#global PR firms | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year

Text

How the kleptocrats and oligarchs hunt civil society groups to the ends of the Earth

It's a great time to be an oligarch! If you have accumulated a great fortune and wish to put whatever great crime lies behind it behind you, there is an army of fixers, lickspittles, thugs, reputation-launderers, procurers, henchmen, and other enablers who have turnkey solutions for laundering your reputation and keeping the unwashed from building a guillotine outside the gates of your compound.

The field of International Relations has studied the enemies of the Klept in detail: the Transnational Activist Network is a well-documented phenomenon. But far more poorly understood is the Transnational Uncivil Society Network, who will polish any turd of sufficient wealth to a high, professional gloss.

These TUSNs are the subject of a new, timely scholarly paper by Alexander Cooley, John Heathershaw and Ricard Soares de Oliveira: "Transnational Uncivil Society Networks: kleptocracy’s global fightback against liberal activism," published in last month's European Journal of International Relations:

https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:5e5a3052-c693-4991-a7cc-bc2b47134467/download_file?file_format=application%2Fpdf&safe_filename=Cooley_et_al_2023_transnational_uncivil_society.pdf&type_of_work=Journal+article

The authors document how a collection of institutions – some coercive, others organized around good works – allow kleptocrats to take power, keep power, and use power. This includes "wealth managers, company providers, accounting firms, and international bankers" who create the complex financial structures that obscure the klept's wealth. It also includes "second citizenship managers and lawyers" that facilitate the klept's transnational nature, both to provide access to un-looted, prosperous places to visit, and boltholes to escape to in the face of coup or reform. It includes the real-estate brokers and other asset facilitators, who turn whole precincts of the world's greatest cities into empty safe-deposit boxes in the sky, while ensuring that footlose criminal elites always have a penthouse to perch in when they take a break from the desiccated husks they've drained dry back home.

Of course, it also includes the PR managers and philanthropic ventures that allow the klept to launder their reputation, to make themselves synonymous with good deeds rather than mass murder. Think here of how the Sacklers used charity to turn their family name into a synonym for culture and fine art, rather than death by opioid overdose:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/11/justice-delayed/#justice-redeemed

Beyond providing comfort to "Politically Exposed Persons" and "High Net-Worth Individuals," TUSNs are concerned with neutralizing TANs. Activists in these transnational networks play an inside-outside game: in-country activists will recruit peers abroad to bring attention to the crimes of their local kleptocrats. These overseas partners target the klept in the places they go to play and spend, spoiling their fun – and if they succeed in getting corrupt leaders censured abroad, then in-country activists can leverage that bad press to fight the klept at home.

To fight this "Boomerang Effect," TUSNs seek to burnish corrupt officials' reputations abroad, getting their names on humanitarian prizes, beloved sports teams, cultural institutions and great universities. They seek to capture international governance institutions that might wrong-foot kleptocrats, co-opting them to enable and even celebrate looters.

When it comes to elite philanthropy, TUSNs are necessarily selective. Kleptocrats' foundations don't fund anti-kleptocratic groups – they stick to "education, public health, the environment and the arts." These domains steer clear of human rights questions that might implicate their benefactors. Russian oligarchs love children's charities and disability rights – provided they don't target the Russian state.

If charitable giving is reputation laundering's carrot, then "reputation management" is the laundry's stick. Think of organized copyfraudsters who clone websites that have criticized their clients, then backdate the articles, then accuse the originals of infringing copyright in order to get them de-listed from Google or taken offline altogether:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/23/reputation-laundry/#dark-ops

Reputation managers also spend a lot of time in court. In the UK – the world's leader in libel tourism, thanks to a legal system designed to let posh monsters sue muckraking journalists into silence – Russian oligarchs have perfected the art of forcing their critics to shut up and go away:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/03/04/londongrad/#enablers

Indeed, London is a one-stop shop for the global klept, a place were forelock-tugging Renfields will buy you a Mayfair mansion under cover of a numbered company, sue your critics into silence, funnel your money into an anonymous Channel Islands account:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/07/the-klept/#pep

They'll sell you whole galleriesworth of "fine art" that you can have relocated to a climate-controlled container in a Swiss or Irish freeport:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/14/poesy-the-monster-slayer/#moneylab

They'll give your thick-as-pigshit progeny a PhD and never check to see whether he wrote his thesis himself:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSE%E2%80%93Gaddafi_affair

Then they'll hook you up with a cyber-arms dealer to hunt your enemies by capturing their devices:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/27/gas-on-the-fire/#a-safe-place-for-dangerous-ideas

But don't let Brexit stop you from shopping for bargains on the continent. The Golden Passports of the EU – available in a variety of flavors, from Maltese to Cypriot to Portuguese – offer the discerning failson access to the luxury good shops and fleshpots of 27 advanced economies, making it a favorite of the Khmer Riche – the junior klept of Cambodia's ruling faction:

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/cambodia-hunsen-wealth/

But golden passports are for amateurs. Skilled klepts travel on diplomatic passports, which offer the twin benefits of free movement and consequence-free criminality, thanks to diplomatic immunity. The former Kazakh dictator's son-in-law enjoyed a freewheeling diplomatic life in Vienna; one daughters of the dictator of Tajikistan had a jolly time as an envoy to DC; another, to London (where else?).

All this globetrotting serves a second purpose: when rival elites seize power back home and force the old guard into exile, those ex-monsters can show up in the lands they called their second homes and apply for asylum. It turns out that even bomb-the-boats UK will welcome any asylum seeker who enters via the private jet terminal at City Airport (to be fair, these "refugees" have extensive properties in Zone 1 and country places in the Home Counties, so they won't need housing).

This stuff works. After Kazakh state goons murdered at least 14 protesters at a Zhanaozen oil facility in 2011, human rights groups around the world took up the cause. But they were effectively neutralized by TUSNs, with former UK PM Tony Blair writing on behalf of the Kazakh government to the EU condemning any kind of international investigation into the mass killings (add "former Prime Ministers" to the list of commodities for sale in the UK to sufficiently well-resourced murderer).

The authors close their paper with two case-studies. The first is of the daughters of Uzbek dictator Islam Karimov, Gulnara and Lola. And President Karimov was indeed a dictator: he trapped his population within his borders, forced them to use unconvertible scrip in place of money, and ordered the murder of hundreds of peaceful protesters, plunging the country into international isolation.

But while Uzbeks were sealed within their borders, Gulnara Karimov became an international player, running a complex network of businesses that mixed the products of the nation's oilfields with her family's fortune. She solicited – and received – bribes from Teliasonera, MTS and Vimpelcom, who were all vying for the contract to provide service in Uzbekistan. All told, she extracted more than $1b in bribes, laundering them through Latvia, Hong Kong and New York. She acquired real-estate in France and Switzerland, and her spree continued until her father collaborated with Uzbek security to seize her assets and place her under house-arrest.

Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva was Gulnara's estranged younger sister. She and her husband Timur Tillyaev ran the Dubai-based SecureTrade, which did extensive business with "opaque Scottish Limited Partnerships," laundering more than $127m in a single year to offshore accounts in the UAE and Switzerland. They acquired many luxe assets – a jet, a Californian villa, and an LA perfumier.

Lola styled herself as the face of the Karimovas abroad, a "philanthropist and cultural ambassador." She was a UNESCO ambassador and commissioned works of monumental art – and also sued the shit out of news outlets that reported factual matters about her family repressive activity at home. She organized AIDS charities in the name of Uzbekistan – even as her father was imprisoning a writer for publishing a book explaining how to have safer sex.

The second case-study is on Isabel dos Santos, "Africa's richest woman," daughter of Angolan dictator Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Isabel's vast fortune stemmed from her personal capture of vast swathes of the third-largest economy in Africa: "telecommunications, banking, diamonds, real estate and cement, among many others." Isabel enjoyed seemingly limitless access to state credit and co-investment, and was given first crack at newly deregulated industries. Foreign firms that invested in Angola were required to "partner" with Isabel's businesses.

