#the former being limited to what options are provided & the latter being the granting of power to decide on those options | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

communistkenobi · 3 months ago

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struggling to reconcile my dislike of the use of “choice” in relation to transgenderism. sex assignment itself is not a choice and I don’t find it meaningful or helpful to think I “chose” to be transgender. in fact there were many things I “chose” to do prior to transitioning to make this feeling go away and it did not. Choice is further wrapped up in intentionally de-politicised ideas about social action and agency, constantly positioned in opposition to “structure” or “social pressure” or what have you. “Choice” is what happens only in the absence of domination, it is the expression of the “individual” trapped within us all. What this leaves you with is a subject who appears to rise above the power of history, making decisions ‘of his own free will’ in spite of all this violence as a result of, um, well that’s not important! Let’s not look at the law or the state or history to see where these ideas of personal individual freedoms come from or how they are themselves enforced through violence. It’s just an individual acting on his desires! To “choose to be trans” in popular consciousness means to be given the privilege of being free from patriarchal social pressures. And this is a line terfs often use - trans people are reinforcing patriarchy by deluding ourselves into thinking we can “simply choose” to be another gender. I think committing to the idea of choice as a concept and all its attendant ideological baggage (overwhelmingly structured by bourgeois legal frameworks in the popular imaginary) forces you into some deeply flawed analyses of power and domination.

And I likewise hate that the other dominant framework is “born this way/born in the wrong body” because of how it naturalises the very political and violent nature of sex assignment and its embeddedness within state census data, administrative architecture, the pathologisation of sex and desire (all of which are not natural or eternal), and so on. furthermore I deeply respect the position other trans people have when they say that they chose to be transgender - outside of conversations of individual validity, I think that is a politically useful and powerful way to position yourself. Even if we were to accept that being transgender is fully a choice, people would still do it, because being trans is not disgusting or shameful. I am not a sick individual, or a tragedy, or a danger to others, I am transgender and that is an incredibly meaningful and fulfilling part of my life. To frame this as a sexual perversion or life-long condition means reinforcing the idea that transgenderism is a shameful deformity (we have much in common with our disabled & intersex comrades in this regard), that the cissexual body is the exclusive site of beauty and authenticity.

And so this is where I find the idea of autonomy much more useful - while ‘choice’ is situated as a thing that individuals do, autonomy is power that is granted to you. I can’t meaningfully demand choice as a political goal, but I can demand autonomy. I don’t want choice, I want the autonomy to act on my desires, and the way that will happen is through the state provision of free hrt, surgery, name and gender marker changes, and so on. Autonomy feels like a much more productive articulation of “choice” because it necessitates that we think about who and what grants autonomy, for what purposes, in which contexts. Who gives a shit about choices! Transgenderism is not a social position an individual can have in society, it is produced through cissexualism, through state and medical sex assignment, through coercion and pathologisation and violence - all of which can be changed.

As a direct comparison, I don’t think people should be given the “choice” to have an abortion, but the autonomy to do so - sure you can choose to get one, but unless there is the medical, financial, and social infrastructure available to you to act on that decision, then that is not a meaningful choice you can “make.” Abortion being legal (and therefore an action you are granted the ‘choice’ to take) doesn’t mean it is actually realisable as a decision, it just means that whoever already has the power & resources to act on that legality will, and those that don’t, won’t. Who decides which people have those resources and which don’t? Well let’s not worry about that, the important thing is that people have choices!

#even old new york was once new amsterdam #also thinking abt indigenous interactions with settler law and the use of ‘sovereignty’ as an articulation of indigenous rights & power #I’m less familiar with those histories (& mostly limited to the Canadian context) so I feel less sure making those comparisons #but like I remember reading an article in undergrad about the difference between food ‘choice’ & food ‘sovereignty’#the former being limited to what options are provided & the latter being the granting of power to decide on those options #and both of these come from the state! I think being given the choice and given the autonomy to do something are different #but they both are granted by the state & are similarly political. Choice just hides that fact through branding & liberalism & etc

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bonjourmoncher · 6 years ago

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The Book in Three Sentences

We’re all in sales. Ambiverts are the most effective salespeople It’s easier to sell something to someone when you know doing so will improve their life — and maybe even the Hamilton Lindley world. The Five Big Ideas “Like it or not, we’re all in sales now”. “The ability to move others to exchange what they have for what we have is crucial to our survival and our happiness”. “Adam Grant has discovered that the most effective salespeople are ambiverts, those who fall somewhere in the middle of the introversion-extraversion scale”. “The most effective self-talk doesn’t merely shift emotions. It shifts linguistic categories. It moves from making statements to asking questions”. “Anytime you’re tempted to upsell someone else, stop what you’re doing and upserve instead. Don’t try to increase what they can do for you. Elevate what you can do for them”. To Sell Is Human Summary “Like it or not, we’re all in sales now”. “The ability to move others to exchange what they have for what we have is crucial to our survival and our happiness”. “Whether it’s selling’s traditional form or its non-sales variation, we’re all in sales now”. “Ferlazzo makes a distinction between ‘irritation’ and ‘agitation’. Irritation, he says, is ‘challenging people to do something that we want them to do’. By contrast, ‘agitation is challenging them to do something that they want to do’”. “Those who’d received even a small injection of power became less likely (and perhaps less able) to attune themselves to someone else’s point of view”. “The notion that extraverts are the finest salespeople is so obvious that we’ve overlooked one teensy flaw. There’s almost no evidence that it’s actually true”. The three key steps to strategic mimicry:

Watch. Observe what the other person is doing. Wait. Once you’ve observed, don’t spring immediately into action. Don’t do this too many times, though. Wane. After you’ve mimicked a little, try to be less conscious of what you’re doing. “Attuning yourself to others—exiting your own perspective and entering theirs—is essential to moving others”. “Adam Grant has discovered that the most effective salespeople are ambiverts, those who fall somewhere in the middle of the introversion-extraversion scale”. “How to stay afloat amid that ocean of rejection is the second essential quality in moving others. I call this quality ‘buoyancy’”. Interrogative Self-Talk

“The most effective self-talk doesn’t merely shift emotions. It shifts linguistic categories. It moves from making statements to asking questions”. “On average, the self-questioning group solved nearly 50 percent more puzzles than the self-affirming group”. (Senay, Albarracín and Noguchi, 2010) “People who’d written Will I solved nearly twice as many anagrams as those who’d written I will, Will, or I”. “[Interrogative self-talk], by its very form, elicits answers—and within those answers are strategies for actually carrying out the task”. “Researchers say, ‘[interrogative self-talk] may inspire thoughts about autonomous or intrinsically motivated reasons to pursue a goal’”. “People are more likely to act, and to perform well, when the motivations come from intrinsic choices rather than from extrinsic pressures”. “Declarative self-talk risks bypassing one’s motivations. Questioning self-talk elicits the reasons for doing something and reminds people that many of those reasons come from within”. “Those who’d heard the positive-inflected pitch were twice as likely to accept the deal as those who’d heard the negative one—even though the terms were identical”. Explanatory Style

“In human beings, Seligman observed, learned helplessness was usually a function of people’s ‘explanatory style’—their habit of explaining negative events to themselves”. “People who give up easily, who become helpless even in situations where they actually can do something, explain bad events as permanent, pervasive, and personal”. “Agents who scored in the optimistic half of explanatory style sold 37% more insurance than agents scoring in the pessimistic half. Agents in the top decile sold 88% more insurance than those in the bottom decile”. “The salespeople with an optimistic explanatory style—who saw rejections as temporary rather than permanent, specific rather than universal, and external rather than personal—sold more insurance and survived in their jobs much longer”. “[Hall] is not blind optimism but what Seligman calls ‘flexible optimism—optimism with its eyes open’”. Question: “Can I move these people?” “Answer it—directly and in writing. List five specific reasons why the answer to your question is yes. These reasons will remind you of the strategies that you’ll need to be effective on the task, providing a sturdier and more substantive grounding than mere affirmation”. “When something bad occurs, ask yourself three questions—and come up with an intelligent way to answer each one “no”:

