What Is Social Media Law?

Social Media Law

Social media law is a developing area of the law that includes both criminal and civil aspects. Generally, it covers legal issues related to user-generated content and the online sites that host or transmit it. Some of the special legal concerns raised by social media include privacy, including the rights of both social media users and third parties (for example, when photos are posted and used online without the permission of the people depicted); defamation; advertising law; and intellectual property (IP) law. Material shared on social media can sometimes infringe on a copyright, a trademark, or other IP rights.

What Do Social Media Lawyers Do?

Laws associated with social media litigation include the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Communications Decency Act. Defamation and privacy lawsuits can be filed based on social media content. Social networking sites often have greater protection under the law than their users. Social media lawyers may defend users who are accused of crimes or defamation, or the online services who are sued for the actions of their users. Attorneys who specialize in IP law can assist those who believe their trademarks, logos, or copyrighted materials are being used improperly on social media.