While there is no set precedent for the issue, more and more courts are encountering a new type of lawsuit related to social-media blocking. The Knight Foundation, for instance, is suing the U.S. government on behalf of Twitter users blocked by President Donald Trump, whose Twitter account has become alarmingly vital when it comes to understanding his presidency. <\/p>\n
This week, a federal court in Virginia tackled the issue when it ruled on behalf of a plaintiff blocked by a local county politician. According to The Wall Street Journal, Brian Davison sued the chairwoman of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, who temporarily banned him from her Facebook page after he posted criticism of local officials last year. Judge James Cacheris found that she had violated Davisons First Amendment rights by blocking him from leaving comment, because, in his judgment, the chairwoman, Phyllis Randall, was using her Facebook page in a public capacity. Though it was a personal account, she used it to solicit comments from constituents. <\/p>\n
The suppression of critical commentary regarding elected officials is the quintessential form of viewpoint discrimination against which the First Amendment guards, the judge stated in his ruling. Cacheris did emphasize that his ruling should not prohibit officials from moderating comments to protect against harassment. Davison was only banned for 12 hours, and Randall faces no penalties. Still, the ruling is one of the first in a growing, thorny legal issue surrounding social media that has already reached the White house. <\/p>\n
Donald Trump might want to reconsider.<\/p>\n
Video editors are on the lookout.<\/p>\n
Amazon casts a long shadow.<\/p>\n
Be careful what you hashtag.<\/p>\n
The anonymous blog post was traced back to Brandon Katayama Hills home IP address.<\/p>\n
It took Canadian police three months to find her.<\/p>\n
With Apple discontinuing the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano, the day is soon approaching when the iPod will disappear altogether.<\/p>\n
The draw? Drama. Drama. And more drama.<\/p>\n
Jeff Bezos has become the worlds richest man, as well as the worlds richest person who looks like a jacked J.K. Simmons.<\/p>\n
BuzzFeeds Tasty, creator of insanely shareable recipe videos, is rolling out a $150 inductive cooktop. Will its fans flock to it?<\/p>\n
A nine-minute gap in tweets put the Pentagon on edge.<\/p>\n
One of the webs biggest and most beloved repositories of Flash games and animations prepares for the death of the plug-in.<\/p>\n
Because Twitter wasnt unbearable enough already.<\/p>\n
After a tweet about how nobody attended a young womans shower went viral, money and gifts started pouring in.<\/p>\n
Nathan Myhrvold said he was making just that in 2010. Were still waiting.<\/p>\n
Zo Quinn spent much of her life playing and designing games. Then she found herself inside one a vicious, multiplayer real-time harassment bonanza.<\/p>\n
The star was recently let go from his role on the Disney Channel after news broke that hes terrorizing his L.A. neighborhood.<\/p>\n
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Read the rest here: While there is no set precedent for the issue, more and more courts are encountering a new type of lawsuit related to social-media blocking. The Knight Foundation, for instance, is suing the U.S. government on behalf of Twitter users blocked by President Donald Trump, whose Twitter account has become alarmingly vital when it comes to understanding his presidency. Continue reading
\nCourt Rules That Politicians Blocking Followers Violates Free Speech - New York Magazine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"