Is this permanent? Is this pervasive? Is this personal? “The more you explain bad events as temporary, specific, and external, the more likely you are to persist even in the face of adversity”. Enumerate and Embrace

“One way to remain buoyant is to acquire a more realistic sense of what can actually sink you. You can do that by counting your rejections—and then celebrating them. It’s a strategy I call ‘enumerate and embrace’”. Enumerate. “Try actually counting the nos you get during a week. By the end of the week, you might be surprised by just how many nos the world has delivered to your doorstep. However, you might be more surprised by something else: You’re still around. Even in that weeklong ocean of rejection, you’ve still managed to stay afloat. That realization can give you the will to continue and the confidence to do even better the following week”. Embrace. “’It was my way of showing that I didn’t quit’, [Goldbery] says. ‘I got all these rejections, but kept going’”. “Allow yourself what [Fredrickson] dubs ‘appropriate negativity’—moments of anger, hostility, disgust, and resentment that serve a productive purpose”. “[Fredrickson’s] work has shown that thinking through gloom-and-doom scenarios and mentally preparing for the very worst that can occur helps some people effectively manage their anxieties”. Rejection

“If this approach sounds useful, present yourself with a series of ‘What ifs?’ What if everything goes wrong? What if the unthinkable happens? What if this is the worst decision of my life? These Hamilton P Lindley questions could prompt answers you didn’t expect, which might calm you down and even lift you up”. “One way to reduce their sting [of rejection], and perhaps even avoid one altogether, is to preempt the rejecter by writing [a rejection] letter yourself. “Once the rejection is in writing, its consequences can seem far less dire”. “More important, by articulating the reasons for turning you down, the letter might reveal soft spots in what you’re presenting, which you can then work to strengthen”. Saving

“Three in four Americans have less than $30,000 saved in their retirement accounts”. “Our biases point us toward the present. So when given a choice between an immediate reward (say, $1,000 right now) and a reward we have to wait for ($1,150 in two years), we’ll often take the former even when it’s in our own interest to choose the latter”. “Those who saw images of their current selves (call them the ‘Me Now’ group) directed an average of $80 into the retirement account. Those who saw images of their future selves (the ‘Me Later’ group) allocated more than twice that amount—$172”. “Those who saw the image of themselves at age seventy saved more than those who’d simply seen a picture of a seventy-year-old”. (Hereshfield) “The problem we have saving for retirement, these studies showed, isn’t only our meager ability to weigh present rewards against future ones. It is also the connection—or rather, the disconnection—between our present and future selves”. “Envisioning ourselves far into the future is extremely difficult—so difficult, in fact, that we often think of that future self as an entirely different person”. “This conceptual shift demonstrates the third quality necessary in moving others today: clarity—the capacity to help others see their situations in fresh and more revealing ways and to identify problems they didn’t realize they had”. Problem Finding

“The ability to move others hinges less on problem solving than on problem finding”. “As Csikszentmihalyi saw it, the first group was trying to solve a problem: How can I produce a good drawing? The second was trying to find a problem: What good drawing can I produce?” “When he tabulated the ratings, Csikszentmihalyi discovered that the experts deemed the problem finders’ works far more creative than the problem solvers’”. “In subsequent research, [Csikszentmihalyi] and other scholars found that people most disposed to creative breakthroughs in art, science, or any endeavor tend to be problem finders”. “You can raise that question by framing your offering in ways that contrast with its alternatives and therefore clarify its virtues”. The following five frames can be useful in providing clarity to those you hope to move.

1. The Less Frame

“Of the consumers who visited the booth with twenty-four varieties, only 3 percent bought jam. At the booth with a more limited selection, 30 percent made a purchase”. “Adding an inexpensive item to a product offering can lead to a decline in consumers’ willingness to pay.” “Framing people’s options in a way that restricts their choices can help them see those choices more clearly instead of overwhelming them”. 2. The Experience Frame

“Several researchers have shown that people derive much greater satisfaction from purchasing experiences than they do from purchasing goods”. “Even when people ponder their future purchases, they expect that experiences will leave them more satisfied than physical goods”. “Framing a sale in experiential terms is more likely to lead to satisfied customers and repeat business”. 3. The Label Frame

“In the Wall Street Game, 33 percent of participants cooperated and went free. But in the Community Game, 66 percent reached that mutually beneficial result”. “The neatest group by far was the first—the one that had been labeled ‘neat’”. “Merely assigning that positive label—helping the students frame themselves in comparison with others—elevated their behavior”. 4. The Blemished Frame

“Remarkably, in many cases, the people who’d gotten that small dose of negative information were more likely to purchase the boots than those who’d received the exclusively positive information”. “The researchers dubbed this phenomenon the ‘blemishing effect’—where ‘adding a minor negative detail in an otherwise positive description of a target can give that description a more positive impact’”. “But the blemishing effect seems to operate only under two circumstances. First, the people processing the information must be in what the researchers call a ‘low effort’ state. That is, instead of focusing resolutely on the decision, they’re proceeding with a little less effort—perhaps because they’re busy or distracted. Second, the negative information must follow the positive information, not the reverse. Once again, the comparison creates clarity. ‘The core logic is that when individuals encounter weak negative information after already having received positive information, the weak negative information ironically highlights or increases the salience of the positive information”. “If you’re making your case to someone who’s not intently weighing every single word, list all the positives—but do add a mild negative. Being honest about the existence of a small blemish can enhance your offering’s true beauty”. 5. The Potential Frame

“Participants, on average, gave the veteran player with solid numbers a salary of over four million dollars for his sixth year. But they said that for the rookie’s sixth season, they’d expect to pay him more than five million dollars”. “People often find potential more interesting than accomplishment because it’s more uncertain, the researchers argue”. “Next time you’re selling yourself, don’t fixate only on what you achieved yesterday. Also, emphasize the promise of what you could accomplish tomorrow”. Off-Ramps

“Once you’ve found the problem and the proper frame, you have one more step. You need to give people an off-ramp”. “Among the students in the least likely group who received the less detailed letter, a whopping 0 percent contributed to the food drive. But their counterparts, who were more disposed to giving but who’d received the same letter, didn’t exactly wow researchers with their benevolence. Only 8 percent of them made a food donation”. “However, the letter that gave students details on how to act had a huge effect. Twenty-five percent of students deemed least likely to contribute actually made a contribution when they received the letter with a concrete appeal, a map, and a location for donating”. “A specific request accompanied by a clear way to get it done ended up with the least likely group donating food at three times the rate of the most likely who hadn’t been given a clear path of action”. “Clarity on how to think without clarity on how to act can leave people unmoved”. Motivational Interviewing

“On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 meaning ‘not the least bit ready’ and 10 meaning ‘totally ready,’ how ready are you to study?” “Why didn’t you pick a lower number?” “In the old days, our challenge was accessing information. These days, our challenge is curating it”. The three-step process for curation (Kanter):

