* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Friday, August 8, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Peacock’s Biggest Action Show Streams 2 New Episodes Sooner Than You Think – yahoo.com

    Peacock’s Hottest Action Show Drops 2 New Episodes Sooner Than Expected!

    Themed Entertainment Design – Purdue Polytechnic

    Innovative Themed Entertainment Design: Creating Immersive Experiences

    Rachael Leigh Cook and Brandon Routh ‘Happy to Have Found Each Other’ Following Respective Divorces – yahoo.com

    Rachael Leigh Cook and Brandon Routh ‘Happy to Have Found Each Other’ Following Respective Divorces – yahoo.com

    ‘Billie Jean’ – Hyde Park Herald

    The Enduring Magic Behind ‘Billie Jean’ Revealed

    Hank Hill returns to a changed world in new ‘King of the Hill’ episodes – New Haven Register

    Hank Hill Navigates a Bold New World in Thrilling New ‘King of the Hill’ Episodes

    Exclusive | Fox Takes Stake in IndyCar Owner Penske Entertainment – The Wall Street Journal

    Exclusive | Fox Takes Stake in IndyCar Owner Penske Entertainment – The Wall Street Journal

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    MBU showcases student work at Occupational Therapy Technology Fair – WHSV

    Discover the Most Innovative Student Projects at the Occupational Therapy Technology Fair

    BlackSky Technology Inc. (BKSY) Reports Q2 Loss, Lags Revenue Estimates – Yahoo Finance

    BlackSky Technology Inc. Reports Q2 Loss, Misses Revenue Targets

    Improved Technology Access: A Key to Closing the Healthcare Gap for African Americans – BIOENGINEER.ORG

    LMI Expands Technology Org, Appoints New Leaders – GovCon Wire

    LMI Expands Technology Team with Dynamic New Leadership Appointments

    Midland Innovation and Technology Charter School closing down – CBS News

    Midland Innovation and Technology Charter School Closes Permanently

    Future Trends In HR Technology – Dataconomy

    Future Trends In HR Technology – Dataconomy

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Peacock’s Biggest Action Show Streams 2 New Episodes Sooner Than You Think – yahoo.com

    Peacock’s Hottest Action Show Drops 2 New Episodes Sooner Than Expected!

    Themed Entertainment Design – Purdue Polytechnic

    Innovative Themed Entertainment Design: Creating Immersive Experiences

    Rachael Leigh Cook and Brandon Routh ‘Happy to Have Found Each Other’ Following Respective Divorces – yahoo.com

    Rachael Leigh Cook and Brandon Routh ‘Happy to Have Found Each Other’ Following Respective Divorces – yahoo.com

    ‘Billie Jean’ – Hyde Park Herald

    The Enduring Magic Behind ‘Billie Jean’ Revealed

    Hank Hill returns to a changed world in new ‘King of the Hill’ episodes – New Haven Register

    Hank Hill Navigates a Bold New World in Thrilling New ‘King of the Hill’ Episodes

    Exclusive | Fox Takes Stake in IndyCar Owner Penske Entertainment – The Wall Street Journal

    Exclusive | Fox Takes Stake in IndyCar Owner Penske Entertainment – The Wall Street Journal

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    MBU showcases student work at Occupational Therapy Technology Fair – WHSV

    Discover the Most Innovative Student Projects at the Occupational Therapy Technology Fair

    BlackSky Technology Inc. (BKSY) Reports Q2 Loss, Lags Revenue Estimates – Yahoo Finance

    BlackSky Technology Inc. Reports Q2 Loss, Misses Revenue Targets

    Improved Technology Access: A Key to Closing the Healthcare Gap for African Americans – BIOENGINEER.ORG

    LMI Expands Technology Org, Appoints New Leaders – GovCon Wire

    LMI Expands Technology Team with Dynamic New Leadership Appointments

    Midland Innovation and Technology Charter School closing down – CBS News

    Midland Innovation and Technology Charter School Closes Permanently

    Future Trends In HR Technology – Dataconomy

    Future Trends In HR Technology – Dataconomy

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Technology

Public officials can block haters—but only sometimes, SCOTUS rules

March 18, 2024
in Technology
Public officials can block haters—but only sometimes, SCOTUS rules
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Public officials can block haters—but only sometimes, SCOTUS rules

There are some circumstances where government officials are allowed to block people from commenting on their social media pages, the Supreme Court ruled Friday.

According to the Supreme Court, the key question is whether officials are speaking as private individuals or on behalf of the state when posting online. Issuing two opinions, the Supreme Court declined to set a clear standard for when personal social media use constitutes state speech, leaving each unique case to be decided by lower courts.

Instead, SCOTUS provided a test for courts to decide first if someone is or isn’t speaking on behalf of the state on their social media pages, and then if they actually have authority to act on what they post online.

The ruling suggests that government officials can block people from commenting on personal social media pages where they discuss official business when that speech cannot be attributed to the state and merely reflects personal remarks. This means that blocking is acceptable when the official has no authority to speak for the state or exercise that authority when speaking on their page.

That authority empowering officials to speak for the state could be granted by a written law. It could also be granted informally if officials have long used social media to speak on behalf of the state to the point where their power to do so is considered “well-settled,” one SCOTUS ruling said.

