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U.S. SAFE TECH Act would be a game changer for internet accountability and advertising

A new bill introduced by Senate Democrats proposes to change Section 230, core U.S. legislation that shields social media and Internet providers from liability for publishing false or misleading information and from responsibility for the user content they publish. Section 230, which the New York Times quoted President Biden as saying should be “immediately revoked,” gives the Internet companies unique immunity not granted to publishers or other media. The SAFE TECH Act would make an exception “when the provider or user has accepted payment to make the speech available,” which would impact not only advertising but other kinds of paid services, including for premium web hosting. On the upside, the change would require more accountability from companies and would provide recourse to victims of cyberstalking and Internet harassment.

Note: I’m currently reading Jeff Kossoff’s excellent book, The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet, about Section 230 and its history.

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IT’S THE LAW (2/9/2021)

February 9, 2021

Virginia is now the second U.S. state to pass a comprehensive data privacy law. The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) provides consumers the right to know what data is being collected, to opt-out of collection and to refuse use of their information for targeting, profiling, or for sale. However, it does not give consumers private right of action, a choice that eased passage and may make it a model for other legislation.

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Twilio Announces Unified Profiles Powered by Segment

March 28, 2024

Twilio has announced two innovations within Twilio Flex, its digital engagement platform. The first, Unified Profiles, will be powered by Segment and allow businesses to collect and activate real-time consented data. This is the first of three launches set for 2024 that will embed Segment in Twilio Communication products. The second innovation is Agent Copilot which will allow users to deploy AI across this data to boost productivity.

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