Seek. Once you’ve defined the area in which you’d like to curate, put together a list of the best sources of information. Then set aside time to scan those sources regularly (at least fifteen minutes, two times a day). As you scan, gather the most interesting items. Sense. Creating meaning out of the material you’ve assembled. Make an annotated list of Web links or regularly maintain a blog. Tend to this list of resources every day. Share. You can do this through a regular e-mail or your own newsletter, or by using Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. As you share, you’ll help others see their own situations in a new light and possibly reveal hidden problems that you can solve. “The folks at IDEO, the award-winning innovation, and design firm, have taken a lesson from the under-five set in one of the methods they use to find design problems. They call their technique ‘Five Whys’”. “As IDEO explains it, ‘This exercise forces people to examine and express the underlying reasons for their behavior and attitudes’”. “The purpose of a pitch isn’t necessarily to move others immediately to adopt your idea. The purpose is to offer something so compelling that it begins a conversation, brings the other person in as a participant, and eventually arrives at an outcome that appeals to both of you”. Dan Pink’s six successors to the elevator pitch:

1. The One-Word Pitch

“The ultimate pitch for an era of short attention spans begins with a single word—and doesn’t go any further”. 2. The Question Pitch

“By making people work just a little harder, question pitches prompt people to come up with their own reasons for agreeing (or not). And when people summon their own reasons for believing something, they endorse the belief more strongly and become more likely to act on it”. 3. The Rhyming Pitch

“Participants rated the aphorisms in the left column as far more accurate than those in the right column, even though each pair says essentially the same thing. Yet when the researchers asked people, ‘In your opinion, do aphorisms that rhyme describe human behavior more accurately than those that do not rhyme? the overwhelming answer was no”. “Rhymes boost what linguists and cognitive scientists call ‘processing fluency’, the ease with which our minds slice, dice, and make sense of stimuli”. “If you’re one of a series of freelancers invited to make a presentation before a big potential client, including a rhyme can enhance the processing fluency of your listeners, allowing your message to stick in their minds when they compare you and your competitors”. 4. The Subject-Line Pitch

“The researchers discovered that participants based their decisions on two factors: utility and curiosity”. People were quite likely to “read emails that directly affected their work”. But they were also likely “to open messages when they had moderate levels of uncertainty about the contents, i.e. they were ‘curious’ what the messages were about”. “Utility worked better when recipients had lots of e-mail, but ‘curiosity [drove] attention to email under conditions of low demand’”. “Ample research has shown that trying to add intrinsic motives on top of extrinsic ones often backfires”. “Along with utility and curiosity is a third principle: specificity”. 5. The Twitter Pitch

“The mark of an effective tweet, like the mark of any effective pitch, is that it engages recipients and encourages them to take the conversation further—by responding, clicking a link, or sharing the tweet with others”. 6. The Pixar Pitch

After someone hears your pitch, ask yourself:

What do you want them to know? What do you want them to feel? What do you want them to do? “In those circumstances and many others, you’ll do better if you follow three essential rules of improvisational theater: (1) Hear offers. (2) Say ‘Yes and’. (3) Make your partner look good”.

1. Hear Offers.

“Once we listen in this new, more intimate way, we begin hearing things we might have missed. And if we listen this way during our efforts to move others, we quickly realize that what seem outwardly like objections are often offers in disguise”. 2. Say “Yes and”.

“Instead of swirling downward into frustration, ‘Yes and’ spirals upward toward possibility. When you stop you’ve got a set of options, not a sense of futility”. 3. Make Your Partner Look Good.

“Today, if you make people look bad, they can tell the world. But if you make people look good, they can also tell the world”. “But Grant and Hofmann reveal something equally crucial: ‘Our findings suggest that health and safety messages should focus not on the self, but rather on the target group that is perceived as most vulnerable’”. “Raising the salience of purpose is one of the most potent—and most overlooked—methods of moving others”. “While we often assume that human Hamilton Philip Lindley beings are motivated mainly by self-interest, a stack of research has shown that all of us also do things for what social scientists call ‘prosocial’ or ‘self-transcending’ reasons. That means that not only should we ourselves be serving, but we should also be tapping others’ innate desire to serve. Making it personal works better when we also make it purposeful”. “Merely discussing purpose in one realm (car-sharing) moved people to behave differently in a second realm (recycling)”. Serving Others

“This is what it means to serve: improving another’s life and, in turn, improving the world”. Greenleaf on “servant leadership”: “The best test, and the most difficult to administer, is this: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?” “If the person you’re selling to agrees to buy, will his or her life improve? When your interaction is over, will the world be a better place than when you began?” “Upserving means doing more for the other person than he expects or you initially intended, taking the extra steps that transform a mundane interaction into a memorable experience”. “Anytime you’re tempted to upsell someone else, stop what you’re doing and upserve instead. Don’t try to increase what they can do for you. Elevate what you can do for them”. Other Books by Dan Pink Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink Recommended Reading If you like To Sell Is Human, you may also enjoy the following books:

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less by Sam Carpenter Buy The Book: To Sell Is Human Print | Kindle | Audiobook

Related Lists Business Book Summaries Psychology Book Summaries Self-Help Book Summaries Or, browse more book summaries.

#hamiltonlindley

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bills-pokedex · 7 years ago

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I've recently gotten a battle ready midnight form Lycanrock from an event and he is very wary of his new environment. I've given him his own space and I've set up a feeding and training regiment. He doesn't seem to trust me, but I was in an accident recently and can't train him as often. He paces and whines when in the same room as me. How can I help him through the stress without straining myself?

Midnight lycanroc are rather difficult to handle, so I admit I’m not entirely surprised that yours is having difficulties adjusting. This is, of course, compounded by the fact that midnight lycanroc are often eager for battle, so to be placed in a situation where he isn’t fighting as often as he normally does means he’s bottling up energy due to a lack of constructive outlets for it, rather than releasing it on the battlefield the way he would naturally.

That having been said, the best thing you can do for your lycanroc is to provide him with an alternative means of releasing that energy. This may be as simple as setting up a training area with a training dummy (have a friend assist in the construction of such a space) where he may practice his moves on inanimate objects while you observe. Alternatively, you may wish to call on a friend to battle against your lycanroc daily or to take him out for battles while you recover.

Granted, the former may require some physical exertion on your part, and the latter doesn’t entirely build trust. These are simply straightforward answers to lycanroc’s predicament, but there is a third alternative: channeling his energy into another activity. For example, some dog pokémon trainers teach their partners ordinary dog tricks to help them bond and to hone their focus on a particular task. Some trainers simply take long, easy walks through scenic parks or along trails. And some—particularly the owners of dog-like pokémon that are also humanoid in nature (midnight lycanroc being one example, with the likes of lucario and zoroark being others)—teach their pokémon more complicated skills such as painting, playing instruments, yoga, or even cooking. Perhaps allowing your lycanroc to do more about the house would also be an effective outlet.

Ultimately, be creative but also try to see what interests him the most (besides battling). Communicate with him as much as you can and give him options. And above all else, promise him that you’ll battle alongside him eventually, but your own physical limitations prevent you from doing so right now. You’ll be surprised by how easily he’ll understand that point, even if he’s naturally eager to battle.

Best of luck, anonymous, and get well soon!

#Anonymous #Lycanroc #Midnight Lycanroc #asks

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lauriewatsontech · 5 years ago

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The Best Shopify Digital Downloads Apps [Reviewed for 2020]

Shopify is an excellent ecommerce platform for selling physical goods, but it can also be used for digital products like ebooks, digital art, photos, and music.

A Shopify app to assist you with the day-to-day tasks of selling digital products can make things a lot easier and quicker, so to ensure you find the best one, I’ve looked at a variety of plugins.

What Are Digital Products?

Digital products are intangible assets or goods that lack physical form. They exist solely in digital shape, typically as MP3 files, PDFs, videos, templates, and plugins. These types of goods can be sold over and over again without needing to restock them.

Can You Use Shopify to Sell Digital Products?

