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The Bureau reached out to brands and marketing agencies following a thorough review of influencer marketing practices across various industries, including health and beauty, fashion, technology and travel. Arthur C. Green/Submitted Image

Consumers must be able to easily recognize when social media content is actually an advertisement.

The Competition Bureau sent letters to close to one hundred brands and marketing agencies involved in influencer marketing in Canada, advising that they review their marketing practices to ensure they comply with the law.

When navigating the digital marketplace, consumers often rely on the opinions shared by influencers, Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition said. To make informed purchasing decisions, consumers must know if these opinions are independent or an advertisement. Ensuring the truth in advertising in Canadas digital economy is a priority for the Competition Bureau.

Influencers should clearly disclose the relationships they have with the business, product or service they promote. There is a relationship if the influencer receives money or commissions, free products or services, discounts, free trips or tickets to events, or has a business or family connection with the brand, among other things.

Influencers should also be honest, and base any reviews and testimonials on actual experience. The Competition Act applies to influencer marketing just as it would to traditional forms of advertising.

Businesses share responsibility with influencers when they post advertisements on social media, as they may be liable for false or misleading content. Advertisers may pay or compensate influencers to create and share content that feature their products or brands.

The Bureau reached out to brands and marketing agencies following a thorough review of influencer marketing practices across various industries, including health and beauty, fashion, technology and travel.

The deceptive marketing practices provisions of the Competition Act apply to anyone who is promoting a product, service, or any business interest, and those who do not comply may face significant penalties.

agreen@vistaradio.ca

Twitter.com/artcgreen

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Influencer marketing: businesses and influencers must be transparent when advertising on social media - My Yellowknife Now

As we head into the holiday break, both Twitter and Facebook have announced a raft of new profile and Page removals as part of each platform's ongoing investigations into co-ordinated manipulation of their networks for political influence campaigns.

And the scope of these latest removals is significant - the largest action of its type yet reported by Twitter:

Of specific interest in this case is that, as reported by The New York Times, Facebook found that the latter instance - a network linked to Epoch Media Group - the Pages and profiles utilized "fake profile photos which had been generated with the help of artificial intelligence."

That's a particularly concerning development, which could point to the next phase of digital manipulation campaigns.

Twitter's investigation focused on a Saudi marketing company called Smaat, which runs both political and commercial operations. Twitter says that while Smaat looks like astandard social media management agency on the surface, the company has links to the Saudi royal family, and recruited two Twitter employees "who searched internal databases for information about critics of the Saudi government".

Smaat-operated profiles have sent over 32 million tweets, and gained millions of followers - and while many of the tweets from these profiles appear innocent, there are propaganda messages mixed in.

These profiles also regularly asked users to "retweet"or "follow", which lead to the creation of smaller sub-groups growing within the networks. Twitter also notes that there was "a substantial amount of automated fluff to make it hard to figure out what the accounts were focused on".

The level of detail here is interesting, and provides some insights into the evolving tactics of such operations. Facebook has also provided specific examples of posts shared by the profiles it's removed for coordinated inauthentic behavior.

These new account removals add to the thousands of documented account/profile deletions for coordinated manipulation across the two social platforms this year.

Here's a reminder of the scope of those activities - all from 2019:

With the 2020 US Presidential election looming, you can bet that this will remain a key area of focus for both platforms, while, at some stage, there may also be a push for Facebook, in particular, to take stronger action against Pages which share false and misleading content.

At present, Facebook says that:

"Pages that repeatedly publish or share misinformation will see their distribution reduced and their ability to monetize and advertise removed."

The removal of monetization is significant, but at some stage, Facebook might also need to consider removing these Pages altogether, as a means to further reinforce the need for admins to better vet the content they share and/or create, in order to stop the spread of false reports. If there's a risk of losing your Page entirely - as opposed to facing a temporary sanction - that could put more onus on Page managers to be more diligent, and not simply post whatever comes across their path, and aligns with their cognitive bias.