Isabel claimed to be a "self-made woman" – a claim credulously parroted by the western press, including the FT. She used her homegrown fortune to become a major player abroad, especially in Portugal, where she was represented by the leading Portuguese law-firm PLMJ. Her enablers are who's who of corruption-loving lickspittles: McKinsey, Ernst and Young, Boston Consulting Group, and the Spanish BigLaw firm Uri Menendez.

Isabel cultivated a public facade of philanthropic giving and public spirited activism, serving as head of the Angolan Red Cross. She attended Davos and spoke at the LSE (she was also invited to Oxford, but her invitation was subsequently rescinded). On social media, she dismissed critics of her wealth and corruption as "colonialists," decrying their "racism" and "prejudice."

Isabel dos Santos's corrupt sources of wealth were finally, irrefutably exposed through the Luanda Leaks, in which the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists mapped the network of "top banks, management consultants and legal firms that were central to dos Santos’s operations."

Both case studies shed light on the network of brilliant, driven enablers and procurers without whom the world's greatest monsters would falter. It's a rare window on a secretive world, one that is poorly understood even by its inhabitants. As Michael Mechanic wrote in Jackpot, his 2021 book on vast, intergenerational fortunes, the winners of the lucky orifice lottery often lack any real understanding of how The Money is structured, grown and protected:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/13/public-interest-pharma/#affluenza

This point was reiterated by Abigail Disney, in a brave piece on what it's like to grow up subject to the oversight of these millionaires who babysit the children of billionaires:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/19/dynastic-wealth/#caste

This is an important contribution to the literature. We naturally focus on the ultrawealthy individuals whose reputations and fortunes are the subject of so much attention, but without the TUSNs, they would be largely helpless.

Going to Burning Man? Catch me on Tuesday at 2:40pm on the Center Camp Stage for a talk about enshittification and how to reverse it; on Wednesday at noon, I'm hosting Dr Patrick Ball at Liminal Labs (6:15/F) for a talk on using statistics to prove high-level culpability in the recruitment of child soldiers.

On September 6 at 7pm, I'll be hosting Naomi Klein at the LA Public Library for the launch of Doppelganger.

On September 12 at 7pm, I'll be at Toronto's Another Story Bookshop with my new book The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/24/launderers-enforcers-bagmen/#procurers

Image: Sam Valadi (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/132084522@N05/17086570218/

CC BY 2.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Colin (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palace_of_Westminster_from_the_dome_on_Methodist_Central_Hall_(cropped).jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

2K notes · View notes

mariacallous · 2 years

Text

This story is part of a joint investigation between Lighthouse Reports and WIRED. To read other stories from the series, click here.

Mitch Daniels is a numbers guy, a cost-cutter. In the early 2000s, he tried and failed to rein in congressional spending under then-US president George W. Bush. So when he took office as Indiana governor in 2005, Daniels was ready to argue once again for fiscal discipline. He wanted to straighten out Indiana’s state government, which he deemed rife with dysfunction. And he started with its welfare system. “That department had been rocked by a series of criminal indictments, with cheats and caseworkers colluding to steal money meant for poor people,” he later said.

Daniels’ solution took the form of a $1.3 billion, 10-year contract with IBM. He had lofty ambitions for the project, which started in 2006, claiming it would improve the benefits service for Indiana residents while cracking down on fraud, ultimately saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

But the contract was a disaster. It was canceled after three years, and IBM and Indiana spent a decade locked in a legal battle about who was to blame. Daniels described IBM’s sweeping redesign and automation of the system—responsible for deciding who was eligible for everything from food stamps to medical cover—as deficient. He was adamant, though, that outsourcing a technical project to a company with expertise was the right call. “It was over-designed,” he said. “Great on paper but too complicated to work in practice.” IBM declined a request for comment.

In July 2012, Judge David Dryer of the Marion County Superior Court ruled that Indiana had failed to prove IBM had breached its contract. But he also delivered a damning verdict on the system itself, describing it as an untested experiment that replaced caseworkers with computers and phone calls. “Neither party deserves to win this case,” he said. “This story represents a ‘perfect storm’ of misguided government policy and overzealous corporate ambition.”

That might have been an early death knell for the burgeoning business of welfare state automation. Instead, the industry exploded. Today, such fraud systems form a significant part of the nebulous “govtech” industry, which revolves around companies selling governments new technologies with the promise that new IT will make public administration easier-to-use and more efficient. In 2021, that market was estimated to be worth €116 billion ($120 billion) in Europe and $440 billion globally. And it’s not only companies that expect to profit from this wave of tech. Governments also believe modernizing IT systems can deliver big savings. Back in 2014, the consultancy firm McKinsey estimated that if government digitization reached its “full potential,” it could free up $1 trillion every year.

Contractors around the world are selling governments on the promise that fraud-hunting algorithms can help them recoup public funds. But researchers who track the spread of these systems argue that these companies are often overpaid and under-supervised. The key issue, researchers say, is accountability. When complex machine learning models or simpler algorithms are developed by the private sector, the computer code that gets to define who is and isn’t accused of fraud is often classed as intellectual property. As a result, the way such systems make decisions is opaque and shielded from interrogation. And even when these algorithmic black holes are embroiled in high-stakes legal battles over alleged bias, the people demanding answers struggle to get them.

In the UK, a community group called the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People is trying to determine whether a pattern of disabled people being investigated for fraud is linked to government automation projects. In France, the digital rights group La Quadrature du Net has been trying for four months to find out whether a fraud system is discriminating against people born in other countries. And in Serbia, lawyers want to understand why the introduction of a new system has resulted in hundreds of Roma families losing their benefits. “The models are always secret,” says Victoria Adelmant, director of New York University’s digital welfare state project. “If you don’t have transparency, it’s very difficult to even challenge and assess these systems.”

The rollout of automated bureaucracy has happened quickly and quietly, but it has left a trail of scandals in its wake. In Michigan, a computer system used between 2013 and 2015 falsely accused 34,000 people of welfare fraud. A similar thing happened in Australia between 2015 and 2019, but on a larger scale: The government accused 400,000 people of welfare fraud or error after its social security department started using a so-called robodebt algorithm to automatically issue fines.

Another scandal emerged in the Netherlands in 2019 when tens of thousands of families—many of them from the country’s Ghanaian community—were falsely accused of defrauding the child benefits system. These systems didn’t just contribute to agencies accusing innocent people of welfare fraud; benefits recipients were ordered to repay the money they had supposedly stolen. As a result, many of the accused were left with spiraling debt, destroyed credit ratings, and even bankruptcy.

Not all government fraud systems linked to scandals were developed with consultancies or technology companies. But civil servants are increasingly turning to the private sector to plug knowledge and personnel gaps. Companies involved in fraud detection systems range from giant consultancies—Accenture, Cap Gemini, PWC—to small tech firms like Totta Data Lab in the Netherlands and Saga in Serbia.

Experts in automation and AI are expensive to hire and less likely to be wooed by public sector salaries. When the UK surveyed its civil servants last year, confidence in the government’s ability to use technology was low, with around half of respondents blaming an inability to hire top talent. More than a third said they had few or no skills in artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automation. But it’s not just industry experience that makes the private sector so alluring to government officials. For welfare departments squeezed by budget cuts, “efficiency” has become a familiar buzzword. “Quite often, a public sector entity will say it is more efficient for us to go and bring in a group of consultants,” says Dan Sheils, head of European public service at Accenture.

The public sector lacks the expertise to create these systems and also to oversee them, says Matthias Spielkamp, cofounder of German nonprofit Algorithm Watch, which has been tracking automated decision-making in social welfare programs across Europe since 2017. In an ideal world, civil servants would be able to develop these systems themselves and have an in-depth understanding of how they work, he says. “That would be a huge difference to working with private companies, because they will sell you black-box systems—black boxes to everyone, including the public sector.”