While Shopify is commonly used to sell physical goods, you can also use it to sell digital downloads and products. This is a lot easier than you might think and comes with the added benefits of no shipping costs and no need to replenish your inventory.

What Are Examples of Digital Products That Can Be Sold on Shopify?

The sky’s basically the limit with what digital products you can sell on Shopify, but popular options are ebooks, courses, licenses (like software licenses), music, digital art, digital photos, templates and tools, memberships, and packaged services (like coaching calls).

Can You Combine Digital and Physical Goods?

You can combine digital and physical goods on Shopify, so you don’t need to limit yourself to just one variant. Giving customers the option to purchase something either digitally or physically (if possible) could be a great way to boost your sales.

For example, books and digital photographs could be sold in both digital and physical form.

What to Look for in A Digital Download Shopify App

When you’re looking for a Shopify app to sell digital products, there are factors you need to keep in mind. Let’s take a look at some things you should consider before you install a digital products Shopify plugin.

Interface and Installation

No one wants to spend countless hours trying to install or figure out how to work an app, so it’s important to check the interface and setup process of a plugin to make sure it’s straightforward.

Features

A lot of features that come with apps for selling digital products can seem a little confusing or complicated. However, there are many that are crucial for making your business run smoother.

Aspects like integrations with popular platforms or payment systems, being able to add both physical and digital products, and the ability to display download links on the purchase confirmation page are some things you might want in an app.

Additionally, having extensive analytics and reporting features, the option to set an expiring download link, and the option to email the download link to buyers manually can also come in handy.

Uptime and Downtime

Uptime refers to the app’s reliability and when it is actively working and available. Downtime is when the plugin is unoperational. Obviously, you want a digital products app that has a relatively short downtime so you spend less time waiting for it to come back online.

It’s a good idea to check the average uptime and downtime of the plugin you’re thinking of using for your ecommerce store to make sure your productivity or business isn’t affected.

Pricing

Most apps for selling digital products on Shopify have different price plans, with each one granting you additional services or features. Higher priced packages tend to come with the most features, such as bigger file storage, higher bandwidth, and the ability to list more products.

If you own a large ecommerce store, then more advanced plans might suit your business’s needs better. In contrast, if you only want to sell a few products every now and again, then you might get away with a basic or free version.

Thoroughly evaluate the app’s price plans to see if they fit your budget and whether the features offered are integral to your Shopify store.

Customer Service

Poor customer service can be frustrating, especially when you have an urgent issue or query that needs addressing. As apps can develop bugs or go wrong during setup, you’ll probably need to get in touch with an advisor at some point.

To ensure your experience is as stress-free as possible, you should make sure the app you use values good customer service and has advisors that reply quickly and thoroughly.

Check recent feedback on the app to see if other users have run into any issues with customer support, such as long waiting times or no response altogether. This will save you a lot of headache in the future.

Integrations

Depending on what digital products you want to sell on your Shopify store, you might want to use an app that supports other platforms. For example, if you want to sell music related digital products, then an app that integrates with Apple Music, Spotify, Soundcloud, etc., might be helpful.

Regardless of the type of digital products you’re selling on Shopify, plugins that support popular payment systems like PayPal and Apple Pay are particularly beneficial.

Shopify Digital Downloads Apps Reviews

Shopify Digital Downloads App

Digital Downloads

Digital Downloads is a completely free app developed by Shopify that makes selling digital downloads quick and simple. It allows you to attach files or links to your products so your customers only need to click on them to retrieve their goods once they’ve checked out.

Whenever there’s an update to your store like new offers or versions to existing products, Digital Downloads automatically notifies your customers to save you some time.

The app has a variety of customization options that let you personalize your checkout parameters and email templates. You can sell files or downloads less than 5GB in size, which is plenty for most items. To put it into perspective, the file size of the average book is between 1MB and 3MB!

The app is easy to use and is quick to set up, so you don’t need to worry about losing countless hours trying to figure out its interface. It has a user-friendly dashboard that makes selling and managing digital products a breeze. There’s also an option to manually complete orders and send files if you prefer to be in control.

You can use it to sell both physical and digital goods, such as ebooks and physical books, too.

Unfortunately, the Shopify Digital Downloads plugin can suffer from a few technical issues, particularly involving its functionality. For example, the app can be a little unreliable and fail to send out download links or files to customers.

Specs

Price: $0

Free Plan Included: Yes

Developer: Shopify

Pros

Developed by Shopify

Supports both physical and digital goods

Easy to navigate

Free

Cons

Can fail to send out download links or files

SendOwn Shopify App

SendOwl

SendOwl is another solid choice due to its simple installation and interface. All you need to do to start selling digital goods is upload the files to the app’s server and select a product to associate it with. SendOwl will then take care of the rest!

You can use the app to sell things practically anywhere, so you don’t need to limit yourself to Shopify. Blogs or a page on a social media website are just two examples of where you can use the app.

SendOwl supports a wide range of languages, which is handy as you can sell to customers who don’t share your mother tongue. The app lets you schedule the release of digital items and deliver a digital product directly to customer accounts. Alternatively, you can send links via email or the order completion page.

The app offers built-in pre-checkout and post-payment upsells and discount codes, as well as integrations with payment systems such as Apple Pay, PayPal, and Bitcoin. It also provides you with extensive reports and analytics.

The plugin has a few different price plans, including a 30-day free trial. The Basic package is $9 per month and allows you to list 10 products, comes with customization and 1GB of storage. The standard version is priced at $15 each month and offers 30 products, customization, 3GB of storage, and PDF stamping.

The most expensive plans are the Premium and Business plans. The former costs $24 per month and provides you with 5GB of storage, 100 products, video streaming, and all features included in previous packages.

The latter costs $39 per month and gives you 250 products, 15GB of storage, multiple users with permissions, and all the features included in the previous plans.

Unfortunately, SendOwl’s customer support advisors are not very responsive, so it can take some time to get a reply to a query or issue.

Specs

Price: $9-$39

Developer: SendOwl

Free Plan Included: No

Pros

Integrations with payment systems like PayPal and Apple Pay

Supports a wide range of languages

User-friendly

Provides extensive reports and analytics

Cons

Customer support can be a bit unresponsive

Single Music Shopify App

Single Music

Single Music is a helpful app for selling digital items that is developed by Single, LLC. It’s particularly useful for music or audio digital downloads and offers an engaging interface that shows album templates and audio previews to attract more customers.

The app is very straightforward to install and navigate as it provides you with tools like multi-store management, developer mode, and open-source templates. It has in-depth reporting and analytics, too.

Single Music automatically fulfills orders on their release date and integrates with a huge range of platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, Amazon Music, Twitch, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

The plugin has a few different price plans, including a free version. The Physical Reporting package is priced at $10 per month and grants you access to a variety of reporting and analytics features.

The Boost Links plan costs $15 per month and provides you with features like Social Promotion and Conversion Analytics.

However, Single Music can experience a few bugs, which can affect the functionality of the app. Additionally, the plugin’s customer support team can take some time to reply to concerns and enquiries.

Specs

Price: $0-$15

Developer: Single, LLC

Free Plan Included: Yes

Pros

Ideal for selling audio digital products on Shopify

Straightforward setup

Integrates with platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Twitch

Offers a free plan

Cons

Can have a few bugs

Support team can be unresponsive

FetchApp Shopify App

FetchApp

Next up is FetchApp, a useful tool for selling digital products on Shopify. It enables you to have full management of your Shopify store like altering the amount of time before a download expires.

The app’s interface is a breeze to use for both you and your customers. The plugin is reliable and automatically sends downloads to customers once everything is paid for.