SCOTUS broke it down like this: An official might be viewed as speaking for the state if the social media page is managed by the official’s office, if a city employee posts on their behalf to their personal page, or if the page is handed down from one official to another when terms in office end.

Posting on a personal page might also be considered speaking for the state if the information shared has not already been shared elsewhere.

Examples of officials clearly speaking on behalf of the state include a mayor holding a city council meeting online or an official using their personal page as an official channel for comments on proposed regulations.

Because SCOTUS did not set a clear standard, officials risk liability when blocking followers on so-called “mixed use” social media pages, SCOTUS cautioned. That liability could be diminished by keeping personal pages entirely separate or by posting a disclaimer stating that posts represent only officials’ personal views and not efforts to speak on behalf of the state. But any official using a personal page to make official comments could expose themselves to liability, even with a disclaimer.

SCOTUS test for when blocking is OK

These clarifications came in two SCOTUS opinions addressing conflicting outcomes in two separate complaints about officials in California and Michigan who blocked followers heavily criticizing them on Facebook and X. The lower courts’ decisions have been vacated, and courts must now apply the Supreme Court’s test to issue new decisions in each case.

One opinion was brief and unsigned, discussing a case where California parents sued school district board members who blocked them from commenting on public Twitter pages used for campaigning and discussing board issues. The board members claimed they blocked their followers after the parents left dozens and sometimes hundreds of the same exact comments on tweets.

In the second—which was unanimous, with no dissenting opinions—Justice Amy Coney Barrett responded at length to a case from a Facebook user named Kevin Lindke. This opinion provides varied guidance that courts can apply when considering whether blocking is appropriate or violating constituents’ First Amendment rights.

Lindke was blocked by a Michigan city manager, James Freed, after leaving comments criticizing the city’s response to COVID-19 on a page that Freed created as a college student sometime before 2008. Among these comments, Lindke called the city’s pandemic response “abysmal” and told Freed that “the city deserves better.” On a post showing Freed picking up a takeout order, Lindke complained that residents were “suffering,” while Freed ate at expensive restaurants.

After Freed hit 5,000 followers, he converted the page to reflect his public figure status. But while he primarily still used the page for personal posts about his family and always managed the page himself, the page went into murkier territory when he also shared updates about his job as city manager. Those updates included sharing updates on city efforts, posting screenshots of city press releases, and soliciting public feedback, like sharing links to city surveys.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Ars Technica – https://arstechnica.com/?p=2010572

Tags: OfficialsPublictechnology
Previous Post

DNA parasite now plays key role in making critical nerve cell protein

Next Post

Redwoods are growing almost as fast in the UK as their Californian cousins

Netflix Scores Canadian Rights To FIFA Women’s World Cup For Next Two Tournaments – Deadline

Netflix Scores Canadian Rights To FIFA Women’s World Cup For Next Two Tournaments – Deadline

August 8, 2025
Professor Emeritus Peter Temin, influential and prolific economic historian, dies at 87 – MIT News

Renowned Economic Historian Professor Peter Temin Dies at 87

August 8, 2025
Peacock’s Biggest Action Show Streams 2 New Episodes Sooner Than You Think – yahoo.com

Peacock’s Hottest Action Show Drops 2 New Episodes Sooner Than Expected!

August 8, 2025
Nebraska doctors struggling with mental health issues had nowhere to go, until now – KSNB

Nebraska doctors struggling with mental health issues had nowhere to go, until now – KSNB

August 8, 2025
White House readies order to fine banks for dropping clients over politics, WSJ reports – Reuters

White House readies order to fine banks for dropping clients over politics, WSJ reports – Reuters

August 8, 2025
Icing‐related injuries in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) at high latitudes – Laidre – 2024 – Ecology – ESA Journals

Frozen Peril: The Devastating Impact of Icing Injuries on Polar Bears in the High Arctic

August 8, 2025
Carnegie Science Center launching new name in September – CBS News

Carnegie Science Center Unveils Exciting New Name This September

August 8, 2025
Petersburg youth explore Coho Creek for science education – Petersburg Pilot

Petersburg Youth Dive into Science with Hands-On Exploration of Coho Creek

August 8, 2025
Is there a path to healthier aging? What the latest research shows | Bodyworks – The Oklahoman

Is there a path to healthier aging? What the latest research shows | Bodyworks – The Oklahoman

August 8, 2025
MBU showcases student work at Occupational Therapy Technology Fair – WHSV

Discover the Most Innovative Student Projects at the Occupational Therapy Technology Fair

August 8, 2025

Categories

Archives

August 2025
MTWTFSS
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jul    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (760)
  • Economy (783)
  • Entertainment (21,660)
  • General (16,352)
  • Health (9,823)
  • Lifestyle (793)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (784)
  • Politics (793)
  • Science (15,996)
  • Sports (21,280)
  • Technology (15,763)
  • World (766)

Recent News

Netflix Scores Canadian Rights To FIFA Women’s World Cup For Next Two Tournaments – Deadline

Netflix Scores Canadian Rights To FIFA Women’s World Cup For Next Two Tournaments – Deadline

August 8, 2025
Professor Emeritus Peter Temin, influential and prolific economic historian, dies at 87 – MIT News

Renowned Economic Historian Professor Peter Temin Dies at 87

August 8, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version