Mike Masnick ✅Mar 21, 2023

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
Show threadbarryzeeMar 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!
Show threadMike 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"
Show threadbarryzeeMar 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.
Show threadMike Masnick ✅Mar 21, 2023
@barryzee heh. i feel like I should ask our superintendent to talk to you... she won't talk to me.
Show threadbarryzee
@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 $$$
Mar 21, 2023 at 8:52pmWeb