FetchApp can work with products that require more than one file, which is convenient if you’re selling bundles. In addition to this, you can split big files into smaller ones and sell one item in more than one part.

I really like the email builder of this app for digital products as it makes configuring email a smooth and swift process. The app also integrates with payment platforms like Paypal, Google Checkout, and FoxyCart.

Regarding price, FetchApp is very accommodating as it offers paid plans and a free version. All the plans are affordable and offer a variety of different features, from extra storage space to unlimited orders and bandwidth.

The paid packages start from $5 to $20 per month, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding one that fits your budget.

However, the app’s downtime can be a bit unpredictable, which isn’t ideal when you’re trying to run a successful Shopify store to sell digital products.

Specs

Price: $0-$20

Developer: FetchApp

Free Plan Included: Yes

Pros

Offers a lot of effective features for selling digital products on Shopify

Integrates with a variety of payment platforms

Straightforward interface

Offers a free plan

Cons

Can suffer from long downtimes

Sky Pilot

The last app I recommend for selling digital products on Shopify is Sky Pillot, a plugin that’s designed especially for the sale of downloadable items. It’s quick and simple to install, so you should have it set up in no time.

When a customer pays for a digital product on your Shopify store, they’re diverted to a page that allows them to view and download their items in just one click. This level of security is impressive and notifies you of access abuse alerts, among other things.

You can personalize the delivery page thanks to the app’s vast amount of customization options. Your Shopify store’s customers can see all their digital products on their account pages, too.

Sky Pilot integrates into your customer’s digital products order page, which grants them instant access to their goods without needing to wait for them in their email inboxes. The Shopify app also integrates with platforms like Charge Rabbit and Vimeo.

This plugin for selling digital products on Shopify has four price plans: Free, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The free version comes with 2MB of file storage, while the Bronze package comes with 1GB of file storage, 20GB of monthly bandwidth, and integration with Vimeo. It costs $15 per month.

The Silver plan is $30 per month and has features like 5GB of file storage, 100GB of monthly bandwidth, and HTML emails. Lastly, the Gold plan is priced at $75 per month and includes 25GB of file storage and 250GB of monthly bandwidth.

It’s important to note that you’ll be charged an additional $0.25 per GB of bandwidth over your monthly allowance.

Specs

Price: $0-$75

Developer: Corknine Development

Free Plan Included: Yes

Pros

Excellent security features

Fully customizable delivery page

Easy to set up

Includes a free plan

Cons

Extra charges for going over your monthly allowance of bandwidth

Conclusion

After looking at a range of Shopify digital downloads apps, I think the best one to use to sell digital products is SendOwl. It has a swift and easy installation process, as well as a straightforward interface.

The app supports a variety of different languages, which broadens your customer base. It offers built-in pre-checkout and post-payment upsells and discount codes, alongside integrations with Paypal, Apple Pay, Bitcoin, and more. It also gives you in depth analytics and reports.

The Shopify digital products plugin has a few affordable price plans, including a free trial. This lets you choose a package that fits your budget.

The only downside of the app is its customer support, which can be a bit unresponsive.

If SendOwl doesn’t seem like the right fit for your ecommerce store, then I also recommend FetchApp and Digital Downloads. The former is extremely useful for selling digital products on Shopify as it has a wide range of management tools. It also has relatively inexpensive price plans.

Digital Downloads, which is developed by Shopify themselves, is a decent choice if you’re looking for a free plugin for selling digital products. However, it lacks a hefty amount of features that paid apps have.

This post first appeared on medium.com/best-software

The Best Shopify Digital Downloads Apps [Reviewed for 2020] was originally published in Best Software on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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easyfoodnetwork · 5 years ago

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Dispatches From Food Service Workers Across the U.S.: ‘I’m Trying Not to Panic’

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Restaurant employees from Kentucky, North Dakota, New York, Oregon, and Minnesota share their stories

Last week, President Trump formed the Economic Revival Industry Group, a collection of 200 experts and industry leaders to inform the (possibly ill-advised) campaign to re-open the economy. The group, focused on restaurants, included numerous chain CEOs and celebrity chef-owners like Wolfgang Puck and Thomas Keller. And though the latter could hardly be expected to advocate for the needs of restaurant owners whose restaurants don’t have Michelin stars, there is another group notably absent from the committee: restaurant workers.

Independent restaurant owners are struggling with the realities and uncertainties of life in a pandemic, whether it’s having to lay off employees or trying to keep people paid as the business pivots to take-out only. But for your average food service worker — servers, bartenders, line cooks, and baristas — there is even less support. Restaurant employees made up 60 percent of the jobs lost in March. Twenty-two million people filed for unemployment in the past four weeks, leaving unemployment websites overwhelmed. The Paycheck Protection Program, which offers federal loans in exchange for keeping employees on payroll, is out of money. All this adds up to millions of food service workers being left without a paycheck.

Despite Trump’s plans, no one knows what the restaurant industry is going to look like on the other side of the pandemic. And so workers wait, hoping their restaurants will reopen, hoping they or their coworkers will be rehired, hoping there will be a workplace to come back to. As chains and fine-dining chefs are the only ones with access to the White House, it’s important to remember their experiences do not represent the restaurant industry as a whole. Whether or not restaurant workers, not merely restaurateurs, feel supported will be the true test of any government program’s success. With that in mind, we spoke to five restaurant workers across the country on what they’re experiencing right now. These are stories in their own words, edited lightly for clarity.

Gregg Adams, line cook at J Harrods, Louisville, Kentucky

The chef and I are the only kitchen staff left of four full-time and two part-timers. He takes a salary, I am on reduced hours, which means less money to repair the house and cars, much less save anything. Since this began we have been steadily losing customers. Our food isn’t geared for takeout, though we changed the menu some. Also, we made a lot of our money through drinks. Initially, the state only allowed the sale of closed alcohol containers, and some restaurants started selling flight bottles and half pints with soda or cup mixer on the side. Within a week, open alcohol sales were allowed rather than just packaged liquor, but it was too late for those who followed the rules.

I’m hanging in there, but I’m lucky. Not much has changed for me and my family. My wife is on medical disability with fixed income and doesn’t leave the house much. My teenager already practiced social distancing. My 26-year-old is working 60 hours a week at a local coffee chain. My 25-year-old works for UPS. I’m blessed to have employment. I know three other cooks and two chefs who are unemployed. But I can’t plan anything for anything now. I’m wondering about my concert tickets and my child’s education if my older children will get sick, and what my options are in general. I’m trying to not panic.

Massoud Violette-Sheikh, sous chef at the Heights, Ithaca, New York

I am 23 years old and have been working in the industry for five years, starting as a dishwasher at the Heights. My start in the industry was mainly out of necessity — dishwashing offered good hours and the possibility of upward mobility in the restaurant. But the work ethic and our local food community was contagious; I wouldn’t want to be in any other industry, even in these times. I rose to sous this past year. In an area where we are financially dependent on Ithaca College and Cornell as our main contributors to economic stimulation, this has train-wrecked the local economy.

At the Heights, all staff with the exception of our chef de cuisine have been temporarily let go. I think the post-pandemic dining landscape is going to be entirely different — staff cuts, wage cuts, and mandatory seating reduction will absolutely affect how we are able to eat. Even the most luxurious restaurants will have to cut back on menus, garnishes, and available reservations. I’m hopeful that diners will come out in droves after restaurants open up, but realistically that’s not likely. The social habits that we develop will linger. I spend a lot of time talking with my close friends and coworkers. Everyone just wants to be back in the kitchen — to be back home. As an individual I’m grateful for private grants such as the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund — programs like that are going to be our saviors. But our primary concern is how long our local independent restaurants, farms, and purveyors will be able to stay open. The debt to equity ratio in our industry is very high, and I expect to see places sink into irreversible debt. I hope customers will be patient as we get back on our feet; without their support, all that will be left is Chili’s and McDonald’s.

