Who Owns Your Tweets, Yourself or the Social Media Site? - Hillgrove PR

News analysis about social media and the ownership of your posts, brought to by Hillgrove PR, London.

“Twitter’s terms of service make absolutely clear that its users ‘own’ their own content. Our filing with the court reaffirms our steadfast commitment to defending those rights for our users,” Twitter’s lawyer, Ben Lee, said during court hearings in a case involving a user arrested during an Occupy Wall Street protest in New York.

Supporting the stand taken by Twitter, the American Civil Liberties Union commended Twitter for defending free speech rights of its users. But a US court has ordered Twitter to release old messages and details about the user, saying defendant’s privacy would not be violated if the tweets were handed over. “If you post a tweet, just like if you scream it out the window, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy,” Judge Matthew Sciarrino wrote in his decision, according to a news report by BBC on 2nd July 2012.

The Twitter company was disappointed with the court ruling. The social networking site tried to convince the court that it misunderstood how the Twitter service worked. The BBC news service reported that Twitter said the Stored Communications Act gave its members the right to challenge requests for information on their user history, and that it did not want to take on legal battles that its users could pursue independently. But the court seemed not impressed with the arguments made by Twitter and this latest ruling is sure to become an important law point concerning such cases in the future.

Recently another social networking site, the Facebook, encountered legal suits against the way it uses its ‘Like’ button where its users were automatically becoming unpaid sponsors or promoters when they click Like on a product or service advertised by Facebook. The Facebook has then agreed to give a chance or option to its users to decline the opportunity to be unpaid endorsers.

Taking into account the large-scale popularity the social media enjoys today, Hillgrove PR stands firm with the point that the governments around the world will have to formulate clear-cut rules and regulations on issues like privacy of individual users, exploitation of the users by advertising giants and also illegal utilization of this media by antisocial elements.

Visit today http://www.hillgrovepr.com/blog/ to read more such news articles. 

Around 900 Million Users, Over $100 Billion Market Value; Why Are Facebook Shares Still Gloomy?!

Hillgrove PR, London, the top-notch PR agency, looks into the prospects of Facebook after the issue of its IPO.

Morgan Stanley and other brokerages who managed Facebook's IPO entry into the share market expressed optimism about its long-term potential in recently published reports. And most of these brokerages expect the social media giant to garner a significant share of the huge internet advertising market, considering its 900 million or so large user base.

But there was a general opinion that Facebook's business model was unclear and there were questions about how it plans to make money from the growing number of users logging in through smartphones and other mobile devices.

Currently, the Facebook share stands about 13% below its $38 initial offer price.

Hillgrove PR has the opinion that Facebook should revitalise their public relations and marketing strategy to make use of the 900 million opportunities it has!

Read similar news analysis and related PR articles on international topics at: http://www.hillgrovepr.com/blog/

Another Setback for Facebook – Hillgrove PR Exclusive

Facebook faces another setback as it pays out $10million to five users for putting adverts in their Timelines, after lawsuits were filed in a California court – Hillgrove PR has learned.

Millions of other Facebook users could follow suit following this remarkable court settlement. And if it goes like that it’ll be disastrous for the social media site, which is facing hurdles one after another, after the recent sale of its IPO shares.

Hillgrove PR is of the opinion that Facebook needs to work out more serious steps towards corporate PR issues.

This news analysis is brought to you by Hillgrove PR, the #1 PR agency in the UK – www.hillgrovepr.com

Is Facebook just a 'passing fad'? - Hillgrove PR comments

An Associated Press-CNBC poll says half of Americans still think Facebook is just a 'passing fad' and doubts whether the bubble of its popularity will last. 

With around 900million global users, Facebook is all set to become the first $100billion IPO and will stop taking the IPO orders on May 16, two days ahead of schedule, because of strong demand. 

People more and more are heavily dependent on social media networking sites like Facebook, Twitter etc. for socialising and also for business purposes. 

So as a PR agency, we don't think that these social media sites are just a passing fad.


For more such news analysis, visit and Like this Facebook page of Hillgrove PR, London: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hillgrove-PR/132791446773303

Twitter cannot be allowed to operate outside the law

The Ryan Giggs case shows social media sites need to grow up and ensure content adheres to the same rules as everyone else.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have rapidly become a mainstream medium. The spanner in the works of their incredible rise is now the landmark case of Ryan Giggs suing Twitter for breach of an injunction. This issue has nothing to do with whether or not public figures should be able to gag the media through injunctions and superinjunctions – whether 75,000 Twitter users, as the Lib Dem MP John Hemming used parliamentary privilege to point out, should be allowed to gossip about a footballer or not is irrelevant.

It’s wholly to do with whether social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter – massive revenue earning organisations – should operate outside the law that affects everybody else. In their defence, they will argue that they are merely providing a platform or a blank sheet of paper for users.

For a long time, the left wing has tried to uphold a parallel faith in the right to freedom of speech and the right to privacy – a contradiction that is now under more strain than ever.

Social networks can’t have it both ways. Unless we decide to become an anarchistic society, Facebook and Twitter must be reeled in.

Read more: http://www.hillgrovepr.com/blog/twitter-cannot-be-allowed-to-operate-outside-the-law