Social Media and its Impact on High-Profile Death Penalty Cases

By Hannah Furst
Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal
IPLJ Article Permalink

Days before his execution, Troy Davis’s guilt is questioned.

In this era, it is impossible to oversee the overwhelming support generated by social media and the far-reaching impact of open media.

Anonymous Speech in the Internet Age: The Good, the Bad, and the Uncertainty…

By Elizabeth Morris
Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal
IPLJ Article Permalink

Have you ever wanted to post bad reviews of a restaurant, but been afraid the restaurant would find out it was you and spit in your food if you decided to give it a second chance? Exactly how anonymous are anonymous postings? Unfortunately for you, it’s likely that a court might say they are hardly anonymous at all. In In re Anonymous Online Speakers, the Ninth Circuit held that the identity of anonymous posters is only afforded limited protection in the context of commercial speech (as opposed to political or religious speech).[1] While the court acknowledged the right to a “robust exchange of ideas” through anonymous Internet speech, it also acknowledged the need to protect businesses from malicious speech. To protect businesses from such defamatory attacks, the Ninth Circuit limited freedom of speech for cases in which comments are potentially harmful to businesses.

Facebook Posting and its Implications on Job Security

By Raquel Goldstein
Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal
IPLJ Article Permalink

When Facebook originated, it was a web site created for college students to interact with one another. However, as Facebook began to grow in popularity and additional applications became available to interface with it, the individuals permitted to create an account were no longer limited by an .edu email address indicative of a college student, and potential privacy issues have evolved and expanded. Making the decision to post a comment or a picture on Facebook in order to share with friends and family may now result in negative ramifications on a user’s career and personal life.

Is There Too Much Free Speech on Facebook? Maybe, Says A Facebook Lobbyist

By Audrey Watters
Read Write Web | Article Link

Rumors have been circulating for some time now that Facebook is poised to make its entry into China - one of the few remaining countries in which the social network has no presence. As it stands, Facebook is currently blocked in China.

But entry into China isn't as simple as unblocking access or launching a Chinese-language version. Should Facebook enter China (or "when Facebook enters China," rather), it is likely it will be required by the Chinese government to censor material and hand over user data.

That requirement is something that Google has struggled with, eventually withdrawing from mainland China last year. While Google remains the largest search engine in the world, that status doesn't extend to China where Baidu dominates. Interestingly, some of the rumors of Facebook's entry into China involve a partnership with the Web services company.

In Social Media Postings, A Trove for Investigators

By Joseph Goldstein
New York Times | Article Link

First, Facebook helped get Rodney Bradford out of jail; later, it threatened to send him back.

Part of the final online dialogue between a victim and the woman accused in her death. About a day later, they met in person.

In 2009, the social networking site helped exonerate Mr. Bradford after prosecutors charged him with a robbery in Brooklyn. Mr. Bradford countered that he was at his father’s home in Manhattan at the time. He even had posted a joking complaint on Facebook about breakfast. Subpoenaed records from Facebook backed up Mr. Bradford’s alibi, and the charges against him were dropped.