In February 2020, a crisis broke out in the Dutch region of Walcheren as officials realized they were in the dark about how their own fraud detection system worked. At the time, a Dutch court had halted the use of another algorithm used to detect welfare fraud, known as SyRI, after finding it violated people’s right to privacy. Officials in Walcheren were not using SyRI, but in emails obtained by Lighthouse Reports and WIRED through freedom-of-information requests, government employees had raised concerns that their algorithm bore striking similarities to the one just condemned by the court.

Walcheren’s system was developed by Totta Data Lab. After signing a contract in March 2017, the Dutch startup developed an algorithm to sort through pseudonymous information, according to details obtained through a freedom-of-information request. The system analyzed details of local people claiming welfare benefits and then sent human investigators a list of those it classified as most likely to be fraudsters.

The redacted emails show local officials agonizing over whether their algorithm would be dragged into the SyRI scandal. “I don’t think it is possible to explain why our algorithm should be allowed while everyone is reading about SyRI,” one official wrote the week after the court ruling. Another wrote back with similar concerns. “We also do not get insight from Totta Data Lab into what exactly the algorithm does, and we do not have the expertise to check this.” Neither Totta nor officials in Walcheren replied to requests for comment.

When the Netherlands’ Organization for Applied Scientific Research, an independent research institute, later carried out an audit of a Totta algorithm used in South Holland, the auditors struggled to understand it. “The results of the algorithm do not appear to be reproducible,” their 2021 report reads, referring to attempts to re-create the algorithm’s risk scores. “The risks indicated by the AI algorithm are largely randomly determined,” the researchers found.

With little transparency, it often takes years—and thousands of victims—to expose technical shortcomings. But a case in Serbia provides a notable exception. In March 2022, a new law came into force which gave the government the green light to use data processing to assess individuals’ financial status and automate parts of its social protection programs. The new socijalna karta, or social card system, would help the government detect fraud while making sure welfare payments were reaching society’s most marginalized, claimed Zoran Đorđević, Serbia’s minister of social affairs in 2020.

But within months of the system’s introduction, lawyers in the capital Belgrade had started documenting how it was discriminating against the country’s Roma community, an already disenfranchised ethnic minority group.

Mr. Ahmetović, a welfare recipient who declined to share his first name out of concern that his statement could affect his ability to claim benefits in the future, says he hadn’t heard of the social card system until November 2022, when his wife and four children were turned away from a soup kitchen on the outskirts of the Serbian capital. It wasn’t unusual for the Roma family to be there, as their welfare payments entitled them to a daily meal provided by the government. But on that day, a social worker told them their welfare status had changed and that they would no longer be getting a daily meal.

The family was in shock, and Ahmetović rushed to the nearest welfare office to find out what had happened. He says he was told the new social card system had flagged him after detecting income amounting to 110,000 Serbian dinars ($1,000) in his bank account, which meant he was no longer eligible for a large chunk of the welfare he had been receiving. Ahmetović was confused. He didn’t know anything about this payment. He didn’t even have his own bank account—his wife received the family’s welfare payments into hers.

With no warning, their welfare payments were slashed by 30 percent, from around 70,000 dinars ($630) per month to 40,000 dinars ($360). The family had been claiming a range of benefits since 2012, including financial social assistance, as their son’s epilepsy and unilateral paralysis means neither parent is able to work. The drop in support meant the Ahmetovićs had to cut back on groceries and couldn’t afford to pay all their bills. Their debt ballooned to over 1 million dinars ($9,000).

The algorithm’s impact on Serbia’s Roma community has been dramatic. Ahmetović says his sister has also had her welfare payments cut since the system was introduced, as have several of his neighbors. “Almost all people living in Roma settlements in some municipalities lost their benefits,” says Danilo Ćurčić, program coordinator of A11, a Serbian nonprofit that provides legal aid. A11 is trying to help the Ahmetovićs and more than 100 other Roma families reclaim their benefits.

But first, Ćurčić needs to know how the system works. So far, the government has denied his requests to share the source code on intellectual property grounds, claiming it would violate the contract they signed with the company who actually built the system, he says. According to Ćurčić and a government contract, a Serbian company called Saga, which specializes in automation, was involved in building the social card system. Neither Saga nor Serbia’s Ministry of Social Affairs responded to WIRED’s requests for comment.

As the govtech sector has grown, so has the number of companies selling systems to detect fraud. And not all of them are local startups like Saga. Accenture—Ireland’s biggest public company, which employs more than half a million people worldwide—has worked on fraud systems across Europe. In 2017, Accenture helped the Dutch city of Rotterdam develop a system that calculates risk scores for every welfare recipient. A company document describing the original project, obtained by Lighthouse Reports and WIRED, references an Accenture-built machine learning system that combed through data on thousands of people to judge how likely each of them was to commit welfare fraud. “The city could then sort welfare recipients in order of risk of illegitimacy, so that highest risk individuals can be investigated first,” the document says.

Officials in Rotterdam have said Accenture’s system was used until 2018, when a team at Rotterdam’s Research and Business Intelligence Department took over the algorithm’s development. When Lighthouse Reports and WIRED analyzed a 2021 version of Rotterdam’s fraud algorithm, it became clear that the system discriminates on the basis of race and gender. And around 70 percent of the variables in the 2021 system—information categories such as gender, spoken language, and mental health history that the algorithm used to calculate how likely a person was to commit welfare fraud—appeared to be the same as those in Accenture’s version.

When asked about the similarities, Accenture spokesperson Chinedu Udezue said the company’s “start-up model” was transferred to the city in 2018 when the contract ended. Rotterdam stopped using the algorithm in 2021, after auditors found that the data it used risked creating biased results.

Consultancies generally implement predictive analytics models and then leave after six or eight months, says Sheils, Accenture’s European head of public service. He says his team helps governments avoid what he describes as the industry’s curse: “false positives,” Sheils’ term for life-ruining occurrences of an algorithm incorrectly flagging an innocent person for investigation. “That may seem like a very clinical way of looking at it, but technically speaking, that's all they are.” Sheils claims that Accenture mitigates this by encouraging clients to use AI or machine learning to improve, rather than replace, decision-making humans. “That means ensuring that citizens don’t experience significantly adverse consequences purely on the basis of an AI decision.”

However, social workers who are asked to investigate people flagged by these systems before making a final decision aren’t necessarily exercising independent judgment, says Eva Blum-Dumontet, a tech policy consultant who researched algorithms in the UK welfare system for campaign group Privacy International. “This human is still going to be influenced by the decision of the AI,” she says. “Having a human in the loop doesn’t mean that the human has the time, the training, or the capacity to question the decision.”

Despite the scandals and repeated allegations of bias, the industry building these systems shows no sign of slowing. And neither does government appetite for buying or building such systems. Last summer, Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance adopted a decree authorizing the launch of an algorithm that searches for discrepancies in tax filings, earnings, property records, and bank accounts to identify people at risk of not paying their taxes.

But as more governments adopt these systems, the number of people erroneously flagged for fraud is growing. And once someone is caught up in the tangle of data, it can take years to break free. In the Netherlands’ child benefits scandal, people lost their cars and homes, and couples described how the stress drove them to divorce. “The financial misery is huge,” says Orlando Kadir, a lawyer representing more than 1,000 affected families. After a public inquiry, the Dutch government agreed in 2020 to pay the families around €30,000 ($32,000) in compensation. But debt balloons over time. And that amount is not enough, says Kadir, who claims some families are now €250,000 in debt.

In Belgrade, Ahmetović is still fighting to get his family’s full benefits reinstated. “I don’t understand what happened or why,” he says. “It’s hard to compete against the computer and prove this was a mistake.” But he says he’s also wondering whether he’ll ever be compensated for the financial damage the social card system has caused him. He’s yet another person caught up in an opaque system whose inner workings are guarded by the companies and governments who make and operate them. Ćurčić, though, is clear on what needs to change. “We don’t care who made the algorithm,” he says. “The algorithm just has to be made public.”

