In the span of just 48 hours this week, two separate juries in two different US states delivered verdicts that could reshape the entire social media industry — not because of the dollar amounts involved, but because of what those verdicts legally establish for the first time. On Tuesday, March 24, a jury in Santa Fe, New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million for failing to protect children from sexual exploitation on Facebook and Instagram. Less than 24 hours later, on Wednesday, March 25, a jury in Los Angeles found both Meta and Google (YouTube) liable for engineering addiction in young users — finding them negligent in the design of their platforms and awarding a further $6 million in damages. Two days. Two states. Two juries. Both pointing at the same conclusion: that Big Tech can no longer hide behind the legal shields it has relied on for nearly three decades. This is the story of what happened, why it matters far beyond the headline numbers, and what comes next for the s...
on Tuesday the federal government barred truckers and bus drivers from Texting while driving. The US transportation department feels that this will make people safer on the road. Which heavy rigs and buses are also mounted with on-board computers the department will issue guidelines for this also. Multitasking while driving greatly increases the risk of accidents.
"This is a giant step forward for safety on our roads, but we must do more," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said of LaHood's action. "We need the administration to support our ban, which does the same thing for cars and mass transit that they are now doing for trucks and buses."
Truckers and bus drivers who violate the rule, which is effective immediately, face civil or criminal fines of up to $2,750.
"This is a giant step forward for safety on our roads, but we must do more," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said of LaHood's action. "We need the administration to support our ban, which does the same thing for cars and mass transit that they are now doing for trucks and buses."
Truckers and bus drivers who violate the rule, which is effective immediately, face civil or criminal fines of up to $2,750.
Many truckers regularly use those computers while driving, even though some companies discourage them from doing so. Research shows that such multitasking greatly increases the risk of a crash.
The department said that it was still working on additional regulations that would govern the use of such computers, as well as when truckers are allowed to use cellphones for conversation.
The federal agency said that it wanted to start by issuing regulations banning texting. The agency said that such a ban represents a reinterpretation of existing safety rules governing interstate truckers and bus drivers but does not mark a wholesale change in such rules.
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