Eric Goldman
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ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman
@ericgoldman.bsky.social
6.6K followers 47 following 1.4K posts

Associate Dean for Research & Professor, Santa Clara Law. Internet Law, IP, Advertising Law. He/him. Website: http://www.ericgoldman.org. Email: [email protected]

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Eric Goldman is a law professor at Santa Clara University School of Law. He also co-directs the law school's High Tech Law Institute and co-supervises the law school's Privacy Law Certificate. .. more

Business 29%
Political science 26%
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Reposted by Steven Heydemann, Richard S.J. Tol, Steve Peers , and 9 more

santiagomayer.com
Santiago Mayer @santiagomayer.com · 17h
If the Venezuelan sailors were enemy combatants, then the 2nd strike is a war crime.

If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.

It’s that simple.

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 20h
Blog Post: YouTuber Loses Account Suspension Case Again–Hall v. YouTube

blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/202...
YouTuber Loses Account Suspension Case Again-Hall v. YouTube - Technology & Marketing Law Blog
This is a futile account termination/content removal case, like dozens before it. Prior blog post. So I’m blogging this ruling for completion, not significance. After the prior dismissal, the YouTuber...
blog.ericgoldman.org

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 1d
Mountain View sunset flic.kr/p/2rJaPiD
Mountain View Sunset
flic.kr

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Rosemary A. Joyce, Eric Goldman , and 7 more

nicholasgrossman.bsky.social
Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 1d
The White House’s new anti-media website includes denunciations of:

-ABC, which bribed the president
-CBS, which bribed the president and moved away from fact-based journalism trying to appeal to him and his fans
-WaPo, which spiked a Harris endorsement and tilts coverage in Trump’s favor

Fools.

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 1d
This morning, I received my emailed Bartz v. Anthropic settlement notice. I am curious who thought it was a good idea to email the notice out on Saturday morning of a 4-day holiday weekend

flic.kr/p/2rHZevL
Bartz v. Anthropic Settlement Notice
"Notice of $1.5 Billion Proposed Class Action Settlement Between Authors & Publishers and Anthropic PBC"
flic.kr

Reposted by Eric Goldman, Daniel W. Drezner, Alan Richardson , and 2 more

vanhollen.senate.gov
Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 1d
Let’s be clear: these are extrajudicial killings. “Kill them all” Hegseth needs to be held accountable.

What’s more, Trump promised the American people no new wars but is now manufacturing this conflict & lying about his motives.

This warmongering has got to stop.
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Michael McFaul, Marc Lynch , and 10 more

bgrueskin.bsky.social
Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 2d
Extraordinary WSJ reporting today that unveils the extent to which Trump, Witkoff, Kushner and US business executives are salivating over business deals with Russia while Putin’s forces kidnap Ukranian children and bomb civilians in their apartments.

🎁 www.wsj.com/world/russia...
WSJ Gentry Beach, a college friend of Donald Trump Jr. and campaign donor to his father, has been in talks to acquire a stake in a Russian Arctic gas project if it is released from sanctions. Another Trump donor, Stephen P. Lynch, paid $600,000 this year to a lobbyist close to Trump Jr. who is helping him seek a Treasury Department license to buy the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from a Russian state-owned company. One sign that he may be serious is that some of his most-trusted friends, sanctioned billionaires from his St. Petersburg hometown-Gennady Timchenko, Yuri Kovalchuk and the Rotenberg brothers, Boris and Arkady-have sent representatives to quietly meet American companies to explore rare-earth mining and energy deals, according to people familiar with the meetings and European security officials. That includes reviving the giant Nord Stream pipeline, sabotaged by Ukrainian tactical divers, and under European Union sanctions. Earlier this year, Exxon Mobil met with Russia's biggest state energy company, Rosneft, to discuss returning to the massive Sakhalin gas project if Moscow and Washington gave the green light.

Reposted by Cas Mudde, Nicholas A. Christakis, Will Jennings , and 11 more

nycsouthpaw.bsky.social
southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 2d
This is murder. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken directive, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation. "The order was to kill everybody," one of them said. A missile screamed off the Trinidad coast, striking the vessel and igniting a blaze from bow to stern. For minutes, commanders watched the boat burning on a live drone feed. As the smoke cleared, they got a jolt: Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack - the opening salvo in the Trump administration's war on suspected drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere — ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth's instructions, two people familiar with the matter said. The two men were blown apart in the water.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Richard S.J. Tol, Mark A. Lemley , and 19 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d
Trump: “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries … denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.“

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 4d
Leon Panetta: “This kind of political retribution leads to a loss of trust, which ultimately leads to a failure of governing”

www.reuters.com/investigates...
Trump’s campaign of retribution: At least 470 targets and counting
A Reuters investigation documents at least 470 acts of retribution under Trump’s leadership.
www.reuters.com

Reposted by Eric Goldman, Rebecca Tushnet

mmasnick.bsky.social
Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · 5d
Next week the House E&C Committee is looking to run something of a shock and awe campaign, debating at least 19 bills that they say are related to "protecting kids online." Most of which are actually about censorship and control. Don't buy the framing. It's always the same damn thing.
Comic by John Jonik showing Uncle Sam and someone dressed in a suit labeled as "Corporate Media" talking about how they should wrap a present that is labeled "control of internet speech." The Corporate Media guy says "How would you like this wrapped" and behind him are two rolls of wrapping paper. One (with American flags and stars) is labeled "anti-terrorism" and the other with flowers, suns, bunnies, and cats is labeled "Protect Kids"

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Eric Goldman, Daniel W. Drezner , and 5 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5d
Q: Have you heard this audio that Bloomberg has of Witkoff coaching the Russians on how to appeal to you?