Of course, any measure of this type is more complex in practice, and Facebook doesn't want to get into overt censorship. But if misinformation is once again a key driver of voter behavior in 2020, you can bet the calls for more action on such will only get louder. And Facebook, in particular, is at the core of such distribution.

Follow this link:
Twitter and Facebook Announce Over 6000 Account Removals Related to Political Manipulation - Social Media Today

CHICAGO, Dec. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Falcon.io, a Cision company, has released the latest edition of its annual Digital Marketing Trends Handbook. This is the fourth edition of the handbook, which lists the 15 trends most likely to affect marketers in 2020.The trends are based on industry research, Falcon.io's expertise, as well as input from customers, partners and influencers.

While the trends vary, they all represent both the challenges and opportunities for digital marketers in 2020 and beyond. Some of the topics explored include:

"The sheer volume of digital and social media formats now available can be overwhelming, and digital marketers are working in an industry that's changing every day," explained Rachel Kador, Content Marketing Specialist at Falcon.io. "Added to which, marketers have to also contend with how quickly customer behavior is changing."

"To succeed in today's landscape, it's crucial that marketers stay knowledgeable about not only current trends, but what to prepare for in the future."

Falcon.io will host a webinar addressing the social media trends covered in the 2020 Digital Marketing Trends Handbook on January 23rd. The webinar will be co-hosted by social media consultant and influencer Matt Navarra. Registration for the webinar can be found here.

In addition, the handbook will form the basis of a Roadshow to take place in selected cities around the world, beginning in January 2020. Each session will cover the key trends with ample room for discussion and knowledge-sharing.

"The Roadshow will provide us with the opportunity to connect even more closely with our peers, and discuss how marketers all over the world are approaching similar challenges," said Kador.

Roadshow locations and agenda to be announced soon on http://www.Falcon.io.

To download and read the full 2020 Digital Marketing Trends Handbook, click here.

About Falcon.ioFalcon.iooffers an integrated SaaS platform for social media listening, engaging, publishing, advertising, analytics and benchmarking. The company enables its clients to explore the full potential of digital marketing by managing multiple customer touchpoints from one platform. Its client portfolio includes Carlsberg, Toyota, William Grant & Sons, momondo, Panasonic and Coca-Cola.

About CisionCision Ltd (NYSE: CISN) is a leading global provider of earned media software and services to public relations and marketing communications professionals. Cision's software allows users to identify key influencers, craft and distribute strategic content, and measure meaningful impact. Cision has over 4,800 employees with offices in 22 countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. For more information about its award-winning products and services, including the Cision Communications Cloud, visitwww.cision.comand follow Cision on Twitter @Cision.

Media Contact:Rebecca DershPR Manager, Cisioncisionpr@cision.com

SOURCE Falcon.io; Cision

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Falcon.io Releases 2020 Digital Marketing Trends Handbook, Exploring Trends That Will Shape the Future of Digital and Social Media - Promotion World

A high-tech space capsule malfunctioned Friday morning during its first NASA test mission, temporarily stranding the unmanned spacecraft in the wrong place and dealing a blow to Boeing, its developer.

The failed launch is a setback for NASA as it scrambles to finish work on a pair of new spacecraft that the space agency wants for carrying astronauts to the International Space Station. The new capsules could finally end the American space programs long reliance on Russian capsules.

Boeings CST-100 Starliner transport launched atop a two-stage Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:36 a.m.

The initial phase of the mission went according to plan. A few minutes after launch, NASA announced that the Atlas had completed its burn. United Launch Alliance, the Boeing-Lockheed Martin consortium that provided the rocket, went on social media to boast of its success.

We had a successful launch and initial indications are that we demonstrated the launch-vehicle test objectives, performance enhancements and the mission-unique modifications developed for the safety of human spaceflight, ULA president Tory Bruno said.

NASA expected the Boeing capsule to rendezvous with the International Space Station at its orbit some 250 miles above Earth on Saturday. A successful meet-up could have cleared the way for NASA to use the Starliner to carry astronauts to the space station beginning in mid-2020.