Additional reporting by Gabriel Geiger and Justin-Casimir Braun.

161 notes · View notes

savebylou · 6 months

Text

Me:

According to The Sun, filming for the show is believed to have already begun in the UK in partnership with production company Box To Box films.

However, they say he is now in talks with Netflix and ready to sign a huge deal, and has already joined forced with a PR firm to prepare to announce the show in the coming weeks.

Article below:

Simon Cowell is reportedly set to sign a huge deal with Netflix to launch a brand new talent show to find the next One Direction. The music mogul, 64, helped form the famous boyband, made up of Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Niall Horan on The X Factor in 2010, where they came third. He then signed the group to his record label, Syco Records, and the band soon skyrocketed to global success, becoming one of the best-selling boybands of all time. Now Simon is said to be looking to find another group that can equal One Direction's success, with a new talent contest. According to The Sun, filming for the show is believed to have already begun in the UK in partnership with production company Box To Box films. Sources have claimed that Simon was in a bidding war after first pitching the show, with Apple and Prime Video also keen to come on board. However, they say he is now in talks with Netflix and ready to sign a huge deal, and has already joined forced with a PR firm to prepare to announce the show in the coming weeks. The source told the publication: 'Simon is preparing to sign a huge deal with Netflix to find the world’s next biggest boy band. 'He is working with the team behind Drive To Survive on the show and wanted to get it on a streamer because it fits the audience better. Simon knew The X Factor had grown tired so he wanted to do something that looked completely fresh and new. 'He is renowned for spotting talent and One Direction’s success came off the back of him putting them together. Simon wants to replicate this and find a group who can reach the heights One Direction did. 'Filming for the show has already started in the UK and he is so excited about what’s to come. 'Simon's new project comes six years after the final series of The X Factor, which he admitted took a toll on him. The TV personality previously said becoming a father changed his life and helped him overcome an all-encompassing obsession with work that left him 'depressed, miserable' and unable to sleep.

Full article here (the only part I cut was the last part when they focus more on Simon and his life).

#simon cowell #one direction #no thank you #the x factor #daily mail #milly veitch #harry styles #zayn malik #liam payne #niall horan #louis tomlinson

23 notes · View notes

narcissisticpdcultureis · 9 months

Note

NPD culture is having recurring fantasies about being rich, famous, globally recognized and praised, but also being aware that a lot of people from your past have seen you at your very worst moments and will have many stories to tell.. so now you also fantasize about hiring world-class PR firms and sending out gag orders

- 🎃 (first submission)

#npd culture is #npd #actually narcissistic #actually npd #narcissistic personality disorder #cluster b #-🎃

25 notes · View notes

dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 5 months

Text

Climate experts fear Donald Trump will follow a blueprint created by his allies to gut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), disbanding its work on climate science and tailoring its operations to business interests.

Joe Biden’s presidency has increased the profile of the science-based federal agency but its future has been put in doubt if Trump wins a second term and at a time when climate impacts continue to worsen.

The plan to “break up NOAA” is laid out in the Project 2025 document written by more than 350 rightwingers and helmed by the Heritage Foundation. Called the Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, it is meant to guide the first 180 days of presidency for an incoming Republican president.

The document bears the fingerprints of Trump allies, including Johnny McEntee, who was one of Trump’s closest aides and is a senior adviser to Project 2025. “The National Oceanographic [sic] and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) should be dismantled and many of its functions eliminated, sent to other agencies, privatized, or placed under the control of states and territories,” the proposal says.

That’s a sign that the far right has “no interest in climate truth”, said Chris Gloninger, who last year left his job as a meteorologist in Iowa after receiving death threats over his spotlighting of global warming.

The guidebook chapter detailing the strategy, which was recently spotlighted by E&E News, describes NOAA as a “colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future US prosperity”. It was written by Thomas Gilman, a former Chrysler executive who during Trump’s presidency was chief financial officer for NOAA’S parent body, the Commerce Department.

Gilman writes that one of NOAA’S six main offices, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, should be “disbanded” because it issues “theoretical” science and is “the source of much of Noaa’s climate alarmism”. Though he admits it serves “important public safety and business functions as well as academic functions”, Gilman says data from the National Hurricane Center must be “presented neutrally, without adjustments intended to support any one side in the climate debate”.

But NOAA’S research and data are “largely neutral right now”, said Andrew Rosenberg, a former NOAA official who is now a fellow at the University of New Hampshire. “It in fact basically reports the science as the scientific evidence accumulates and has been quite cautious about reporting climate effects,” he said. “It’s not pushing some agenda.”

The rhetoric harkens back to the Trump administration’s scrubbing of climate crisis-related webpages from government websites and stifling climate scientists, said Gloninger, who now works at an environmental consulting firm, the Woods Hole Group.

“It’s one of those things where it seems like if you stop talking about climate change, I think that they truly believe it will just go away,” he said. “They say this term ‘climate alarmism’ … and well, the existential crisis of our lifetime is alarming.”

NOAA also houses the National Weather Service (NWS), which provides weather and climate forecasts and warnings. Gilman calls for the service to “fully commercialize its forecasting operations”.

He goes on to say that Americans are already reliant on private weather forecasters, specifically naming AccuWeather and citing a PR release issued by the company to claim that “studies have found that the forecasts and warnings provided by the private companies are more reliable” than the public sector’s. (The mention is noteworthy as Trump once tapped the former CEO of AccuWeather to lead NOAA, though his nomination was soon withdrawn.)

The claims come amid years of attempts from US conservatives to help private companies enter the forecasting arena – proposals that are “nonsense”, said Rosenberg.

Right now, all people can access high-quality forecasts for free through the NWS. But if forecasts were conducted only by private companies that have a profit motive, crucial programming might no longer be available to those in whom business executives don’t see value, said Rosenberg.

“What about air-quality forecasts in underserved communities? What about forecasts available to farmers that aren’t wealthy farmers? Storm-surge forecasts in communities that aren’t wealthy?” he said. “The frontlines of most of climate change are Black and brown communities that have less resources. Are they going to be getting the same service?”

Private companies like Google, thanks to technological advancements in artificial intelligence, may now indeed be producing more accurate forecasts, said Andrew Blum, author of the 2019 book The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast. Those private forecasts, however, are all built on NOAA’S data and resources.

Fully privatizing forecasting could also threaten the accuracy of forecasts, said Gloninger, who pointed to AccuWeather’s well-known 30- and 60-day forecasts as one example. Analysts have found that these forecasts are only right about half the time, since peer-reviewed research has found that there is an eight- to 10-day limit on the accuracy of forecasts.

“You can say it’s going to be 75 degrees out on May 15, but we’re not at that ability right now in meteorology,” said Gloninger. Privatizing forecasting could incentivize readings even further into the future to increase views and profits, he said.

Commercializing weather forecasts – an “amazing example of intergovernmental, American-led, postwar, technological achievement” – would also betray the very spirit of the endeavor, said Blum.

In the post-second world war era, John F. Kennedy called for a global weather-forecasting system that relied on unprecedented levels of scientific exchange. A privatized system could potentially stymie the exchange of weather data among countries, yielding less accurate results.

The founding of weather forecasting itself showcases the danger of giving profit-driven companies control, said Rosenberg. When British V. Adm Robert FitzRoy first introduced Britain to the concept of forecasts during Victorian times, he was often bitterly attacked by business interests. The reason: workers were unwilling to risk their lives when they knew dangerous weather was on the horizon.

“The ship owners said, well, that means maybe I lost a day’s income because the fishermen wouldn’t go out and risk their lives when there was a forecast that was really bad, so they didn’t want a forecast that would give them a day’s warning,” Rosenberg said. “The profit motive ended up trying to push people to do things that were dangerous … there’s a lesson there.”