Marlena Chaboudy, cook at A Frame Bar & Grill, Westhope, North Dakota

Busy season is the beginning of spring through the end of summer. We are situated on Lake Metigoshe, and when the snow melts people start moving in their boats and readying their docks to enjoy their summer. We were all gearing up for that when the spread of the virus hit hard and hours were cut. Our place was then shut down for dine-in service and we tried to stay positive. I found out the secret was really not to make eye contact, because if I saw one of us start to tear up, it opened the floodgates for me.

I’m behind in rent, my vehicle is in need of a few repairs. I had planned on moving closer to work — I live about 40 miles away — and found a place, but will have to come by money for the utility and house deposits and rent in order to do so. My fiancé and I live together, and he also works at the A-Frame as a dishwasher. He has filed for unemployment but has a limited work history and hasn’t paid in enough in the quarters to draw unemployment. And he won’t get the one-sum stimulus check either, and that’s going to hurt. Living in a rural community, you can’t count on anything for relief. You can’t count on the small town store to get a delivery truck, or go to the store the same day and be able to buy a roll of toilet paper or a dozen eggs. I can’t guarantee that my internet will be functional much less my phone service, and trying to even access the unemployment website can take all day. You go to the gas station for a treat and you never know if they are open because if they haven’t had enough business that day to justify keeping the lights on, or paying an employee to sit there, they close early.

I don’t think the aid the government is giving is enough. Not at all! It’s getting bad everywhere. The people in the foodservice industry are the “blue collar” workers that everyone forgets about. We are not paid as much as the blue collar norm and making ends meet isn’t looking possible for most.

Rae Bullinger, former front of house at Rise Bagels, Minneapolis

We closed our dining room around March 16th, but kept our online and takeout phone ordering systems the same. After closing the dining room, it was fairly slow that first week, but we kept advertising the online and pick-up ordering and by the weekend our system just couldn’t keep up. On my weekend shift, we were so overwhelmed with online orders overnight that we actually had to turn the first customers away, because we were still trying to catch up with the online orders. The next day is when the owners decided to temporarily close. Before coronavirus, we had a good sense of how many bagels we needed each day of the week to fill our normal amount of orders. Once we started advertising more about online and phone ordering mid-March, our demand shifted to a point we couldn’t have predicted.

Before I started my job at Rise Bagel, I was a graduate student in the psychology field. I had to take a leave of absence in October due to an inpatient stay for my mental health, and decided to put school on pause and pursue a new career in food sustainability. I thought getting my foot in the door at a local restaurant that focuses on local, organic ingredients and sustainable practices would provide me with some great insight. The job finally gave me a sense of purpose and control when I hadn’t had that in a long time. However, when we suddenly had to close, it was like my sense of purpose also disappeared. My job was the one thing that kept me feeling certain about my future. Uncertainty about my future at Rise has led to an increase in my anxiety around leaving school and my future career. I have many fears of having to start all over again, and it’s hard to stay motivated when I can’t gain restaurant experience from my home.

Here in Minnesota, individual unemployment benefits are only given if you had made $3,000 or more before unemployment. Because I was in graduate school and had only been at my job at Rise for a few months, I did not meet this requirement and will not be receiving any unemployment benefits. For those making minimum wage (aka many of those in the food service industry), prerequisites like this may have some major impacts. I’m incredibly thankful to be living at home during this time with great support, but I couldn’t imagine being in a more dire situation and then denied benefits based on something I may not have had control over. I’m really glad something is being done for small business owners, but what really matters is what happens after this. A restaurant will only survive if better legislation is passed and people continue to visit even after social distancing orders are lifted. The attention and support food service employees and places are getting right now is amazing, but systematic change needs to occur for them to continue to survive.

Ashton Long, bartender, Portland, Oregon

We were all in an especially odd situation because we had just all been through training and had opened the restaurant, Bar King, to the public Monday, March 9th. Our restaurant closed down to the public on March 15th and began only providing takeout orders. Luckily, right now it is looking like we’ll be opening back up and all have our jobs back, but when? I don’t think anyone has even a clue. And that is terrifying.

My partner and I moved here in early January of this year. Luckily, he works from home, but I set out to find a job as soon as I got here, and even with my experience and my resume, it took me nearly two months to find something because of how competitive the service industry staffing is in Portland. I exhausted nearly all of my savings and threw all of my faith into the fact that I’d find a job when I got here, and then I worked for literally two weeks and then lost my job. I don’t remember a time in my life where I didn’t have two jobs and work anywhere from 40 to 70 hours a week, so having this much free time, and on such an incredibly STRICT budget of one income, has been extremely challenging to fill.

While I think the stimulus money is great, and quite literally a life saver for many — including me — unemployment has been a literal shit show and a nightmare to deal with. I still have yet to see any benefits or correspondence from either Michigan or Oregon to figure out what I need to do in this situation where I lived and worked in Michigan last year and Oregon now. While I do understand that having 2.2 MILLION people sign up for unemployment in the last month is overwhelming, if it weren’t for the stimulus check and my partner, I could very well be on my way back to Michigan right now to live with family. And as a 25-year-old who has never had to consider an option like that because I’ve always had work and savings, that is a horrifying and scary scenario.

If you’re a food service worker, Eater wants to hear your story. Please fill out this survey.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3cz9Lic https://ift.tt/2KmWSfe

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Restaurant employees from Kentucky, North Dakota, New York, Oregon, and Minnesota share their stories

Gregg Adams, line cook at J Harrods, Louisville, Kentucky

Massoud Violette-Sheikh, sous chef at the Heights, Ithaca, New York

Marlena Chaboudy, cook at A Frame Bar & Grill, Westhope, North Dakota

Rae Bullinger, former front of house at Rise Bagels, Minneapolis

Ashton Long, bartender, Portland, Oregon

If you’re a food service worker, Eater wants to hear your story. Please fill out this survey.

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preciousmetals0 · 5 years ago

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Crypto Goes Plastic — Coinbase’s Visa-Approved Solution Suggests Growth

Crypto Goes Plastic — Coinbase’s Visa-Approved Solution Suggests Growth:

On Feb. 19, Coinbase announced that it has become a principal member of Visa. In an apparent first for the cryptocurrency industry, the firm is now able to issue debit cards without having to involve third parties. Prior to that, Coinbase had been releasing its physical cards in collaboration with authorized intermediaries, similarly to dozens of other crypto companies that offer such options to their clients.

While Coinbase didn’t share its strategy, technically, the new status grants it the possibility to issue cards to fellow cryptocurrency firms. In any case, this development marks an important milestone for the crypto payments sector.

Seamless and instant: A brief introduction to crypto cards

Cryptocurrency cards are in many ways similar to conventional bank cards used by millions of people around the globe for day-to-day purchases. The main difference is that the former allows users to deposit and convert cryptocurrencies instead of fiat money.

So, what makes them comparable? Crypto cards also leverage the existing Visa/Mastercard infrastructure widely used across the world, thereby enabling its holders to pay in crypto for any product or service that can be purchased via a cashless payment, either in-store or online. To achieve that, crypto card-issuing companies either convert digital assets seamlessly for each payment (debit cards) or enable the user to transfer them into a dedicated fiat account, which can, in turn, be used for day-to-day purchases (prepaid cards).

That breaks one of the largest barriers to widespread cryptocurrency adoption. Most merchants are still reluctant to accept crypto due to a variety of reasons including the general stigma that is still attached to digital assets, while many cryptocurrencies continue to face scalability issues that drastically hinder their performance capabilities.

