Devin Nunes Tries to Unmask Cow Account, Raising Concerns over Anonymous Speech
In a new amicus brief, Public Citizen and the American Civil Liberties Union argue that Nunes cannot legally pursue the identity of the anonymous speaker without first proving he has a valid defamation claim. Without meeting this legal standard, they write, the court could threaten people's First Amendment right to anonymous speech.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Cleared of Defamation In Suit Brought By British Cave Explorer
On December 6th, a jury in Los Angeles found that Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk had not defamed a British cave explorer when Musk called him a “pedo guy” on Twitter. Vernon Unsworth sued Musk in July 2018 after the two publicly disagreed about the rescue attempts for a soccer team who was trapped in a cave system in Thailand.
Google Announces New Policy on Political Advertisements
On November 20th, Google announced that the company will restrict how precisely political ads can target users on its search engine and on YouTube. Political ads can still be delivered according to gender, age, and location, as well according to the content of the website users visit. However, the new policy states that ads can’t be directed to users based on the public voter record or their political affiliations.
Despite His Efforts to Have “Pedo Guy” Case Dismissed, Elon Musk Will Go on Trial
A federal judge in California ruled that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has to go on trial for calling a British cave explorer a "pedophile" and "child rapist,” despite numerous attempts by the tech entrepreneur to have the case dismissed.
Twitter Announces Details of New Political Ad Policy
Under this new policy, Twitter will no longer accept advertisements that include “content that references a candidate, political party, elected or appointed government official, election, referendum, ballot measure, legislation, regulation, directive, or judicial outcome.” Ads that include appeals to vote or solicitations for financial support will also be banned.
As Whistleblower’s Identity Spreads, Social Media Companies Are Asked to Intervene
Should social media companies remove posts with the whistleblower's name to protect the person from harm? Facebook and Twitter have different answers.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Unblocks Follower from Twitter, Issues Public Apology
“I have reconsidered my decision to block Dov Hikind from my Twitter account,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement on Monday. “Mr. Hikind has a First Amendment right to express his views and should not be blocked for them.”
Tentative Applause Follows Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s Decision to Ban Political Advertisements
Twitter announced on Wednesday, October 30th that his company would no longer accept political advertising on its platform. While notably more positive than Facebook's reception, Twitter's wasn’t universally warm.