12 notes · View notes

sussex-newswire · 3 months

Text

"Abesi Manyando, author and founder of the public relations and branding development firm Abesi PR, [says] the Royal Family's schedule will have no 'significance' on the success of American Riviera Orchard because Meghan herself is a 'very relevant figure' in media and her popularity is 'not limited to Britain'.

"She explained to the Express: 'I think Meghan’s brand will do very well no matter when it’s launched. I do think there is a higher demand for its release since her popularity has increased globally and outside of Britain.

"'So launching this year would be great but there’s no rush because she’s a very relevant figure in media. I do not believe there is any significance with timing the launch of her brand based on when the royals are working or not since her popularity is not limited to Britain.'

"The expert also dismissed claims that the duchess is 'struggling' to find staff for her new brand made recently by a UK-based royal commentator, saying: 'I don’t believe that she is having a difficult time staffing her brand because there is zero evidence of that and the criticism is second-hand hearsay.'

"Ms Manyando previously told the Express, that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's recent trip to Nigeria has boosted their popularity and built up even bigger anticipation for the launch.

"She explained: 'When Meghan wears something it immediately and factually sells out or triples in demand and sales. We saw this with the extreme demand for her outfits during her Nigeria trip. It’s like the Princess Diana effect. I believe there is high anticipation'...

"'So whenever she does release her brand of products it’s going to be very successful, especially in the United States.'"

#american riviera orchard #abesi manyando #meghan duchess of sussex

10 notes · View notes

theiconicmeghanmarkle · 2 years

Text

Why is the Daily Mail price-checking Meghan's wardrobe? Why not price-check Camilla or Sophie? Kate's taxpayer-funded wardrobe was estimated at approximately £176,664. Personally, I don't care how much Kate's clothing costs, but note the differences in how Kate's massive wardrobe costs are compared to Meghan's self-funded wardrobe.

Meghan is branded as Duchess Hollywood with a love for expensive clothes and jewelry, while Kate is described as a mom of three who loves recycled clothing and frugality.

If Meghan had spent £176,664 on clothing as a working royal, they would have lost their collective minds. Mind you, Meghan's wardrobe while working within the firm was self-funded, but that didn't stop them from criticizing her expenditure.

The UK is in the middle of a cost of living crisis and has dropped out of the top 5 global economies, yet Kate and William spend money on clothes and helicopter rides while doing PR photo ops at food banks and organizations for the homeless. Note that they go to these places completely empty-handed every single time. Let's not forget that Kate had an insultingly small number of engagements this year, yet the cost of her clothing has risen dramatically.

Not to mention that Charles, who will not pay inheritance taxes, will have a lavish and expensive coronation.

105 notes · View notes

publicrelationsglobalnetwork · 7 months

Text

PRGN Announces The Winners Of Its Second Annual Best Practices Awards Competition

The Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) announces the winners of its second annual Best Practices Awards here on September 28 awards ceremony and dinner, according to Mark Paterson, PRGN president. In this competition there were 120 entries in 13 categories. There were a total of 37 awards distributed consisting of 13 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze. Read more…

#PRGN #best pr campaigns #best pr firms #top pr agencies #global public relations firms #global pr agency

0 notes

skippyv20 · 1 year

Text

POW. Skippy, I’ve been checking IG’s site, no wonder they love H&M because it’s a two-way deal. They brought in Netflix for global coverage and BetterUp for wider connections/investors. BetterUp partners with Microsoft and subsequently is now IG’s partner.

With BetterUp on their belt, with major stakeholders are billionaires Mubadala Capital ( UAE Government) & Morningside Ventures ( from China), no wonder H&M thought they were expendable.

Now, what deal can H&M get in IG? Aside from brand name & PR exposure, and being paid as Duke & Duchess, they also brought in Achewell Productions (via NF). So, I think they get paid a double whammy as individuals and as foundation owners.

Another point to ponder, BetterUp partnered with big international companies. Now, what do UAE & Hongkong capital venture firms get out of a US company partnership? It’s not mere money for sure.

My take on H’s involvement in BetterUp is more than a mere Chimpo. In every endeavor and travel he has, BetterUp is behind. My take for M has a silent association too. My take is Doria’s Senior Care Company has a connection with BetterUp too.

No wonder they kept coming back from one failure to another.

No wonder the Royal Family is treading this issue about H&M deliberately with cautiousness because there’s more involved.

What do they say…follow the money! Great research, thank you❤️

#submission

13 notes · View notes

elsa16744 · 4 months

Text

Enterprises Explore These Advanced Analytics Use Cases

Businesses want to use data-driven strategies, and advanced analytics solutions optimized for enterprise use cases make this possible. Analytical technology has come a long way, with new capabilities ranging from descriptive text analysis to big data. This post will describe different use cases for advanced enterprise analytics.

What is Advanced Enterprise Analytics?

Advanced enterprise analytics includes scalable statistical modeling tools that utilize multiple computing technologies to help multinational corporations extract insights from vast datasets. Professional data analytics services offer enterprises industry-relevant advanced analytics solutions.

Modern descriptive and diagnostic analytics can revolutionize how companies leverage their historical performance intelligence. Likewise, predictive and prescriptive analytics allow enterprises to prepare for future challenges.

Conventional analysis methods had a limited scope and prioritized structured data processing. However, many advanced analytics examples quickly identify valuable trends in unstructured datasets. Therefore, global business firms can use advanced analytics solutions to process qualitative consumer reviews and brand-related social media coverage.

Use Cases of Advanced Enterprise Analytics

1| Big Data Analytics

Modern analytical technologies have access to the latest hardware developments in cloud computing virtualization. Besides, data lakes or warehouses have become more common, increasing the capabilities of corporations to gather data from multiple sources.

Big data is a constantly increasing data volume containing mixed data types. It can comprise audio, video, images, and unique file formats. This dynamic makes it difficult for conventional data analytics services to extract insights for enterprise use cases, highlighting the importance of advanced analytics solutions.

Advanced analytical techniques process big data efficiently. Besides, minimizing energy consumption and maintaining system stability during continuous data aggregation are two significant advantages of using advanced big data analytics.

2| Financial Forecasting

Enterprises can raise funds using several financial instruments, but revenue remains vital to profit estimation. Corporate leadership is often curious about changes in cash flow across several business quarters. After all, reliable financial forecasting enables them to allocate a departmental budget through informed decision-making.

The variables impacting your financial forecasting models include changes in government policies, international treaties, consumer interests, investor sentiments, and the cost of running different business activities. Businesses always require industry-relevant tools to calculate these variables precisely.

Multivariate financial modeling is one of the enterprise-level examples of advanced analytics use cases. Corporations can also automate some components of economic feasibility modeling to minimize the duration of data processing and generate financial performance documents quickly.

3| Customer Sentiment Analysis

The customers’ emotions influence their purchasing habits and brand perception. Therefore, customer sentiment analysis predicts feelings and attitudes to help you improve your marketing materials and sales strategy. Data analytics services also provide enterprises with the tools necessary for customer sentiment analysis.

Advanced sentiment analytics solutions can evaluate descriptive consumer responses gathered during customer service and market research studies. So, you can understand the positive, negative, or neutral sentiments using qualitative data.

Negative sentiments often originate from poor customer service, product deficiencies, and consumer discomfort in using the products or services. Corporations must modify their offerings to minimize negative opinions. Doing so helps them decrease customer churn.

4| Productivity Optimization

Factory equipment requires a reasonable maintenance schedule to ensure that machines operate efficiently. Similarly, companies must offer recreation opportunities, holidays, and special-purpose leaves to protect the employees’ psychological well-being and physical health.

However, these activities affect a company’s productivity. Enterprise analytics solutions can help you use advanced scheduling tools and human resource intelligence to determine the optimal maintenance requirements. They also include other productivity optimization tools concerning business process innovation.

