Mastodawn

Michael Wray Mar 21, 2023

Mike Masnick ✅

There have been a series of school districts (Seattle, Mesa, Bucks County) who have filed silly lawsuits against social media for "harming kids" arguing it's a "public nuisance."

But last week, San Mateo schools (in the heart of Silicon Valley), the board of education who oversees MY KIDS' schools filed by far the dumbest of these lawsuits, claiming social media is engaged in RICO!

https://www.techdirt.com/2023/03/21/silicon-valley-school-district-files-laughable-vexatious-rico-claims-against-big-social-media-except-meta/

Silicon Valley School District Files Laughable, Vexatious RICO Claims Against Big Social Media… But Not Facebook Or Instagram

Back in January, we wrote about the Seattle public school district filing an absolutely laughable lawsuit against basically all of big social media, based on a bunch of misread and misunderstood st…

Techdirt

Mike Masnick ✅Mar 21, 2023

And, yes, @Popehat knows about it and provided a quote for my article regarding the, um, quality of the lawyering here.

Almost everything about this lawsuit is garbage. To me, it's raising serious questions about the priorities of the school board and their ability to judge complete hucksters (the lawyers they hired) from competent professionals.

Djromero Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat Are we going to start hearing about Mike Masnick for School board soon?

Djromero Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat
ChatGPT has helped create your priority list:
- Committed to protecting students' privacy rights while encouraging the responsible use of technology in the classroom.

- Advocates for digital privacy and free speech rights.

- Believes that education is the cornerstone of our society and is committed to providing high-quality education to our students.

- Will invest in teachers and provide them with the resources they need to inspire and motivate students.

- Will create an environment where students feel safe, respected, and valued.

- Will prioritize education and ensure that students have access to the latest technologies and resources.

- Will engage with parents and listen to their concerns to find solutions that work for everyone.

- Will be an advocate for privacy and ensure that students' personal information is protected and their rights are respected.

Alan Twigz Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat I've never been one for the "frivolous lawsuit" moral panic but damn if this isn't a big grift

Don Whiteside Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick we need a @Popehat bot that comes in and says, House-style, “it’s never RICO”

Zamnight Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat In this day and age, one has to wonder if they got AI to write a lawsuit specifically to get his attention. You could make a Popehat bingo card out of this.

Aaron Ross Powell ☸️Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat Is this their lawyer?

Scot Close Mar 21, 2023

@arossp @mmasnick @Popehat
They wish. It's probably this one:

Gojira1000 Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat I do feel for Popehat and try desperately not to be one of those people who CC him on every mention of RICO - but branding is a bitch

That Anonymous Coward Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat

You should ask them, when they lose do they intend to quit because they have shattered any sort of illusion that they are competent people who should oversee children.

Pyperkub Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat @[email protected] 's #enshittification of platforms is racketeering? ;) LOL (and yet, I can 'kind' of see the argument, as poor as it is). https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/11/users-advertisers-we-are-all-trapped-in-the-enshittification-of-the-internet

Users, advertisers – we are all trapped in the ‘enshittification’ of the internet

There is a new word for the degradation of the internet, but it’s been happening for years. Why do we tolerate it?

The Guardian

Michael Wray Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat it's raising questions in my mind about the quality of the bar associations in allowing these morons to be lawyers in the first place.

Don Whiteside Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat Okay I couldn't resist. #ItsNeverRICO

BoxOfRain Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick @Popehat
“This is exactly why judges need to be much more aggressive sanctioning lawyers and reporting them to the bar.” *chef’s kiss*

Douglas Kilpatrick Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick Required to point out https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2023/01/16/in-local-news again

In Local News - Penny Arcade

Videogaming-related online strip by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. Includes news and commentary.

Argot_Robbie Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick Time for the Stanford and Berkeley alumni magazines to run features on the U.S. legal system and Constitution?

Those organs could have minimized the anti-vax hysteria of the Jenny McCarthy era, but remained silent.

Bob Harvey Mar 21, 2023

I live on another continent. I have never heard of RICO. Nor did the techdirt story seem to explain it

Mike Masnick ✅Mar 21, 2023

@BobHarvey the article explains the elements of rico. it's a racketeering/conspiracy statute that was written take down organized crime.

Gojira1000 Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick Oh NO. Welp, nice to see members of all sides of every political argument are as dumb as a bag of hammers.

Pat Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick when is the next board election? that's all I can think of here.

Caracabe Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick Is that with or without a side of HIPAA?

Christie Dudley Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick I have heard attorneys in good faith assert that Facebook drives the San Mateo County Courts because they have so much litigation there. To me that's the most ironic part of this foolishness.

Carl Malamud Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick I’m not a lawyer, but I’m pretty sure the First Amendment prohibits school officials from crying RICO! in a crowded timeline.

Gabe Wachob 🐵🐴👨‍💻👨‍🎤🐮Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick Wow, that's... not great.

My kids are all products of San Mateo county public schools, though its important to note that the SMC Board of Education is *NOT* a school district and is more of a support organization than an oversight organ.

I know one person on the SMCBoE (and of course she would never comment on ongoing litigation), but I would *love* to know how genuine support is for this lawsuit. I am kinda shocked how aggressively misguided it appears to be.

RICO of course, can be shown without any showing of actual underlying crime or actual commission of malfeasance, IIRC, correct?

Mike Masnick ✅Mar 21, 2023

@gwachob i can find no record of the board voting on this. I asked the superintendent and the PR firm they hired, and they refuse to answer when and how this lawsuit was approved.

Mark vW Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick What standing does the school district have?

Mike Masnick ✅Mar 21, 2023

@markvonwahlde zilch, zero, nada

Mark vW Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick They are seriously wasting taxpayer dollars.

barryzee Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick What a waste of the taxpayer's money. It would seem to be much more valuable to use that money to teach the students how to responsibly use technology themselves as well as warn them about the trolls and hucksters that they will encounter. For those kids, it should be all about how to stay safe, not become bullies or trolls themselves and to have fun but responsibly!

Mike Masnick ✅Mar 21, 2023

@barryzee yes, though, the case was brought on contingency so no upfront payment of taxpayer money. My guess is that the lawyers approached the school board and said "hey let us do this, if we win, free money for you" and the board was like "awesome, do it"

Mike Masnick ✅Mar 21, 2023

@barryzee that's why I asked everyone involved who approached whom. I asked 4 separate times and they all refuse to answer

barryzee Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick Wow. There's bad decision making. Just leaving a Board of Ed in IL after 16yrs. I can't envision a circumstance where we would think that this was a good idea. Not even for precedent setting purposes. Now I understand the questions about the quality of the attorneys. Ambulance chasers. And we wonder why getting anything through the court system takes forever. Frivolous lawsuits everywhere.

Mike Masnick ✅Mar 21, 2023

@barryzee heh. i feel like I should ask our superintendent to talk to you... she won't talk to me.

barryzee Mar 21, 2023

@mmasnick I expect that she would tell me that I couldn't possibly understand that "progressive" thinkers in the West Coast BOE's are the only ones who would understand that they are on a mission to make social media work for all of us. Ignoring the fact that they are no threat to any of these companies who have fleets of lawyers on the payroll. I suspect it may not be full contingency. It would be interesting if you were to FOIA the monthly bill run from the district looking for attorney $$$