But it was soon apparent that the 15-foot-diameter Starliner had screwed up. Starliner has an off-nominal insertion, but Boeing has spacecraft control, NASA announced. The guidance and control team is assessing their next maneuver.

It turned out that the 15-ton capsule, which is designed to operate mostly autonomously with very little interaction with a human crew, mistimed the firing of its maneuvering thrusters. The ill-timed burn gobbled up precious fuel.

Now short on gas, the Starliner wasnt able to maneuver its way to the space station, NASA determined. "It's safe to take off the table at this point, given the amount of fuel that we burned," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said at a hastily-called news conference.

The good news for Boeing and NASA is that the Starliner, which has been in development since 2010 at a cost of more than $4 billion, is safe where it is, orbiting around 120 miles over Earth. Mission controllers expect to be able to land the capsule at a military missile range in White Sands, New Mexico as early as Sunday.

In the meantime, Boeing and NASA can still conduct some trials with the temporarily stranded capsule. The team is assessing what test objectives can be achieved, NASA stated.

Chicago-based Boeing tried to put on a happy face. We are proud of the team for their professionalism and quick action to protect the vehicle and enable a safe return, the company stated. We look forward to reviewing and learning from the data that has been generated from this mission so far.

But further root-cause analysis is needed, Boeing conceded.

SpaceX, which scored a $2-billion NASA contract to develop its own Dragon capsule, remained silent on social media while the Starliner fiasco unfolded. The Hawthorne, California-based rocket company stands the benefit the most from the Starliners stranding.

Starliner and Dragon are broadly similar and, under NASAs plan, would perform the same kinds of missions. Having access to two separate capsule designs, each backing up the other, could help NASA wean itself off of Russias Soyuz capsules. The Russian capsules have been the only way to get to and from the International Space Station since NASA retired its last Space Shuttle back in 2011.

SpaceX actually beat Boeing to the station. An unmanned, passenger-capable Dragon docked with the orbital lab back in March. SpaceX expects to carry astronauts for the first time in 2020. If Fridays mishap delays Starliners transition to routine, manned missions, Dragon could in theory take up the slack.

But Dragon has suffered its own accidents. The same capsule that completed the initial hook-up with the International Space Station back in March was destroyed a few weeks later during a botched ground test of its thrusters.

At the Friday press conference, NASA administrator Bridenstine urged calm. The Starliners stranding wouldnt have endangered the crews lives had anyone actually been on board, Bridenstine explained. In fact, he said, an on-board crew might have been able to troubleshoot the thruster problem, correcting the capsules course before it wasted its fuel.

The NASA administrator declined to say whether Boeing would be able to meet its 2020 deadline for manned flights with Starliner. I think it's too early for us to make that assessment.

The U.S. Air Force put an optimistic cap on an anxious day for the American space program, in the form of a social-media post from the 45th Space Wing, which manages the Cape Canaveral launch site. Trial and error are building blocks to great success, the wing stated.

Read more:
NASA Mission to Space Station Goes Horribly Wrong - The Daily Beast

After being accused of abusing his power and obstructing Congress, President Donald Trump was impeached on Wednesday by the House of Representatives. The Senate is set to hold a trial early next year to determine whether the president should be removed from office. Trump is the third U.S. president to be impeached.

"We gather today under the dome of this temple of democracy to exercise one of the most solemn powers that this body can take: The impeachment of the President of the United States," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday. "If we do not act now we would be derelict in our duty. It is tragic that the President's reckless actions make impeachment necessary. He gave us no choice."

Despite the House vote, Trump is still president, and it's unlikely that two-thirds of the Republican-controlled Senate will vote to convict and remove him from office. For that to happen, 20 Republican senators would need to defy party and vote against Trump.

Impeachment vote

The Washington Post

The road to impeachment has been controversial and polarized, to put it mildly. Democrats have generally framed the months-long impeachment inquiry as a necessary check on a clear abuse of presidential power and, subsequently, an obstruction of Congress.