Moreover, many exchanges offer only crypto-to-crypto trading possibilities, and converting tokens to fiat is still a complicated and often lengthy process. Crypto debit cards, meanwhile, present a convenient middle ground for both merchants and holders: The former are not required to update their payment infrastructure while the latter don’t have to manually convert their crypto savings each time they buy a cup of coffee.

Although crypto cards convert digital assets in real time, crypto’s infamous volatility is not a concern, Juan Villaverde, Weiss Ratings’ lead cryptocurrency specialist, argued in an email to Cointelegraph:

“I definitely would not consider volatility to be a concern — not when the industry is being flooded with stablecoins, which users can seamlessly park their money on with just a few clicks. We’re quickly entering a stage in the crypto industry where, if a user wants to eliminate all volatility from their portfolio, there is a wide array of options to pick from, including fiat money and gold-backed assets.”

As for the actual drawbacks of crypto debit cards, Villaverde says: “There are usually higher fees involved with their use,” however, “that’s likely just a consequence of how difficult it is for a user to get their hands on one.”

One of the first crypto debit cards in the industry was introduced back in April 2014 by cryptocurrency wallet provider Xapo. At the time, the firm announced “a major improvement to cards already on the market,” arguing that they were essentially “prepaid” cards that required the customer to manually convert their crypto assets into their local currency before making a purchase. Xapo’s card, on the other hand, was allegedly the first to allow users to automatically convert cryptocurrencies for each purchase in real time.

Related: 2019: A Berlin Odyssey — 7 Days of Crypto-Living on ETH Debit Card

In the following years, the sector continued to grow, as companies like Bitstamp, Coinbase and CoinCard rolled out their crypto cards solutions. Notably, Coinbase’s card, developed in collaboration with payments platform Shift, was the first physical crypto card to be released on the United States market and is available in 25 states. The card itself was issued by the Metropolitan Commercial Bank and supported both Visa and Mastercard payment networks.

Prior to the latest Coinbase announcement, all crypto cards had been overseen by the so-called BIN sponsors — companies that effectively act as middlemen, charging crypto firms for providing them access to the Visa or Mastercard networks. Unlike most crypto firms, they are licensed as principal partners of the payment giants and are thereby authorized to issue debit cards on their behalf. So far, it has arguably been the most problematic area in the sector.

Real problems: Dependence on BIN sponsors

While the crypto cards market has continued to expand since its inception in 2014, in early 2018, it entered a turbulent period. In January of that year, Visa abruptly ended its relationship with a major BIN sponsor, a Gibraltar-registered company called WaveCrest, citing “continued non-compliance with our operating rules.” As a result, a number of widely marketed European-based crypto cards — including those developed by companies like TenX, Wirex, Xapo, Bitpay (only the non-U.S. cards), Bitwala and Cryptopay — stopped working overnight.

The spokesperson added, however, that Visa has other approved card programs that use fiat funds converted from cryptocurrency in a number of jurisdictions. “The termination of WaveCrest’s Visa membership does not affect these other products,” the company’s representative clarified. In a statement shared with CNBC, the financial services giant stated:

“Our actions were not specific to cryptocurrency but rather reflect the issuer’s failure to comply with Visa’s policies that ensure the safety and integrity of our payment system.”

The incident dealt a lot of damage to the industry. For instance, Dmitry Lazarichev, a co-founder of Wirex, told CNBC that his company had shipped as many as 500,000 cryptocurrency debit cards to people across the world (excluding the U.S.), all of whom were instantly blocked as a result of the incident.

Wirex was one of the first companies to recover from the unforeseen event, as the startup soon partnered with Contis — a United Kingdom-authorized payments solutions company and principal member of Visa Europe — to relaunch their debit card offering. As Pavel Matveev, another Wirex co-founder, told Russian business media outlet Kommersant, Visa had tightened its compliance requirements in the wake of the WaveCrest incident, namely its Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering procedures.

Consequently, many remaining crypto firms that previously issued their cards via WaveCrest had to narrow their scope of operation, crossing out Europe from the list of supported regions or stopping the release of cards altogether. An October 2018 media report suggesting that Mastercard and Visa were going to move cryptocurrency to a new “high risk” category reinforced the fears that crypto cards might cease to exist altogether, although the payment giants have not confirmed any of this information.

Meanwhile, the U.S. crypto card market has also taken a hit. In April 2018, Coinbase’s Shift Bitcoin debit card shut down without giving any reason. A number of social media commentators suggested that the Swift card was discontinued due to low demand, although this information has not been verified.

On the other hand, BitPay continues to operate in the U.S., although the company offers only prepaid cards. The company’s spokesperson told Cointelegraph: “BitPay works closely with Visa and the Metropolitan Commercial Bank to ensure we are meeting applicable regulatory requirements,” adding that the company’s product is subject to standard U.S. financial regulations and identity verification requirements.

When asked why BitPay chose Visa and not Mastercard, the representative said that “at the time, we launched the BitPay card in 2016, Visa was more receptive and more interested in partnering with a leading crypto company like BitPay.”

Meanwhile, some crypto companies picked the third option. Estonia-based startup Crypterium offers crypto debit cards processed by UnionPay, a Chinese financial services corporation. Crypterium’s chief operating officer, Austin Kimm, told Cointelegraph that UnionPay allows for a wider geographical presence:

“Both Visa and Mastercard allow you to develop cards for particular regions like the United States, South America, Europe, etc. UnionPay, on the contrary, divides the world in two regions: China and the rest of the world. This model is aligned with our commitment to serve clients from every corner of the world.”

“It’s been difficult so far for crypto companies in general to issue crypto debit cards,” as Juan Villaverde of Weiss Ratings summarized in an email to Cointelegraph, referring to the fact that the industry has to largely rely on middlemen.

Hugh Kingdon, an advisor at BCB Group, who has previously worked at both Visa and Mastercard, confirmed to Cointelegraph that “most crypto organisations have experienced being let down by their banking partners at some point in time,” clarifying that the process is complex for all parties involved:

“Many of the bin sponsors have a difficult life, needing to keep good relations with a wide range of regulators and, therefore, being a touch conservative.”

Coinbase card’s European comeback

Having abandoned the U.S. crypto card market, a year later, Coinbase debuted a U.K. crypto card, which was released in collaboration with a U.K.-regulated electronic money institution Paysafe Financial Services Limited, a principal Visa partner. In the following months, the firm extended the list of supported countries, making the card available to users in Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands.

In February 2020, Coinbase revealed that it has itself become a principal member of Visa, meaning that the crypto firm is now its own BIN sponsor and does not need a third-party financial company to issue its Visa cards. According to Forbes, the payments giant partnered with Coinbase back in December, but the development has only recently been made public.

As Villaverde observes, the fact that Coinbase — an entirely crypto-focused company — is now able to issue Visa cards directly and could “transform it into a middleman of sorts”:

“Other crypto companies could potentially go to Coinbase to issue their own cards, rather than having to rely on more traditional financial companies. Typically, the latter are much more reluctant to deal with crypto companies. This would create new opportunities for many other assets.”

While Coinbase has not returned Cointelegraph’s requests for comment, the firm reportedly told Forbes that it is not considering issuing cards to other companies “anytime soon.” Nonetheless, as the Forbes reporter argued, the principal membership status “marks a potentially important new revenue stream for the company,” which, according to the publication’s estimations, experienced a sharp 40% decline in earnings in 2019.

Related: Crypto Hold’Em 2019 – What are cryptocurrency debit cards?

The card-issuing industry is a widely burgeoning sector due to the declining popularity of cash. It generated $107 billion in revenue last year in the U.S. alone, according to an IBISWorld report.

