US consumer protection agency announces plans to regulate sale of personal data
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the main US agency tasked with consumer protection, announced on Tuesday that it would begin the process of regulating companies that collect and sell personal data. The announcement was made in remarks at the White House from Director Rohit Chopra as part of an “all-of-government effort” to address personal [...]
Peruvian law students from the Facultad de Derecho, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco are reporting for JURIST on law-related events in and affecting Perú. All of them are from CIED (Centro de Investigación de los Estudiantes de Derecho), a research center in UNSAAC’s faculty of law dedicated to spreading legal information and [...]
Kenya Waits as the Finance Act Goes to Court: Considering the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The last four or so weeks have been dramatic in Kenyan corridors of power because of the controversial Finance Act, 2023. It is not only one of the first major laws that was pushed through by the new Kenya Kwanza government which came to power in September 2022, but it is also a law that [...]
Ethiopia lifts five month ban on social networks and messaging services
The Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), an organization that tracks online censorship, found Wednesday that access to social networks and messaging services had been restored to Ethiopia after five months of restriction. An Agence France Presse (AFP) journalist in Addis Ababa confirmed the block was removed, accessing Facebook, Instagram and TikTok without a Virtual [...]
Russian lawmakers unanimously passed a bill on Friday to ban gender-affirming surgeries for transgender people in the country. The Chairman of the Russian State Duma Viacheslav Volodin announced the bill’s passage on his Telegram channel, claiming the bill will protect Russian citizens and children. The bill prohibits surgery and hormone therapy for transgender individuals as [...]
France Senate passes legislation requiring age verification for minors on social media
The French Senate approved new legislation on Thursday requiring social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to implement mandatory age verification systems and obtain explicit parental consent for users aged 15 and below. The move comes amid a growing international crackdown on the platforms lack of privacy protections for users. The new legislation is the most recent [...]
Malaysia to take legal actions against Meta for failure to remove 'undesirable' posts
The Malaysian government announced on Friday that it would take legal action against Facebook parent company Meta for its failure to remove “harmful” content relating to race and religion. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the public body regulating communications and multimedia in Malaysia, published an official statement on its website with resentments. It [...]
The past few years have seen a proliferation of online misinformation, accompanied by the growth of the fact-checking industry. This industry has evolved into a matured sector with its own funding sources and investments from major companies, which may have their own agendas. These companies are actively seeking to influence and control the industry, highlighting [...]
European Commissioner Thierry Breton stated Friday that Twitter is pulling out of the European Union’s (EU) 2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation. Breton went on to remind the platform that they still have an obligation to follow the Digital Service Act (DSA) taking effect in August. The Code of Practice is a voluntary agreement with [...]
TikTok sued the state of Montana on Monday over the state’s recently enacted ban, which prohibits TikTok from operating within Montana. The lawsuit alleges Montana’s ban violates the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which protects Americans’ right to free speech. TikTok claims Montana enacted the ban in response to “unfounded speculation” about a possible connection regarding [...]