Meanwhile, Trump has spearheaded the GOP's strategy, which has been to flatly deny the claim that Trump withheld aid to Ukraine in exchange for personal political favors, and to paint the inquiry as the latest in a series of bad-faith attempts (or, in Trumpian terms: "witch hunt," "scam," "hoax") by Democrats to bring down the president by any means necessary.

In short, it's a mess a sad mess. Both sides explicitly agreed on that much this week, though for different reasons, of course. To help make sense of it all, the Harvard Gazette asked some of the university's expert alumni about what impeachment means for Trump and the state of our politics and media. Here's what a few of them had to say.

David Gergen, J.D. Former White House adviser to Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. Public Service Professor of Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School.

Alice Stewart. CNN political analyst, former communications director for presidential campaigns of Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Mike Huckabee.

"There are no winners or losers in impeachments, there are simply political consequences and collateral damage. The saga of the Democrat impeachment of President Donald Trump has been three years in the making: starting on election night in 2016, with the final chapter being written on Election Day of 2020.

The impeachment in the Democrat-led House of Representatives was predicted, an acquittal in the Republican-led Senate is expected, and the consequences for the 2020 election remain to be seen. If history is any guide, I expect the impeachment quest to ultimately be beneficial to President Trump and conservatives, and damaging to Democrats who sought to subvert the outcome of the 2016 election. The real damage will be in swing districts, congressional districts won by President Trump in 2016 that are currently held by Democrats. Their vote for impeachment is almost a certain first step to being voted out of office."

Nancy R. Gibbs. Former editor in chief, Time magazine. Lombard Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School.

"The dramatic democratization of media since then has brought all kinds of benefits, but at a moment like this we are also weighing the costs. We are watching lawmakers talk past one another to distinct audiences who can't hear each other; we've seen partisan identity, fueled by partisan media, become the defining division of our time, quite apart from differences over issues or ideology.

For more and more people, team red and team blue have become their church; the mainstream media is no longer gospel. So we should differentiate between media, which is arguably more powerful than ever, and the press, which still has a crucial civic obligation to fulfill and yet faces economic, political, and cultural challenges unlike any we've ever seen before."

Joseph S. Nye Jr., Ph.D. '64. Author of "Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump" (2020). Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School.

"In the role of commander in chief, presidents have a lot of leeway in foreign policy, but it is not unlimited. As Edward Corwin once wrote, the Constitution creates "an invitation to struggle" for control of foreign policy. President Trump had the right to define the American national interest in Ukraine as corruption rather than defense against Russia, but when he withheld, without explanation, funds that Congress had appropriated for the latter cause, Congress had the right to investigate, and Trump did not have the right to obstruct Congress.

President Trump also had the right to ask President [Volodymyr] Zelensky for a favor, but not one for personal gain that involved foreign involvement in our elections (which the Founders warned against). Corruption is the abuse of public power for personal gain, and that high immorality was at issue when Trump invited Zelensky to announce an investigation of a principal likely opponent in the 2020 election."

Leonard L. Glass. Contributing author, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump" (2017). Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School.

"Mr. Trump, caught in the humiliating spotlight of impeachment, will react as he always does: Deny any responsibility for his predicament and seek to degrade and vilify his accusers.

His disparagement of the truth-tellers who testified before Congress reliably predicts his response to impeachment: claims of victimization and a thirst for revenge.

From a psychological perspective, Trump's impeachment has played out with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy. Arising from character flaws that were clearly evident at his inauguration, his impeachment inexorably has traced that classic arc. He remains blind to his offenses, insisting he wrote a "perfect" letter and has been subjected to a witch hunt. That is Mr. Trump's hallmark: externalizing all blame as though his inflated self-image would be irreparably punctured by any acknowledgment of his own imperfection."

To read the full questions and answers, head over to the Harvard Gazette.

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Trump's been impeached here's what Harvard scholars believe will happen next - Big Think