Forbes quoted Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner Jason Bloom in an article about a recent report on policies social media groups can use to stifle growth of hate communities online.
Here is an excerpt:
The report suggests these tactics to be implemented in some way to combat online hate groups.
Often, online hate groups defend their words and actions by enacting their First Amendment rights, but Jason Bloom, partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP in Dallas that specializes in First Amendment and social media litigation, says social media platforms are private and separate from the government, so they're legally allowed to monitor, control and ban users who aren't following their privately-held user guidelines.
Thus, if a social media organization were to implement the policies above, users would have to follow the platform's rules to remain a user and in good standing.
"Assuming we’re talking about policies adopted and implemented by social media companies rather than government actors, those are private parties that [are] entitled to regulate speech on their own platforms through enforcement of terms of use and other mechanisms," Bloom said. "The answer would be different if such policies were adopted and enforced by government actors."
To read the full article, click here.