TRUMP: That's a standard thing. He's gotta sell this to Ukraine, he's gonna sell Ukraine to Russia. That's what a dealmaker does. I haven't heard it but I heard it was standard negotiation.

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 5d
Blog Post: Challenge to Maryland’s “Kid Code” Survives Motion to Dismiss–NetChoice v. Brown

blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/202...
Challenge to Maryland's "Kid Code" Survives Motion to Dismiss-NetChoice v. Brown - Technology & Marketing Law Blog
[As I mentioned, I am backlogged on blogging decisions involving state Internet regulations from 2025. This decision gets fast-tracked due to its significance.] In 2022, California enacted its Age App...
blog.ericgoldman.org

Reposted by Rebecca Tushnet

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 5d
www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...
Ind. May Reject Degrees That Don’t Commit to American “Values”
Indiana may reject proposed degree programs at public institutions that don’t “cultivate civic responsibility and commitment to the core values of American society.” Earlier this month, the Indiana Co...
www.insidehighered.com

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 6d
One of my unexpected joys as a blogger is when one of my blog post titles makes its way into serious academic or political discourse
Dear Professor Goldman, The Northwestern University Law Review is pleased to inform you that your blog post, Bonkers Opinion Repeals Section 230 in the Third Circuit Anderson v. TikTok, was cited in the third issue of Volume 120 of our journal and/or our online blog. You can find a digital version of the piece that cites your work at the following link: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/nulr/vol120/iss3/6/ .

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 6d
The burgeoning caselaw of the eggplant emoji 🍆

www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf...

(I count 10 eggplant references in my emoji caselaw dataset)
1. An eggplant emoji is an icon sometimes used suggestively during texting conversations to represent a penis. C.K. v. W. Carroll Special School Dist. Bd. of Edn., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 120015, *14 (W.D. Tenn. June 2, 2025) (finding a Snapchat photo of the plaintiff with an eggplant emoji, a "symbol typically representing a penis," imposed over his lips, among other evidence, raised a jury question regarding harassment); Mothersbaugh v. State, 2022 Ind. App. LEXIS 1183, *18 (October 7, 2022) (noting text message including eggplant emoji as supporting "disturbing" and sexual nature of adult's communications with 14-year-old child).

Reposted by Eric Goldman

keptsimple.bsky.social
m @keptsimple.bsky.social · 6d
Planned Parenthood uses a VPN so its twitter location is shown as Germany and now all of MAGA twitter thinks Planned Parenthood is a fake organization based in Europe.

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 6d
Blog Post: Court Sanctions Plaintiff’s Lawyer for Unverified Claims That the Defendant Was Hiding–Guangzhou Youlan Technology v. Onbrill World #designpatents

blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/202...

#StopTheSADScheme
Court Sanctions Plaintiff's Lawyer for Unverified Claims That the Defendant Was Hiding-Guangzhou Youlan Technology Co. Ltd. v. Onbrill World - Technology & Marketing Law Blog
This is a SAD Scheme-adjacent design patent case against an Amazon merchant. I say “adjacent” because the plaintiff’s lawyer apparently cloned-and-revised SAD Scheme templates but made two major varia...
blog.ericgoldman.org

Reposted by Eric Goldman, David R. Miller

mollyjongfast.bsky.social
Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 6d
The crazy thing is Republican members of Congress gave away their power and now they’re mad that they gave away their power. Like Trump didn’t do this to you, you did it to yourselves

Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 2 more

techdirt.com
Techdirt @techdirt.com · 6d
X’s New Feature Reveals Why Trust & Safety Work Was Never About The ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’

For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety teams…
X’s New Feature Reveals Why Trust & Safety Work Was Never About The ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’
For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety teams at social media platforms working to identify and remove coordinated inauthentic behavior—particularly foreign influence operations. They've insisted that any attempt to study and limit such operations is actually just "censorship" with various forms of cover, whether academic or operational.
www.techdirt.com

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Eric Goldman, Juan Cole , and 1 more

timobrien.bsky.social
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 7d
Any speculator who bought Trump’s memecoin at its peak after it was announced inauguration weekend would have lost almost the entire value of their investment by this month.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Crypto Crash Is Eroding Wealth for Trump’s Family and Followers
In President Donald Trump’s second term, crypto assets transformed his family’s wealth. Now the Trumps — and their followers — are getting a crash course in the wild volatility ingrained in digital cu...
www.bloomberg.com

Reposted by Will Jennings, Andrew Scott, Eric Goldman , and 3 more

aaronparnas.bsky.social
Aaron Parnas @aaronparnas.bsky.social · 7d
NEWS: I spent the past 24 hours going through major MAGA accounts on Twitter, and a bombshell development has become clear: most of the right-wing ecosphere is being fed propaganda from foreign actors.

