Christopher Ballod Quoted by Legaltech News on Social Media Regulation
Philadelphia, Penn. (August 22, 2019) - Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Partner Christopher E. Ballod was recently quoted by Legaltech news for their article “Will Social Media Platforms Get a Friend Request From the FCC?” which discussed the possibility of new federal regulations for social media platforms, including the development of a tool that could scan the platforms’ content to help predict mass shootings. Mr. Ballod warned that such regulations may raise serious free speech and privacy concerns.
“There’s a lot that we haven’t figured out about basic human-to-human, face-to-face interaction with how the law plays out, much less than online,” Mr. Ballod told Legaltechnews. “It’s fraught with a lot of issues.”
The article examines these issues, looking at how the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission might be able to regulate social media platforms using existing laws, such as the Communications Decency Act and the Communications Act of 1934, which required broadcasters to provide equal time to all candidates for a public office. Mr. Ballod noted that while the internet is certainly a more accessible medium than television, the government might still be able to leverage some influence over social media platforms as a whole.
“If the position were taken that a social media platform does little or nothing to prevent disinformation, misinformation, abuse, deceit, fraud and dangerous content I think then you have a leg to stand on,” said Mr. Ballod.
Mr. Ballod is a partner in Lewis Brisbois’ Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices. He has both the Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) credential required to perform ISO 27002 audits, and the Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E) credential. Mr. Ballod is a regular contributor to Lewis Brisbois’ Digital Insights blog and he recently spoke with Legaltech news on another social media-related matter.
Read the full Legaltech news article here (subscription may be required).
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