[Updated by ACSOL 7/9/19] Earlier today it was reported by the Washington Examiner newspaper that Facebook had revised its posting policies to allow individuals to post threats of harm to anyone who the media had identified as committing a sex offense. In record time, Facebook has reversed those policies and now states that it will not allow such threats to be posted. Below is link to the newest revised policies. Facebook did not explain why it made this remarkably quick change, but regardless we can be grateful that the change…
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Want to build safer online communities? Drop the ban.
Creating safer and more equitable communities — both in real life, and online — is an important undertaking. Undoubtedly we are in agreement that those who cause harm and havoc should be stopped and made accountable for their actions. The broader (and more difficult) question comes in what we do next. To make this less abstract, in “real world” parlance, this is often called re-entry: the process of people returning to their lives, families, and communities after involvement with the justice system. Full Op-Ed — Guy Hamilton-Smith is a member of the ACSOL Board…
Read MoreNY: Ruling Appears To Give Sex Offenders A Pass On Facebook
[wwnytv.com – 6/29/18] It’s a case out of Essex County called the People v. Ellis. “Their decision was that Facebook accounts did not have to be registered if you are a sex offender,” said Leanne Moser, Lewis County District Attorney. New York state law requires sex offenders to register their Internet providers and any Internet identifiers that they use, but the court in Essex County decided Facebook is not either of those. Right now, courts in the north country have to follow the ruling, unless there is another contrary ruling…
Read MoreVictims’ advocate wants unlimited Facebook access — does that apply to all?
[narsol.org 6/21/18] By Sandy . . . I read with interest “Facebook block riles advocates of sex crime survivors.” Racheal Gonzales of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has posited an interesting position: Governmental officials and representatives should not be able to block constituents who disagree with them on their Facebook pages because it prohibits the critics’ ability to make their positions known and exercise their right to free speech. Emboldened by a ruling that said our president could not do that, Ms. Gonzales says she wants this policy extended to all. NARSOL…
Read MoreIn Denmark, Viral Video Sparks Wave Of Child Pornography Prosecutions
[npr.org] A video that went viral in Denmark three years ago is now the basis for a wave of prosecutions. More than 1,000 young people, many of them teenagers at the time, are now charged with the distribution of child pornography. Sidsel Overgaard reports from Billund, Denmark. SIDSEL OVERGAARD, BYLINE: The video shows two 15-year-olds engaged in sexual activity at a party in 2015. The two boys who filmed it were prosecuted several years ago, but now, 1,004 young people who shared it on Facebook Messenger face charges that could…
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