This impacts elections. This impacts discourse. This is major. Subscribe to support my work:
NEWS: Major MAGA Accounts on Twitter Exposed as Foreign Actors
A stunning development over the past 24 hours.
open.substack.com

Reposted by Eric Goldman, Simon Lester

carlquintanilla.bsky.social
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 7d
Thanks for everything, DOGE. 🤡

@birdyword.bsky.social

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 8d
This paper from Prof. Amanda Reid explains how the proliferation of state-level Internet regulations creates "unnecessary complexity," "artificial barriers," & "implementation impossibilities" 📉

www.repository.law.indiana.edu/cgi/viewcont...
www.repository.law.indiana.edu

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 8d
Blog Post: Twitter’s TOS Formation Upheld–Taddeo-Waite v. X

blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/202...
Twitter's TOS Formation Upheld-Taddeo-Waite v. X - Technology & Marketing Law Blog
TL;DR: a court upheld X’s TOS formation. This is not a new or surprising result, especially against a pro se plaintiff. * * * The plaintiff claims that Twitter failed to remove a post about his young ...
blog.ericgoldman.org

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 9d
Third Circuit Rejects a Meta Pixels Case–Cole v. Quest Diagnostics

blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/202...
Third Circuit Rejects a Meta Pixels Case-Cole v. Quest Diagnostics - Technology & Marketing Law Blog
This is a Meta Pixels case. In a short nonprecedential opinion, the Third Circuit rejects the plaintiffs’ claims. CIPA. The court says that Facebook isn’t impermissibly “eavesdropping” when a user’s c...
blog.ericgoldman.org

Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Eric Goldman , and 5 more

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 9d
NEW: ICE has finally released post-shutdown detention data. The latest data reveals that a full 40%(!) of people arrested in the interior and held in ICE detention have no criminal record; no criminal charges or prior convictions. That is up from just 4% when Trump took office.
Chart showing detention population, among those arrested in the interior, by criminal record, May 2019 through present. There are three lines shown. (1) Prior conviction (which rises from around 9,000 in January 2025 to just over 16,000 in November 2025), (2) Pending criminal charges (which rises from around 5,000 to 15,000), and (3) No criminal record (which rises from around 1,000 to 21,000).

ericgoldman.bsky.social
Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 10d
On January 30, @scuhtli.bsky.social is hosting an event: "Intellectual Property Law: How It Started, How It’s Going"

events.scu.edu/school-of-la...

Hope to see you there!
Intellectual Property Law: How It Started, How It’s Going
Santa Clara University School of Law Charney Hall Register Online Schedule Fifty years ago, Congress enacted the Copyright Act of 19...
events.scu.edu

Reposted by Linda J. Skitka, Richard Price, Steve Peers , and 9 more

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 10d
THREAD: Judge Ellis is the first federal judge to review extensive body cam video of DHS's actions in Chicago. She finds that DHS *repeatedly* misled the public and made claims that were disproven by agents' own videos.

I'll go through some of the most egregious ones here.
II. Credibility The Court next addresses the credibility of the parties’ evidence and witnesses. After reviewing all the evidence submitted to the Court and listening to the testimony elicited at the preliminary injunction hearing, during depositions, and in other court proceedings, the Court finds Defendants’ evidence simply not credible. [FN 6] Plaintiffs submitted a mountain of evidence, providing the Court with over eighty declarations, numerous videos and articles, and other evidence. Defendants did not rebut anything that Plaintiffs set forth in their declarations or testimony, even with BWC footage. [FN 6] In another case considering some of the same evidence presented to this Court, another court in this district also found that the perceptions of certain of Defendants’ declarants, such as Hott and Parra, were not reliable. See Illinois v. Trump, No. 25-cv-12174, 2025 WL 2886645, at *5 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 10, 2025) (noting a “troubling trend of Defendants’ declarants equating protests with riots and a lack of appreciation for the wide spectrum that exists between citizens who are observing, questioning, and criticizing their government, and those who are obstructing, assaulting, or doing violence”), motion to stay denied in part, 155 F.4th 929 (7th Cir. 2025).

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Brendan Nyhan, Jesse H. Kroll , and 20 more

littlebadger.bsky.social
Darcie Little Badger @littlebadger.bsky.social · 10d
This week, I withdrew from a speaking engagement at a public university because they sent me a list of prohibited “words & concepts.” I will not humor this censorship. It does a disservice to the stories I’m discussing & the audience, who deserve unfettered access to information & conversation.
“Prohibited words and concepts: Equity, diversity, & inclusion; anti-racism; Bias; Critical race theory; implicit bias; oppression; intersectionality; prohibited discriminatory practices; racial privilege; promoting stereotypes based on personal identity characteristics.”