Salon.com > Online Freedom

Arizona is trying to ruin Twitter

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:56:00 +0000

OMG, you guys! It's a Twitter emergency! If Tea Party darling and Arizona House Republican Michelle Ugenti has her way, you can say TTYL to parody accounts like @SilentJimLehrer and @HologramTupac.

I know. It's awful.

Proposed House Bill 2004 would outlaw online impersonation without permission and make it a felony to create a website or profile in someone else's name with the intention to "harm, defraud, intimidate or threaten." Supporters say it will help stop online bullying. Critics argue that it could violate the First Amendment and (more important, duh) effectively end the national pastime of creating faux Twitter accounts to provide meta-commentary on the ups and downs of our public figures!

"The problem with this, and other online impersonation bills, is the potential that they could be used to go after parody or social commentary activities," Electronic Frontier Foundation senior staff attorney Kurt Opsahl told the Arizona Republic. "While this bill is written to limit 'intent to harm,' if that is construed broadly, there could be First Amendment problems."

Fan sites for Bieber allegedly violated children’s online privacy law

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:50:00 +0000

A company that operates fan websites for pop stars like Justin Bieber and Rihanna amassed personal information from more than 100,000 children without parental consent, according to a complaint brought by the the Federal Trade Commission

The website operator, Artist Arena, will pay a civil penalty of $1 million, the New York Times reported Wednesday. In collecting personal information like names, addresses and email addresses the company had violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires operators of websites to "notify parents and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information about children younger than 13."

The Times notes that the Artist Arena settlement "comes at a time when the ... [FTC] is preparing to extensively strengthen the children's online privacy protection rule for the first time since its introduction more than a decade ago" in order to keep pace with new digital technologies. The company "neither admitted nor denied the agency’s allegations."

Jon Leibowitz, the chairman of the FTC., said in a statement:

Marketers need to know that even a bad case of Bieber Fever doesn't excuse their legal obligation to get parental consent before collecting personal information from children ... The FTC is in the process of updating the COPPA rule to ensure it continues to protect kids growing up in the digital age.

Zuckerberg goes to Moscow

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:42:00 +0000

Mark Zuckerberg met with representatives from the Russian government Monday in Moscow to help boost Facebook's presence in Russia.

According to Agence France-Presse, meetings were scheduled between Zuckerberg and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev -- the government's self-appointed supporter of technological advancement (who is seen "regularly brandishing an iPad," as AFP noted).

The aim of the visit is reportedly to foster cooperation and boost Facebook in Russia, one of the few countries in the world where it is not the No. 1 social network; Russian language site Vtonkte is currently more popular.

However, AFP notes:

Zuckerberg’s visit is not entirely free of controversy, with Russian firms saying his main aim is to headhunt Russian tech talent and lure recruits back to California.

…Representatives of Vkontakte and Russia’s largest Internet company Mail.ru confirmed to [… a Russian business daily] that Facebook had made attempts to tempt their employees out of Russia.

According to reports, Zuckerburg -- hooded sweatshirt-clad, as ever -- ate at a Moscow branch of McDonald's following his meetings.