Judges for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals appeared split during oral argument Tuesday in NetChoice v Fitch, which deals with a Mississippi kids online safety law. NetChoice sued Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R) last year over HB-1126, alleging that it violates the First Amendment and that its age-verification requirement poses privacy problems (see 2501310041).
Social Media
Social media platforms are facing intense scrutiny over how they collect, share and monetize user data. As new state and federal laws focus on age verification, parental controls and transparency requirements, social media companies face legal risks around algorithmic targeting, third-party tracking and children's safety. This page follows key legislation, investigations and lawsuits shaping privacy practices for major social platforms.
Oklahoma Rep. Josh West (R) said he won't bring his comprehensive privacy bill to the floor this year, despite the House Government Modernization and Technology Subcommittee clearing it at a Wednesday meeting. The panel also cleared an age-verification bill.
The Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved legislation that would restrict children’s social media use and targeted ads, despite concerns about data privacy and free speech (see 2502040047).
BrightData opposed X Corp’s motion to dismiss the data-scraping company's counterclaims in a copyright case Tuesday at the U.S. District Court of Northern California. BrightData alleged that the social media platform’s attempts to remove rights of the public to access and scrape public portions of the web are anticompetitive conduct.
State senators passed multiple updates to the Virginia Consumer Data Privacy Act (VCDPA) on Monday.
The Senate Commerce Committee expects to pass legislation banning social media use for children younger than 13 during Wednesday’s markup, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and committee members told us Tuesday.
NetChoice fired back at the Mississippi Attorney General Friday for attempting to reverse a preliminary injunction on a children’s online safety law, arguing that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in NetChoice v. Paxton has no bearing on an ongoing case in the state. AG Lynn Fitch (R) on Wednesday filed a letter to the 5th U.S. Circuit urging that it rule against an injunction, as it did in the Paxton case.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) on Friday issued a ban against using social media apps and artificial intelligence affiliated with the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party on government-issued devices.
Social media networks have adopted between 44% and 76.5% of practices recommended for complying with the General Data Protection Regulation's data subject access rules, French privacy watchdog CNIL said Thursday in an unofficial translation.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti (R) filed a response Wednesday to NetChoice’s renewed plea for the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on a kids social media bill.