Advanced analytics examples involve identifying, modifying, and replacing inefficient organizational practices with more impactful workflows. Consider how outdated computing hardware or employee skill deficiencies affect your enterprise’s productivity. Analytics lets you optimize these business aspects.

5| Enterprise Risk Management

Risk management includes identifying, quantifying, and mitigating internal or external corporate risks to increase an organization’s resilience against market fluctuations and legal changes. Moreover, improved risk assessments are the most widely implemented use cases of advanced enterprise analytics solutions.

Internal risks revolve around human errors, software incompatibilities, production issues, accountable leadership, and skill development. Lacking team coordination in multi-disciplinary projects is one example of internal risks.

External risks result from regulatory changes in the laws, guidelines, and frameworks that affect you and your suppliers. For example, changes in tax regulations or import-export tariffs might not affect you directly. However, your suppliers might raise prices, involving you in the end.

Data analytics services include advanced risk evaluations to help enterprises and investors understand how new market trends or policies affect their business activities.

Conclusion

Enterprise analytics has many use cases where data enhances management’s understanding of supply chain risks, consumer preferences, cost optimization, and employee productivity. Additionally, the advanced analytics solutions they offer their corporate clients assist them in financial forecasts.

New examples that integrate advanced analytics can also process mixed data types, including unstructured datasets. Furthermore, you can automate the process of insight extraction from the qualitative consumer responses collected in market research surveys.

While modern analytical modeling benefits enterprises in financial planning and business strategy, the reliability of the insights depends on data quality, and different data sources have unique authority levels. Therefore, you want experienced professionals who know how to ensure data integrity.

A leader in data analytics services, SG Analytics, empowers enterprises to optimize their business practices and acquire detailed industry insights using cutting-edge technologies. Contact us today to implement scalable data management modules to increase your competitive strength.

#data analytics services

2 notes · View notes

gemininc · 2 years

Text

⋆ ﹏ 🪐 , WELCOME BACK, GEMINI ... LOADING PROFILE …

ꜛ 𓂃 ❛ ★ ˖ ﹙ GEMINI INCORPORATED ﹚ 𝄒 ... is a fictional talent conglomerate, and home of two of the most successful idol companies in the industry; APRICUS CULTURE and SOLARIA GARDENS. the gemini empire began with JEONG KARIN & KANG SEONHEE, two former members of the first gen girl group, INOIR. karin and seonhee saw massive success as part of inoir until fans of the group speculated that karin would be releasing a solo project. the noise eventually drew the attention of their agency, 777 ENTERTAINMENT, who released a statement almost immediately stating, "although our artists are very talented, we, as well as miss jeong, do not see a solo career in the near future as inoir 's success is our top priority." the statement caused a rift between karin and the other members who soon began to distance themselves from the group's leader. a year later, the youngest of the group, seonhee announced she would be making her acting debut. much like the group's first solo scandal, the fans and members divided into sides.

eventually, 777 entertainment decided to kick seonhee from the group for what they alleged to be a "breach of contract". out of loyalty, karin announced her departure from inoir, criticizing her agency for the length of their "unethical and evil" contract. although both karin and seonhee carried on with successful solo careers after their departure, it was no secret that the two continued to be as close as they were marketed to be within the group. their closeness fueled rumors of a collaboration in 1999 only further stoked when both women were spotted with WILLIAM KIM, the head of HKC CONGLOMERATE's pr and entertainment teams. in 2000, both artists made a public announcement confirming the creation of their own media label, GEMINI INC. with the mission of "creating an ethical and safe environment for talent development". for two years, gemini remained focused on its talent scouting and training programs, however, this soon begged the question: where will these trainees go once they've completed training?

in early 2003, jeong karin announced the opening of her own subsidiary of gemini, APRICUS CULTURE. the initial success of apricus was only cemented by the label’s association with gemini's spreading reputation of being a company focused on developing quality talent rather than squeaky-clean "boringly talentless" celebrities. the company is known for its transparent, often uncensored idols and its emphasis on star power. as of the writing of this bio, apricus is the larger of the two sister companies with five sub-labels, eight active soloists, seventeen active groups, and several models, actors, and television personalities being represented by their management firm.

the success of apricus put the industry on its head with many netizens left wondering where kang seonhee fit into this narrative, especially as rumors of a romance grew between herself and william kim. in 2007 however, after the second gen girl group, psyche, was kicked from their company due to a scandal, the five members were spotted with william and seonhee. speculations swirled concerning a possible gemini expansion were confirmed by seonhee herself a few months later with the start of her own talent agency, SOLARIA GARDENS. operating as a subsidiary company, much like apricus, solaria is known for its storytelling focus and close-knit group of idols. solaria is the smaller of the two sister companies with five sub-labels, three active soloists, and nine active groups.

in 2014, gemini created their japanese label UKIYO SOUNDS, headed by ROWENA MUIRA. it has since become more of an international label, having a hand in managing tours and global reception.

✶ ۫ ACCOUNT SETTINGS , the statistics ❪ changes unsaved ❫

## TYPE — private

## FOUNDED — june 01, 2000 ; 22 years ago

## FOUNDERS — jeong karin & kang seonhee

## HEADQUARTERS — hannam-dong, yongsan-gu, seoul, south korea

## AREAS SERVED — international

✶ ۫ CLOSE FRIENDS LIST , the subsidiaries ❪ changes unsaved ❫

## APRICUS CULTURE — established in 2003, apricus is gemini inc.'s largest subsidiary focused on idol development and representation within south korea and the united states. the company is headed by jeong karin.

## SOLARIA GARDENS — established in 2007, solaria is gemini inc.'s second largest subsidiary focused on intricate storytelling development and representation within south korea. the company is headed by kang seonhee.

## UKIYO SOUNDS — established in 2014, ukiyo is gemini inc.'s smallest subsidiary focused on international touring and reception while also debuting and managing the company's japanese ventures. the company is headed by rowena muira.

✶ ۫ FOLLOWERS LIST , the staff roster ❪ changes unsaved ❫

## JEONG KARIN — co-founder, ceo, head of apricus culture

## KANG SEONHEE — co-founder, ceo, head of solaria gardens

## ORA VELASCO — chief operating officer

## MASON WINTERS — chief financial officer

## JOHANNA YEUN KIM — chairwoman

## WILLIAM KIM — head of pr, head of entviss

## ROWENA MUIRA — head of ukiyo sounds

## TRENTON WON — head of music production

## CLÁUDIA VALENTE — creative director

## SCARLETT MONROE — head of social media operations

## YEO JOOEUN — apricus training manager

## JEONG DABIN — solaria training manager

#✶ ꜛ ﹏ ❛ TWIN LIGHTS : gemininc: the origins #kpop fic #fictional idol company #fictional kpop community #fictional idol community #fictional kpop group #fictional kpop idol #fictional kpop company #fictional oc community #fictional idol oc #oc idol

29 notes · View notes

the-empress-7 · 2 years

Note

It's obvious to me that William has come to terms with the idea that he’s lost Harry for life. And he's right. The penny will drop on them all sooner or later because insanity can't be reasoned with it, I just wish it will be sooner. Right now i'm just glad knowing the sux plans of grand global world success has turned into nothing and they are in free fall with no PR company or chance to erase everything they said in the last 3 years in the US media

Agreed. They are floundering without SS, and I do wonder if they are now shopping for a new crisis management firm. They need one.

25 notes · View notes

mariacallous · 1 year

Text

The first devices that will have to be sold according to strict EU directives will hit the European market after Apple on Tuesday presented its new iPhone with a USB-C charge point.

A European Union law requires phone manufacturers to adopt a common charging connection by December 2024 to save consumers’ money and cut waste. The iPhone 15 is the first Apple device to have a USB-C charger instead of Apple’s usual Lightning charger, after the EU ordered manufacturers to introduce identical connections.

Apple fiercely opposed the law in 2022, arguing that it would punish innovation, but the 27 EU member states make up the largest single market in the world, so they relented.

