AgdaPkt 2020-09-21 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

A. - Page 9 of 14 While social media allows people to connect in real time with others all over the world, organized illegal activity using social media is made easier by the anonymous nature of virtual interactions. Nation's Reaction to the Murder of Geor e Floyd- Shortly lo d:Shortly after the senseless killing of George Floyd by law enforcement on May 26, 2020, civil unrest began as local protests ul the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area of Miumesota before quickly spreading nationwide to more than 2,000 cities and towns across the United States, and in approximately 60 countries in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Protests unfolded across the country throughout the entire month of June and into July, and persisted in a handful of cities such as Portland and Seattle into the month of August. Although the majority of protests were peaceful, some demonstrations in cities escalated into riots, looting, and street skirmishes with police. While much of the nation's focus has been on addressing police misconduct, police brutality, and systemic racism, some have used demonstrators' peaceful protests on these topics as opportunities to loot and/or vandalize businesses, almost exclusively under the guise of the "Black Lives Matter" movement. It has been uncovered that these "flash robs"' were coordinated through the use of social media. The spontaneity and speed of the attacks enabled by social media snake it challenging for the police to stop these criminal events as they are occurring, let alone prevent them from commencing altogether. As these events started occurring across the country, investigators quickly began combing through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram seeking to identify potentially violent extremists, looters, and vandals and finding ways to charge thein after and in some cases before — they sow chaos. While this technique has alarmed civil liberties advocates, who argue the strategy could negatively impact online speech, law enforcement officials claim it aligns with investigation strategies employed in the past. Section 230 and other Constitutional Concerns At its core, Section 230(c)(1) of the CDA provides immunity from liability for providers and users of an "interactive computer service" who publish information provided by third -party users. Essentially, this protects websites from lawsuits if a user posts something illegal, although there are exceptions for copyright violations, sex work-related material, and violations of federal criminal law. Protections from Section 230 have come under more recent scrutiny on issues related to hate speech and ideological biases in relation to the influence technology companies can hold on political discussions. Setting aside Section 230, there are some potential constitutional issues one could raise, should there be an attempt to implement such a resolution into statute. ' The "flash robs" phenomenon—where social media is used to organize groups of teens and young adults to quickly ransack and loot various retail stores—began to occur sporadically throughout the United States over the past ten years. 9 145