or we will be compelled to move forward unilaterally to protect our rights.”
Yahoo To Facebook: Pay Up for Your Patents
Student who Hacked into Facebook Employee Account Gets Jail Time [VIDEO]
A 26-year-old software development student will spend eight months in jail for hacking Facebook, which his judge said could have been "utterly disastrous" for the company. Glenn Mangham hacked a Facebook employee's account last spring from his parents' home in Britain. He gained access to valuable intellectual property, although he didn't sell the information.
Whether we look too young, too old or too inebriated, we've all been there — tagged in unflattering Facebook photos. But if you're thinking of filing a lawsuit about it, think again. Uploading an unflattering photo is not grounds for a harassment suit, a Minnesota district court has ruled.
You Can't Sue Family Over Unwanted Facebook Photos, Says Judge [VIDEO]
By Joe Palazzolo A federal judge in the Middle District of Louisiana has struck down a state law barring sex offenders from using Facebook and other social media on First Amendment grounds. Chief Judge Brian Jackson ruled Thursday that the law, which took effect in August, imposed “a sweeping ban on many commonly read news and information websites,” as well as social networking sites. The definition of “chat room” in the law is so broad, for instance, the court’s own website could fall under the ban, he said. Judge Jackson also took issue with the law’s requirement that offenders who are no longer under court supervision seek an exemption from a judge to access social-networking sites legally. He said federal courts couldn’t grant such exemptions because they have no jurisdiction over an offender who has completed a prison sentence and post-prison supervision.
Judge Strikes Down Law Banning Sexual Offenders from Facebook - Law Blog
In yet another example of our speedy justice system, Facebook was declared the winner of a lawsuit originally filed in December 2008 against Power Ventures and Power.com , which accessed and stored users’ login information without permission. Bloomberg reported that U.S. District Judge James Ware ruled in favor of the social network, and the next step will be a hearing on damages. Meanwhile, time has not been kind to Cayman Islands-based Power Ventures, as Bloomberg reported that Power.com is on the block.
Facebook Wins Three-Year-Old Suit Against Power.com
Juror Jailed For 'Friending' Defendant on Facebook [VIDEO]
Word to the wise: If you're a juror in a trial, don't friend the defendant on Facebook, or worse, brag about being kicked off the jury committee for said friend request. Jacob Jock , a 29-year-old man living in Sarasota, Florida, was sentenced to three days in jail on Thursday for criminal contempt of court by Circuit Judge Nancy Donnellan. The misdemeanor charge stemmed from a message he posted on his Facebook page after being dismissed from jury duty for sending a friend request to the defendant: "Score ...Facebook is turning to the courts to fight the "clickjacking" scourge which sometimes plagues the social networking site. The news comes as rumors are circulating that Facebook's initial public offering (IPO) could be happening as early as this week, with a possible offering of up to $10 billion in shares. If you've ever clicked on a Facebook link only to have that same link get instantly (and seemingly magically) sent out to your entire network of friends without your approval, you have been clickjacked .
Facebook Takes the Fight Against Clickjacking to the Courts
Facebook Inc. contributed $1.35 million to lobby various tech-related efforts last year, breaking the $1 million mark for the first time. During the last quarter of 2011, Facebook donated $440,000 , targeting issues including international regulation of software companies and restrictions on Internet access by foreign governments. Facebook continually lobbies for online security measures for private industry, data storage, online safety for Internet users, the Do Not Track Kids Act, proposed amendment to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 to protect personal information of children, the Video Privacy Protection Act and various patent legislation. SEE ALSO: ‘We The Lobby’ Crowdsources Funds for an Anti-SOPA Lobby
Facebook Spent More than $1 Million on Lobbying in 2011 [REPORT]
Privacy Lawsuit Over Facebook Like Ads Can Proceed
The issue of Facebook using its members’ likenesses in advertising returned to center stage with a ruling by a court in California that a class-action suit against the social network can proceed. Bloomberg reported that U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose rejected Facebook’s bid for dismissal of the suit Friday, ruling that the social network’s use of members’ images in targeted advertising and sponsored stories may run afoul of California’s Right of Publicity Statute, which prohibits the non-consensual use of another person’s name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness for advertising purposes. Facebook had tried to have the lawsuit dismissed on the grounds that the users’ endorsement had no economic value, as they were not celebrities, but Koh did not agree. The ads in question feature an advertiser that a user’s friend has liked, along with the friend’s picture and the statement that the friend liked the advertiser."California law mandates payments of $750 for wrongful endorsements, but paidContent points out that before Facebook users start spending that money, the plaintiffs must still establish during the trial that they are entitled to the payouts, and only Facebook users in California can benefit due to the state’s more stringent laws and its celebrity-driven economy." by Dec 19
"U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose rejected Facebook’s bid for dismissal of the suit Friday, ruling that the social network’s use of members’ images in targeted advertising and sponsored stories may run afoul of California’s Right of Publicity Statute, which prohibits the non-consensual use of another person’s name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness for advertising purposes." by Dec 19