Cybersecurity and national security collided in significant ways in 2024, with governments and private-sector entities grappling with the legal, technical, and policy challenges of a rapidly evolving cyber landscape....more
On June 16, the Counter ISIS Finance Group (CIFG) of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS released a joint statement by the CIFG co-leads (the US, Italy, and Saudi Arabia), which coordinates efforts to isolate the Islamic...more
On May 18, 2023, in Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion declining to impose secondary liability on tech companies for allegedly failing to prevent ISIS from using their platforms for...more
In Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh, the Supreme Court unanimously held that social media companies are not liable for aiding and abetting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in its terrorist acts that victims claimed resulted...more
On May 18, 2023, in Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh et al., the United States Supreme Court ruled against an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (“ISIS”) attack victim’s family who sought to hold Twitter, and other social media...more
On May 18, the Supreme Court issued a much-anticipated decision in Gonzalez v. Google LLC, the first case in which the Supreme Court has considered the contours of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, 47 U.S.C. §...more
Twitter v. Taamneh and Google v. Gonzalez rulings address Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act - The Supreme Court ruled in two long-awaited cases on May 18, handing twin victories to online services. These...more
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided Twitter v. Taamneh, clarifying the meaning of key provisions in the Anti-Terrorism Act ("ATA") and the pleading standard for aiding-and-abetting claims under that law....more
Since its inception in 1996, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has protected internet platforms from liability for third-party content posted on the platform. However, changes to Section 230’s protections are...more
Ericsson, a multinational telecommunications company, based in Sweden, settled its breach of its 2019 Deferred Prosecution Agreement, agreed to enter a guilty plea and pay a $206 million penalty. In 2019, Ericsson entered...more
In what could be a seminal case of the Internet age, the U.S. Supreme Court this week heard arguments in Gonzalez v. Google, its first case concerning the hotly debated Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act....more
This past week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Gonzalez v. Google. The petitioners are a family that unsuccessfully sued Google for aiding and abetting terrorism when their 23-year old daughter was tragically...more
On January 5, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13224 against a key financial facilitation network of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria...more
A bipartisan group of 27 AGs submitted amicus briefing to the U.S. Supreme Court in Gonzalez v. Google LLC, urging a narrow interpretation of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet companies...more
Terrorist financing comes at a price – and in the case of a global building supplies manufacturer that has pleaded guilty in a US court to making payments to terrorist organisations, that price is USD 778 million in fines and...more
The Justice Department continues to push an aggressive agenda against businesses. It is committed to demonstrating its resolve to prosecute companies and individuals from the business community. Whether it is antitrust,...more
Last week, the Supreme Court granted certiorari for two cases challenging Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The result of the Supreme Court’s review has the potential to change how big tech and social media...more
On October 3, 2022, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Gonzalez v. Google LLC, No. 21-1333, to address the scope of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act....more
Ericsson is having a tough time. First, in 2019, Ericsson settled FCPA charges with the Justice Department and the SEC for a total of $1 billion (with a B). Second, Ericsson had an independent compliance monitor appointed...more
Following the reasoning of several past decisions, a California district court dismissed claims against Google under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 18 U.S.C. § 2333, for allegedly providing “material support” to ISIS by...more
Timely Topics - A draft executive order of President Donald Trump relating to religious freedom proposes several material changes to federal law. First, it would require the executive branches to recognize a broad scope...more
As reported last week in Bradley’s Governmental Affairs alert in A Sign of Things to Come? Trump’s Regulatory Freeze and Other Early Actions, the Trump administration took immediate action with regard to the Affordable Care...more
I previously posted Facebook Fake News Problem May Impact Businesses Operating Open Web Sites on why the controversy over fake news stories on Facebook may cause concern for businesses operating open websites, although such...more
In the recent decision of St. Francis Assisi v. Kuwait Finance House, et al., Case No. 3:16-cv-3240-LB (N.D. Ca. September 30, 2016), the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California allowed a plaintiff to...more
A short while ago 49 people were killed in a club in Orlando Florida. Last week bombs exploded in NYC’s Chelsea and Linden, New Jersey. These incidents reveal a very troubling issue for security in the United States. Each of...more