Indiana justices’ opinion in ‘revenge porn’ case lauded
Academics and lawyers specializing in free speech and cyber civil rights issues are hailing a recent Indiana Supreme Court ruling regarding the sharing of nonconsensual pornographic images.
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Op-ed: Trepidatious technology: Flintstone tools in the age of The Jetsons
In recent months, the discreet behemoth that is perceived to provide a broad shield against liability for tech companies has been in the limelight: Section 230. Recent legislative proposals have endeavored to curtail the perceived imbalance by attempting to amend Section 230, either applying archaic legal channels or forging a new construction implicating constitutional concerns.
Capitol rioters’ social media posts influencing sentencings
For many rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, self-incriminating messages, photos and videos that they broadcast on social media before, during and after the insurrection are influencing even their criminal sentences.
New tips sought in Indiana probe of 2 teen girls’ killings
Police investigating the unsolved slayings of two teenage girls killed during a 2017 hiking trip in Delphi are seeking information from people who had contact with someone who used a fictitious online profile to communicate with young girls.
Snapchat video helps ID 6 suspects in Indiana church attack
Investigators identified six young suspects in the vandalism of a historic southwestern Indiana church after one of the culprits posted video of the incident to social media, police said.
Kokomo woman gets 2.5 years for ‘animal crushing’
A Kokomo woman has been sentenced to federal prison time for torturing animals and then posting videos of the crimes online.
Twitter suspends Indiana Rep. Jim Banks’ official account
Twitter suspended an Indiana congressman’s official account after removing a post about a transgender Biden administration official over a violation of the social media company’s rules.
Trump asks US judge to force Twitter to restore his account
Former President Donald Trump has asked a federal judge in Florida to force Twitter to restore his account, which the company suspended in January following the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol.
COA affirms Bloomington woman committed computer trespassing after accessing ex’s Snapchat, posting nude photos
A Bloomington woman who took her ex-boyfriend’s Snapchat password from his computer without permission and posted nude images sent to him by another woman committed computer trespassing, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed Thursday.
DTCI: ‘He is a rat’ vs. ‘He is a rat because …’
Indiana courts recognize that social media posts can form the basis of defamation claims.
Knox Co. teen who sent threatening social media message loses appeal of delinquency adjudication
A Knox County teenager who sent a threatening social media message to numerous middle school students involving guns will retain a delinquency adjudication for felony intimidation, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday, though a misdemeanor adjudication was vacated on double jeopardy grounds. The appellate court declined to dismiss the message as a “juvenile antic” in light of the numerous American school shootings in recent years.
Should Congress amend online immunity for Big Tech? No perfect answer
Signing into your preferred social media platform is usually simple. But what if you’ve been blocked temporarily — or permanently — after posting content that caused a stir? That’s the heart of a current political battle over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Dozens of states including Indiana target Google’s app store in antitrust suit
Dozens of states including Indiana are taking aim at Google in an escalating legal offensive on Big Tech. This time, attorneys general for 36 states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit targeting Google’s Play store, where consumers download apps designed for the Android software that powers most of the world’s smartphones.
Trump announces suits against Facebook, Twitter and Google
Former President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is filing suits against three of the country’s biggest tech companies: Facebook, Twitter and Google, as well as their CEOs.
Franklin mayor sued for blocking resident on Facebook after BLM video
The mayor of Franklin has been sued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana after he allegedly blocked an individual from accessing his Facebook page.
Justices rule for cursing cheerleader over Snapchat post
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a Pennsylvania public school wrongly suspended a student from cheerleading over a vulgar social media post she made after she didn’t qualify for the varsity team.
Protective order against ‘ruthless’ social media attacker upheld
D.V. filed for a protective order in December 2019, testifying that she’d been forced to change her phone number because of P.D.’s tactics and saying she felt “scared” and “desperate.” The Tippecanoe Superior Court granted the protective order.
Student’s arrest for racist post sparks free speech debate
The arrest of a Connecticut high school student accused of posting racist comments about a Black classmate on social media is being supported by civil rights advocates, but free speech groups are calling it an unusual move by police that raises First Amendment issues.
AGs urge Facebook to drop ‘Instagram for kids’ proposal
A bipartisan group of 44 attorneys general has written to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging him to drop company plans for a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Monday.
Facebook board upholds Trump ban, just not an indefinite one
Former President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook — at least not yet. Four months after Facebook suspended Trump’s accounts for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the company’s quasi-independent oversight board upheld the bans but told Facebook to specify how long they would last.