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Facebook Sued for $150 billion by Rohingya refugees

Rohingya refugees are suing Facebook over its own admitted failure to stop the spread of hate speech that contributed to violence in Myanmar.

A case has been filed in the USA.  Because of s230 of the Communications Decency Act, the plaintiffs are asserting that Myanmar law should apply, not U.S. law.

Commentators have stated it is a difficult case for the refugees.

Chinese cyberattacks

As experts say the number of cyber attacks being directed at Australia have reached a disturbing level, it can now be revealed that Chinese hackers came within minutes of shutting down two Queensland power stations . Had the attack been successful it could have been lights out for some 3 million homes.

Australian Social Media Law proposed

The Australian Government has just released a proposed law to deal with defamation and social media comments.

See Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill.

https://www.ag.gov.au/legal-system/social-media-anti-trolling-bill

The AG's office provides the following information:

"The challenges of responding to anonymous online trolling became clear after the High Court's decision in Fairfax Media Publications v Voller [2021] HCA 27, handed down in September 2021. The Voller decision shows that Australians who maintain a social media page may be exposed to defamation liability for defamatory comments posted on the page by others – even if they are not aware of those defamatory comments.

To urgently address this situation the Australian Government has developed the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill 2021. To address the implications of the Voller decision, the Bill will protect Australians from defamation liability that could arise if they allow users to comment on their social media page."

 See my comments in The Australian blog:  "Law professor supports anti-trolling proposals"

How should damages be assessed for privacy and cybersecurity breaches

Listen to this podcast where I discuss how damages should be assessed in privacy and cybersecurity lawsuits. The Lawyers Weekly Show host J...