Latest news with #privacyrights
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Court rules Mississippi's social media age verification law can go into effect
A Mississippi law that requires social media users to verify their ages can go into effect, a federal court has ruled. A tech industry group has pledged to continue challenging the law, arguing it infringes on users' rights to privacy and free expression. A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overruled a decision by a federal district judge to block the 2024 law from going into effect. It's the latest legal development as court challenges play out against similar laws in states across the country. Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the new laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch argued in a court filing defending the law that steps such as age verification for digital sites could mitigate harm caused by 'sex trafficking, sexual abuse, child pornography, targeted harassment, sextortion, incitement to suicide and self-harm, and other harmful and often illegal conduct against children.' Attorneys for NetChoice, which brought the lawsuit, have pledged to continue their court challenge, arguing the law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages. The industry group, which has filed similar lawsuits in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Utah, represents some of the country's most high-profile technology companies, including Google, which owns YouTube; Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat; and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. In a written statement, Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, said the group is 'very disappointed' in the decision to let Mississippi's law go into effect and is 'considering all available options.' 'NetChoice will continue to fight against this egregious infringement on access to fully protected speech online," Taske said. "Parents — not the government — should determine what is right for their families.' ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Kate Payne, The Associated Press Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Court rules Mississippi's social media age verification law can go into effect
A Mississippi law that requires social media users to verify their ages can go into effect, a federal court has ruled. A tech industry group has pledged to continue challenging the law, arguing it infringes on users' rights to privacy and free expression. A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overruled a decision by a federal district judge to block the 2024 law from going into effect. It's the latest legal development as court challenges play out against similar laws in states across the country. Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the new laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch argued in a court filing defending the law that steps such as age verification for digital sites could mitigate harm caused by 'sex trafficking, sexual abuse, child pornography, targeted harassment, sextortion, incitement to suicide and self-harm, and other harmful and often illegal conduct against children.' Attorneys for NetChoice, which brought the lawsuit, have pledged to continue their court challenge, arguing the law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages. The industry group, which has filed similar lawsuits in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Utah, represents some of the country's most high-profile technology companies, including Google, which owns YouTube; Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat; and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. In a written statement, Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, said the group is 'very disappointed' in the decision to let Mississippi's law go into effect and is 'considering all available options.' 'NetChoice will continue to fight against this egregious infringement on access to fully protected speech online,' Taske said. 'Parents — not the government — should determine what is right for their families.' ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
CNET
5 days ago
- General
- CNET
Bitcoin Hits New Record High, Folding iPhone and More
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Free Malaysia Today
08-07-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Lurid tale of cross-dressing ‘red uncle' in China goes viral
Same-sex relations are not illegal in China, but the dissemination of images of sexual acts is punishable by law. (AFP pic) BEIJING : The tale of a middle-aged Chinese man, or 'uncle', who disguised himself as a woman to secretly film and share videos of his hook-ups with more than 1,000 men, shook China's social media, spurring fears for public health, privacy and marital fidelity. The hashtag 'red uncle' was the top trending item on China's popular micro-blog Weibo today, drawing at least 200 million views as users expressed incredulity and shock. The online posts told of how the man in the eastern city of Nanjing had lured 1,691 heterosexual men into sexual encounters at his home that he then recorded and distributed online. The video-sharing was confirmed by district police in Nanjing in a statement today. They said the cross-dressing man, surnamed Jiao, had been detained on Sunday on suspicion of spreading obscene material. But police said Jiao was aged 38, not 60, as social media posts had stated. They also denied that he had intimate meetings with more than 1,000 men, but did not give a figure. Jiao could not be immediately reached for comment. Same-sex relations are not illegal in China, but dissemination of images of sexual acts is punishable by law. Taking pictures of sexual activities in a private setting and sharing them also violates privacy rights and could be deemed a criminal offence. Social media users also circulated a montage of headshots of nearly 100 men supposed to have met the 'red uncle', prompting mock advice from some, urging women to check if their fiances or husbands featured. Many social media users expressed concerns over the risk of sexually transmitted disease, with one warning the incident present 'a big headache' for epidemic prevention authorities. A city health official told the state-backed Jimu News that appropriate measures would be taken. 'If you are a close contact and worried about your health, you can come to us for testing any time.'
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Lurid tale of China's cross-dressing 'red uncle' goes viral online
BEIJING (Reuters) -The tale of a middle-aged Chinese man, or "uncle", who disguised himself as a woman to secretly film and share videos of his hookups with more than 1,000 men, shook China's social media, spurring fears for public health, privacy and marital fidelity. The hash tag "red uncle" was the top trending item on China's popular micro-blog Weibo on Tuesday, drawing at least 200 million views as users expressed incredulity and shock. The online posts told of how the man in the eastern city of Nanjing had lured 1,691 heterosexual men into sexual encounters at his home that he then recorded and distributed online. The video-sharing was confirmed by district police in Nanjing in a statement on Tuesday. They said the cross-dressing man, surnamed Jiao, had been detained on Sunday on suspicion of spreading obscene material. But police said Jiao was aged 38, not 60, as social media posts had stated. They also denied that he had intimate meetings with more than 1,000 men, but did not give a figure. Jiao could not be immediately reached for comment. Same-sex relations are not illegal in China, but dissemination of images of sexual acts is punishable by law. Taking pictures of sexual activities in a private setting and sharing them also violates privacy rights and could be deemed a criminal offence. Social media users also circulated a montage of headshots of nearly 100 men supposed to have met the "red uncle", prompting mock advice from some, urging women to check if their fiances or husbands featured. Many social media users expressed concerns over the risk of sexually transmitted disease, with one warning the incident present "a big headache" for epidemic prevention authorities. A city health official told the state-backed Jimu News that appropriate measures would be taken. "If you are a close contact and worried about your health, you can come to us for testing any time."