Common chargers are not the only requirements in the European Parliament’s push to make life easier for consumers and reduce waste, a Croatian member of the European Parliament, Biljana Borzan, who was one of the strongest advocates for the adoption of that act, told BIRN

“The single charger initiative is ten years old. The European Parliament then gave a mandate to the European Commission to implement it. A charger is an independent act, but in addition to mobile phones, other small devices such as tablets, game consoles, speakers, keyboards, headphones and laptops are also included,” Borzan said.

“My political group [Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament] has been the loudest about chargers. We cannot say that I was the initiator because it was initiated before I arrived in the European Parliament, but I certainly worked intensively on it,” Borzan said.

The common charger is not the only battle against Big Tech that the EU has won. Brussels believes it will win several more in the coming months.

The EU’s new technological target is artificial intelligence, AI, since the chatbot ChatGPT pointed to the rapid development of this technology last year. Brussels hopes to give a green light to a comprehensive AI law by the end of 2023.

“The directive on artificial intelligence is in the last negotiations. There are other directives that are relevant, for example, the Ecodesign Directive, but also my Directive that determines the availability of software to the consumer,” Borzan said.

The October 2022 landmark Digital Services Act, DSA, and the accompanying Digital Markets Act, DMA, are the biggest and latest attempts to rein in big tech companies.

The DSA requires companies to crack down on harmful and illegal content online and to assess the risks their platforms pose to society. Violation of the rules incur a penalty of 6 per cent of the offender’s annual global turnover.

Under the rules, 19 large internet platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, had till August this year to comply with the DSA. All platforms will have to comply by February 2024.

These major platforms have already introduced changes, including the banning of targeted advertising to children.

“Different parts of the DSA apply to different market players. Last week, the Commission published a list of ‘gatekeepers’, large platforms that will bear special responsibility for the content on them. They are not overly enthusiastic about it, and Zalando even sued the EC before the European Court because they were involved,” Borzan told BIRN.

The changes are not limited to the EU. Snapchat said it would also limit personalized advertising to minors in the UK.

The DMA is another thorn in the side of technology firms, especially Apple. The law aims to dilute the dominance of the big players and make the market fairer.

The EU has an eye on six of them, in particular: Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Meta (Facebook), Microsoft and ByteDance (TikTok). The DMA will force Apple to allow third parties to use its App Store.

General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR, came into effect in 2018 and was the strictest and best-known EU law in the field, ensuring that citizens have to give consent to the ways in which their data will be used.

In May, Ireland’s privacy regulator imposed its largest ever single fine of €1.2 billion on Meta for transferring personal data between Europe and the US.

7 notes · View notes

jechristine · 6 months

Note

Yeah the Kate cancer diagnosis is sad and the conspiracy theories that were made about her were terrible. But unlike with other people in the public eye, the online (and tabloid boosted!!! Their hands are NEVER clean no matter how hard they try to act like it) gossip pertaining from her (largely) was rooted in the absolute bad PR and comms work and throwing a woman who was recovering from major surgery (and now we know dealing with preventative cancer treatment) under the bus and taking the fall- choose your metaphor lol. I hope people can hold space for sending wishes of healing and health to Kate while also scrutinizing and holding the firm (KP comms team in particular) accountable for shoddy work and failing to do their job.

I think, moving forward, the BRF will never be regarded as a serious institution by a global audience. And it is a wholly image-based company. There is nothing besides the image.

4 notes · View notes

brf-rumortrackinganon · 1 year

Text

Meghan’s Manifesting PR List

Not including the ones @sassyfrassboss and her anons have already listed and including ones that came from Sussex Squad. (Sussex Squad manifestations are marked with **)

Bea was a yachter/pay for play.

William cheated with Rose.

Kate cheated.

**Carole and Mike separated, not really married.

**Carole and Mike are secretly divorced, appear together publicly to keep it a secret.

**Carole and Mike in an open marriage since they can’t divorce because of Kate’s marriage to William. Mike has a girlfriend, a redheaded woman who often accompanies them to royal events as a perk for keeping silent about the open marriage.

London wedding with a balcony appearance and kiss afterwards.

No Charlotte and George in the Sussex wedding because they were too abominably misbehaved.

Meghan wanted to be a TV chef/foodie and used Cory for legitimacy.

Meghan wanted to be paid for royal work.

Popularity on social media translated to popularity within the firm, therefore Meghan got more “firsts” than Kate.

Meghan offered to leave Harry for multimillion dollar payouts from the BRF.

William loves Meghan and wishes he could spend more time with her over dull Kate.

Harry proposed after only a few months but Meghan kept it private/silent out of respect for his family.

They eloped/agreed to marry in Botswana on the second date.

They eloped before the May Windsor wedding because they only ever wanted a private wedding instead of this chaotic public affair.

Western medication/drugs is toxic and Harry’s mental health would improve drastically if/when he used more holistic approaches, including yoga, meditation, and natural remedies.

**The Chmondeley daughter is actually William’s.

Rocky times in William and Kate’s marriage because of the “rural fight” they had with Chmondeley neighbors and the Sussexes had the healthier, better marriage.

Meghan intended to leverage Hollywood connections and royal status to improve her global popularity.

Sussexes are being advised by the Obamas, especially during Megxit.

Sussexes invited to Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding.

The Beckham wedding was being planned with the Sussexes’ availability in mind.

Sussexes to attend Oscars 2021.

Sussexes to attend Emmys 2021.

Sussexes to attend Met Gala 2021.

Double royal christening of Lili and Sienna with The Queen.

Sussexes to attend Golden Globes 2021.

Meghan to present “Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special” category at the 2021 Emmys, which would be awarded to Oprah for the Sussex special.

Meghan to present the highlights for the 2021 Creative Arts Emmy Awards during the 2021 Emmys broadcast.

Sussexes to attend Oscars 2022 instead of Philip’s memorial.

Sussexes to attend Jubilee 2022. (Manifestations began Spring 2021.)

Lili and Archie’s balcony debut at Trooping 2022, with placement front and center.

Eugenie is the mole.

Meghan to run for US political office.

Meghan to run for US presidency.

Meghan will get a Department of State foreign ambassadorship posting under the next Democratic president.

Harry to demand Diana’s engagement ring from Kate.

Harry released the KP statement because of his anxiety that he couldn’t protect Diana from being harassed by the paps but he could protect Meghan.

Meghan will be the new Bond girl. (from December 2017, which is when there was industry news that “No Time to Die” was beginning to cast its supporting players).

William stole Diana’s engagement ring from Harry (and thus Meghan) to propose to kate.

William to walk Meghan down the aisle and give her away.

Emerald tiara for the wedding.

Diana’s CLK tiara for the wedding.

Spencer tiara for the wedding.

Gloucesters to move out of KP 1 for Harry and Meghan.

Archie’s birth announcement kept private to be used for profit.

Meghan to be the new Marvel female superhero.

Diana was a victim of racists for dating Muslim men.

William wants to quit the BRF.

Meghan to attend Obama’s birthday party in Martha’s Vineyard (2021).

**Kate leaving William and moving back to Berkshire with the children.

Kate to visit Harry and Meghan in California in 2022 for olive branch discussions.

Meghan invited to attend dinner with US Senate women to discuss paid parental leave policies.

Meghan to attend Golden Globes 2022.

Meghan pregnant with her third child.

Meghan to be patron/spokesperson for American restaurants and companies (like royal warrants scheme).

Meghan to attend SAG Awards 2022.

Zoom calls between Cambridges and Sussexes so the children can play and get to know each other.

Meghan to become the sponsor/patron of the US Open (like Kate and Wimbledon).

Sussexes to return to the UK for Jubilee only if they can stay at Windsor Castle with The Queen.

Harry will give a reading/speech at Philip’s memorial.

Archie and Lili to appear at Netherlands IG 2022.

Archie and Lili to appear at Jubilee.

Secret Windsor meeting to discuss Sussex return for the Jubilee.

