Social Media

Meta has shared its plans to make political ad targeting data available through its Ad Library and Facebook Open Research and Transparency project. The process would entail updates to both platforms.

Social media companies had a big win in Florida yesterday after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a bill aiming to levy penalties against social media companies for blocking politicians and media.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board has delayed for two months a new policy that would strictly regulate what district employees could post on social media, following a wave of criticism from staff and the public.

A three-judge appellate panel on Monday ruled that a 2021 Florida law targeting social-media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter unconstitutionally restricts the companies’ First Amendment rights.

Last week, a federal appeals court reinstated a Texas law allowing residents to sue social media companies for moderating their content. Industry experts, however, argue that the bill is unconstitutional.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board is considering a far-reaching policy to regulate employee use of social media, including rules against defaming the district and accepting current students as followers.

The acquisition, financed by the private equity firm that owns CivicPlus, will add three pieces of software revolving around compliance in the government interaction space to a rapidly diversifying technology portfolio.

Governments may be reluctant to invest in metaverse-based services without a clearer sense of how the space is forming and how residents want to use it. These early days could be time for learning what the technologies might offer and how interventions could encourage equitable development.

Metaverses are commonly described as immersive, persistent, interactive digital environments, and often ones that can support social and commercial activities. Several metaverse-like platforms exist today, but the full vision has yet to be achieved.

Following an announcement from Twitter that the long awaited “edit” feature is currently in the testing process, and news about Elon Musk taking on ownership, what do government social media managers need to know?

Florida and Texas have passed social media censorship legislation, but both face legal pushback from advocacy groups. If their cases move forward, it could set a precedent for other states to propose similar legislation.

Like other social media platforms, Twitter has in recent years also become a tool for politicization and has struggled to strike a balance between fostering free speech and combating misinformation.

Through a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Elon Musk has announced his intent to purchase Twitter for $43 billion. Musk believes Twitter needs to become a private company.

Does the federal law allow you to sue social media if their algorithms spread disinformation? Are some would-be social media reforms targeting the First Amendment? Is a three-word phrase a dangerous loophole or useful catch-all?

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness has launched a disinformation portal to give residents a fighting chance at distinguishing real from falsified online content.

A city audit indicates that the Portland Police Bureau should have been more transparent and purposeful with the personal information it collected about racial justice protesters in 2020.

John Gonzalez, communications manager for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, on balancing the entertaining and the informative on Twitter and how to tailor messages for different social platforms.

Connecticut lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, advanced a bill that would require parental consent in order for any person under the age of 16 to use social media like Facebook or Twitter.