⏩ Twitter takes on Texas in new lawsuit

Mar 17, 2021

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This week: Texas feuds with Twitter, and Pakistan does the same with TikTok. Plus, a few tips for reducing pandemic burnout.

⚠️ Texas takes tech law into its own hands

As the U.S. ponders antitrust actions and changes to Section 230, Texas could beat the rest of the country to the punch.

Key leaders have made several moves against tech this year: In January, the state’s attorney general started an investigation against Twitter, Apple, Google and Facebook. He sought all correspondence related to content moderation in the wake of Trump’s social media bans.
A related action is percolating in the Texas legislature: Lawmakers have filed a bill that would make it illegal in Texas for any large website or app to remove users or content based on political or religious views. The governor, Greg Abbott, has endorsed it. To state the obvious, some constitutional questions may get in the way.

Twitter fights back

Answering the investigation, Jack Dorsey’s company filed a lawsuit. Twitter has accused Texas of retaliation for the removal of Trump and has sought to reduce the scope of Paxton’s request for correspondence.

The Verdict

Experts often say California acts as a test case for tech laws the country may later adopt. You could say the same about Texas, except they would be a whole different set of laws.

🛑 Pakistan bans TikTok

Pakistan banned TikTok last week, with a high court pointing to “objectionable” content as the reason behind the move.

It’s also possible the prime minister was just tired of being skewered by teens.

TikTok has been targeted all over: Cybersecurity concerns led India to ban TikTok last year and prompted the U.S. to seek action (it never got far enough for a ban, though). The key concern was parent company ByteDance’s relationship to the Chinese government. Pakistan, an ally of China, had a different reason.
It was about the content: One of the country’s highest courts ruled “TikTok videos are peddling vulgarity in society.”

Not everyone buys the explanation

Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has been crusading against the app since last fall. He even enacted a short-lived ban back then.

Media personality Najam Sethi tweeted the ban was actually due to users “poking fun of the great leader.”

The Verdict

The ban won’t go over smoothly. Tech companies have already banded together as the Asia Internet Coalition to protest Pakistan.

😌 How to get over pandemic-related urges to work too much

Lawyers’ work days were long enough before the pandemic. But does it feel like you’ve been pushing even harder the last several months?

The Wall Street Journal says that COVID has people feeling like imposters at work, and here are a couple takeaways and tips:

WFH (particularly as your own boss) can create dissatisfaction with results: Without others around, it leads to questioning our own work efforts. One psychology professor recommended taking notes of accomplishments on a weekly or monthly basis to record milestones. Another idea was to record feedback from others and return to it when you feel out of sorts.

Don’t overwork to cure your imposter syndrome: The fear of falling behind can be reduced by working twice as hard. But the extra work can also lead to burnout, so you should always be aware of the costs associated with any coping mechanism.

Social support still works over Zoom: It’s not the same as in person, but experts recommend finding a core group of people with whom you can share work concerns, successes and failures.

💌 What else we’re forwarding

60 tools lawyers recommend for at-home work: Ever heard of the Blue Yeti USB microphone or Mealime meal planning? These are some really good WFH tech options recommended by lawyers.

Georgetown law professors resign in race scandal: Two adjuncts were having a Zoom discussion about race and grades. It went public.

See ya next week.

🧐 Raad