Can you tweet libel? Is Google Earth an invasion of privacy? Who owns the copyright to user-generated content on Facebook?
As social media continues to burgeon, these are some of the issues courts are currently debating. Courtney Love is being sued for libel after slamming a designer on Twitter. So is Amanda Bonnen, who tweeted about a realtor's moldy apartment. A couple took Google to court over Google Earth, claiming the Street View feature was an invasion of their privacy. And Facebook was put in the hot seat after amending its terms of use and sharing user info on partner sites.
Technology is evolving so fast, the laws can't keep up. Everything the Internet is praised for -- providing easy access to information, connecting people who are geographically far away, breaking down barriers between public and private domains -- complicates lawmaking. If two Facebook users sue each other, one in England and the other in Australia, which country's laws have jurisdiction? Can colleges deny degrees based on students' Facebook content? How far does Web anonymity extend?
Clearly, the courts have their work cut out for them as they wrestle to revise existing media laws. And by the time they decide what to do about Facebook and Twitter, other new media are sure to leave them newly stumped.
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