Archie and Lili used to secure access and prominent placement at the Jubilee.

**Kate is a battered/abused wife treated poorly by the children and William.

William likes to be pegged.

Kate overexercises/has an eating disorder due to William’s cheating.

Kate tolerates William’s cheating as long as it’s just sex and not emotional.

Sussexes moving to Bel Air.

Sussexes to blacklist media organizations that give publicity to Tom Bower.

Harry to make a surprise appearance at Earthshot 2022 to support/help William.

Meghan to appear on September 2022 US Vogue cover.

Meghan and Lili on cover of September 2022 US Vogue.

Meghan to attend US Open/Serena’s last game.

Harry’s memoir to be reedited to address Bower’s allegations point by point.

Meghan to sell her private journals from being a royal for profit.

Sussexes to renew wedding vows in California for Netflix.

Royal christening for Lili after Charles ascends before coronation.

Oprah advising Meghan on PR and relations with the BRF, will attend The Queen’s funeral as Meghan’s +1.

Doria flew to London after The Queen’s death to support Meghan and will attend the funeral with her.

Meghan to give a speech/eulogy at The Queen’s funeral.

Meghan is expecting her third child, will use the pregnancy to force titles for Archie and Lili since the 1917 LP is not retroactive.

Archie and Lili to attend the Queen’s funeral.

Meghan to be the first royal to give official interviews/statements about The Queen after her death/funeral.

Meghan’s personal lawyers will be reviewing The Queen’s will to be sure Archie and Lili were treated equally to George, Charlotte, and Louis.

William and Kate to host Sussexes for a private dinner during royal mourning.

Meghan asked Spotify to delay her podcast for 6-8 weeks due to the Queen’s passing but Spotify refused and made her release them.

Meghan is available to the media to discuss The Queen’s passing and funeral details.

Harry and Meghan invited to the pre-funeral diplomatic reception.

Meghan to publish her own memoir about Harry post-divorce.

Sussexes had a private meeting with Charles after the funeral.

Sussexes to remain in London through the end of official royal morning.

Meghan to partner with Oprah for some projects and footage in London.

Meghan is best friends and dog-walking buddies with Jennifer Aniston.

Meghan is furious about the way she was treated at The Queen’s funeral but is pretending it doesn’t bother her because Harry wants to reunite with his family.

William forbade her from traveling to Balmoral when The Queen was dying.

Meghan will accept the BRF’s invitation to return/rejoin them if they ask/invite her.

Meghan thinks the way Kate is raising her children is the worst possible thing to do so she is raising Archie and Lili in the complete opposite manner, which includes lectures about manners and partnership, prioritizing cleanliness and proper behavior, and using nannies.

Meghan and Harry to be on the cover of Time 100th anniversary edition.

Meghan and Harry to lead the Time 100th anniversary coverage.

**William to divorce Kate now taht he is Prince of Wales and doesn’t need her anymore.

Sussexes attending the South Africa state dinner.

Meghan returning to the UK mid-November to attend GQ awards.

William and Kate to visit Sussexes while in the US for Earthshot to reconcile and work through issues.

Meghan to pay tribute to The Queen in her dress for Charles’s coronation. May or may not be a copy of The Queen’s own coronation dress.

Meghan is unhappy with how they were portrayed in the Netflix docuseries and will sue if it proceeds without her requested changes.

Sussexes to move back to the UK and live at Windsor Castle to support King Charles.

Harry to refuse coronation invite because Meghan wasn’t invited and he refuses to go without her.

Meghan to become a social media influencer, is open for modeling contracts.

Meghan to appear on Jimmy Fallon by year’s end (Dec 2022).

Sussexes to no-show the Kennedy Awards because of poor negotiations for their appearance.

Kate invited onto the Archetypes podcast.

Meghan has tapes of Harry’s misbehavior that she uses against him.

Sussexes to attend Christmas at Sandringham 2022.

Meghan back on social media by end of 2022.

Meghan writing a tell-all about the BRF.

Live to Lead nominated for Oscars.

Sussex Netflix docuseries nominated for Emmys.

Sussex divorce to take place in California, so Meghan intends to keep primary custody of the children and earn settlements from the BRF that keeps them in a lifestyle commensurate to what she is used to since 2020.

Sussexes to attend the coronation and bring the children with them to London. Archie to have a birthday party while in town, Waleses to attend.

Evacuation by helicopter from Montecito floods (January 2023).

Sussexes willing to miss the coronation for prime spots at Trooping.

Charles to give $50 million and generous child support to Meghan if she leaves Harry.

Meghan to launch housewares and beauty brands.

Sussexes to attend Davos 2023.

Meghan to appear in documentary about Beyonce.

Meghan and Harry to attend Atlantis: The Royal opening in Dubai.

Meghan and Harry to attend Grammys 2022 for Spare audiobook.

Meghan to relaunch her calligraphy company.

Eugenie and Jack moving to montecito.

Spare nominated for Grammys 2023 in audiobook commentaries.

Meghan and Harry to attend Grammys 2023 for Spare.

Harry to host SNL.

Meghan getting a recess appointment from Governor Newsom should someone (aka Feinstein) is unable to fulfill their term.

Meghan to enter politics as a White House recess appointee.

Sussexes suing Comedy Central/South Park.

Meghan pregnant with third child.

Sussexes to attend Met Gala 2023.

Doria to attend coronation.

Meghan to launch California casual clothing brand.

Meghan and Harry to tour Australia (like a royal tour but for fauxmanitarian reasons) to plug AW.

Oprah bailing the Sussexes out from Montecito house debt.

Meghan getting a mommy makeover ahead of the coronation.

Harry to appear on The Masked Singer as a contestant.

Sussexes to participate in the coronation procession, will receive their own carriage.

Meghan to get an emerald tiara for the coronation.

Meghan to wear CLK tiara for coronation. Kate will get an upgrade.

AW swag for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Charles to give Duke of Edinburgh titles to Harry and Meghan.

Meghan to attend Oscars 2023 and afterparties.

Sussexes to appear on coronation balcony.

Lili to become a child actress, Meghan to be her momager and work with Tyler Perry.

Meghan and Harry to host the coronation concert.

Sussexes to attend Met Gala 2023.

Lili’s christening pictures sold to People for cover story.

Archie and Lili included in coronation procession.

Meghan to return to social media for Met Gala 2023.

Sussexes received everything they wanted for coronation: robes, tiaras, children, first row seats, processions, balcony, portraits, new orders.

Archewell to become a Hallmark-lite production company for romantic comedies.

Doria traveling to the coronation with Sussexes as a babysitter.

Dior for coronation

Meghan is publishing Archetypes Season 2 but Spotify hasn’t committed.

Meghan to borrow Cartier or Tiffany jewelry and tiaras for coronation.

Meghan to be a US commentator on the coronation for CBS.

Birthday party for Archie in California with celeb guests since they won’t be at coronation.

Meghan is taking AW staff to Lakers game.

Meghan to resume acting and producing via partnership with Mindy Kaling.

New photos of Archie with Charles and The Queen for his BRF birthday tweets.

Relaunching herself as a single entity despite being married to Harry because Harry’s problems with the media are affecting her reputation.

Meghan to host a daytime talk show in the US.

Must have freebies in return for using her name for goods and services/publicity.

Meghan to appear on a Mother’s Day podcast.

Meghan to merch UK brands to reconnect with British audiences.

Meghan to appear on Property Brothers IOU.

Meghan to attend 2023 Baby2Baby gala as Chrissy Tiegen’s +1.

Season 2 of the Netflix docuseries.

No-showing the Gracie Awards due to NYC backlash/criticism by blaming it on security concerns.

Sussexes won’t be telling their stories anymore (to hide cancelled deals with Spotify and Netflix).

Reviving Hero Harry for positive PR spin ahead of Invictus Games rebranding.

#meghan manifestations #theories #rumors

19 notes · View notes