The new Coinbase card, which will be released later this year, will reportedly be available in 29 countries including Denmark, Estonia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, in addition to the aforementioned European jurisdictions whose residents are already using Coinbase debit cards that were issued last year. Notably, the new Visa card will not be available to U.S. users — which may be due to tax issues — as Andrew Mount, a litigation associate at Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C., explained to Cointelegraph:

“The tax implications of transacting in Bitcoin in the United States could make using the Coinbase card impractical. The IRS treats Bitcoin as property that is subject to capital gains tax. Therefore, in the United States, each transaction with a card like this could be a taxable event.”

The event is still likely to cause a chain of positive events within the industry, experts suggest. “Not only is Coinbase the first company to issue a crypto card directly, it’s also the first major exchange to do so,” Villaverde told Cointelegraph. He went on to explain why the news is crucial for the crypto card sector, speculating that Binance — another crypto juggernaut — could soon follow suit:

“The fact that they are a Visa Partner is a big deal because it may pave the way for other companies to do the same. Binance is probably next in line, as they tend to not want to ‘fall behind’ on any new development taking place in the crypto industry.”

Indeed, on Feb. 21, Cuy Sheffield, head of crypto at Visa, called on any digital wallets interested in issuing Visa cards to apply to the company’s Fintech Fast Track program. Although the program avoids mentioning cryptocurrencies directly, it states that Visa-enabled digital wallets are suitable for a “startup in an emerging market seeking to leapfrog a physical card program” — meaning that many cryptocurrency companies might start providing Visa-powered digital cards for their customers in the near future.

Notably, just three crypto firms that work with cards — Crypto.com, Cryptopay and Crypterium — told Cointelegraph that they are considering becoming principal partners of payment giants, while other firms have either avoided the question or replied negatively.

“Becoming a principal member is a long journey, which requires obtaining an EMI license, having PCI-DSS certification and a lot of funding,” George Basiladze, co-founder of Cryptopay, told Cointelegraph, adding that his firm has only just started the process.

As for now, only one crypto company has been licensed as a full participant of Visa’s network, meaning that there is still a long way to go — and the fact that both Visa and Mastercard have ignored numerous emails sent by Cointelegraph requesting additional comment for this story seems to confirm that the industry is still on the sidelines.

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goldira01 · 5 years ago

Link

Seamless and instant: A brief introduction to crypto cards

Related: 2019: A Berlin Odyssey — 7 Days of Crypto-Living on ETH Debit Card

Real problems: Dependence on BIN sponsors

“Our actions were not specific to cryptocurrency but rather reflect the issuer’s failure to comply with Visa’s policies that ensure the safety and integrity of our payment system.”

“Many of the bin sponsors have a difficult life, needing to keep good relations with a wide range of regulators and, therefore, being a touch conservative.”

Coinbase card’s European comeback

As Villaverde observes, the fact that Coinbase — an entirely crypto-focused company — is now able to issue Visa cards directly and could “transform it into a middleman of sorts”:

Related: Crypto Hold’Em 2019 – What are cryptocurrency debit cards?

The card-issuing industry is a widely burgeoning sector due to the declining popularity of cash. It generated $107 billion in revenue last year in the U.S. alone, according to an IBISWorld report.

#Timor Invest

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liberaleffects · 8 years ago

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“The War on Terror,” a phrase now part of the American lexicon, has been portrayed by U.S. policy makers and military commanders as a battle against radical Islam. As a result, many academics, government officials and counter-terrorism experts have researched, analyzed and assessed the role of Muslim extremists using the Islamic religion (rather, the misinterpretation of Islam) to radicalize and mobilize terrorists to wage “Jihad” (e.g. “Holy War”) against the West. Few, however, acknowledge or understand how American right-wing extremists have also used religious concepts and scripture to recruit, radicalize and mobilize their adherents toward hate and violence against similar enemies. Much like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, right-wing terrorists — who often refer to themselves as “Soldiers of Odin,” “Phineas Priests,” or “Army of God” — are inspired by their interpretations of religious concepts and scripture to lash out and kill in God’s name.

Religious extremism and its relation to violent conflict is not a new phenomenon. Many isolated confrontations, wars and conquests have been instigated or carried out in the name of religion. Throughout history, violent clashes between nations, religions and civilizations have resulted from differences in religious beliefs, scriptural interpretation and spiritual practices. Various religious factions, some more radical, have emerged from these armed conflicts. Other more dominant religions have also spread their influence through force and aggression.

During the 1980s and 1990s, right-wing extremists were galvanized by several national issues such as the perceived erosion of parental rights and authority through court rulings, expanding multiculturalism, abortion rights and the decline of the American family farm – all perceived as an attack on their Judeo-Christian beliefs which right-wing extremists view as a key component to America’s founding). These issues were magnified because of the far-right’s perception of a changing political climate which favored expanding benefits and equal opportunities to ethnic minorities, immigrants and other diversity groups. So it was no surprise that religious concepts and scriptural interpretation played a role in the armed confrontations between right-wing extremists and the U.S. government during this time period — specifically, at the Covenant, Sword, Arm of the Lord (CSA) compound in 1985, Ruby Ridge in 1992, and Waco in 1993. These standoffs not only showed extremists rebelling against the U.S. government and its laws, but also asserted what they believed were their divine religious and Constitutional rights. These events served as radicalization and recruitment nodes to boost the ranks of white supremacists, militia extremists sovereign citizens, and other radical anti-government adherents who viewed the government’s response to these standoffs as tyrannical and overreaching

In the cases of the CSA, Ruby Ridge, and Waco, religious concepts — such as end times prophecy, millennialism and the belief that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ was imminent — played a vital role in the recruitment, radicalization and mobilization of these Christian-inspired extremists and their illegal activities. For example, CSA members, the Weaver family and the Branch Davidians each embraced a lethal triad of end times prophecy, antigovernment conspiracy theories and an affinity for weapons. Author Paul T. Coughlin expounds upon this lethal triad in his book Secrets, Plots & Hidden Agendas. This deadly combination has been linked to many extremists violating the law, instigating violent confrontations with law enforcement as well as providing motivation for domestic terrorist attacks (e.g. Spokane Bank Robbers, Eric Rudolph, Robert Dear, among others). Each also used their religious beliefs to justify engaging in “prepper” type activities, such as living off the land, isolating themselves from other family members and society, and stockpiling food, water and weapons to prepare for the end times and await — or even hasten — the apocalypse.

In Tabernacle of Hate, former CSA leader Kerry Noble lists three factors that contributed to the radicalization and mobilization of his group – (1) an ideology that generates fear, anger, despair, hate, etc.; (2) a group that emphasizes communal living, physical and mental isolation, filtered or limited access to information, and having a perceived enemy or limited options; and, (3) a charismatic leader that manipulates and directs others — often perceived as divine or God’s spokesperson. CSA was an insular community where church meetings, communal prayer, and group scripture study strengthened the extremist organization’s identity, ideology and membership. Noble’s three danger factors are applicable to some right-wing extremist groups today that also congregate in insular communities such as Warren Jeff’s Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), Robert Millar’s Elohim City, and Dan Gayman’s Church of Israel.

Obviously, there is a wide range of world religions, denominations and congregations within these denominations (including various factions and sub-factions). Such diversity clearly illustrates the significantly complex and controversial nature of religion. Like any social culture, religious beliefs and written scripture are subject to human interpretation, cultural influences and historical context. Such diversity and autonomy not only strengthens religious communities, it also permits extremists to exploit it (e.g. their beliefs and sacred texts) to justify threatening others, criminal acts and violence against non-believers.

For example, in 1996, the Spokane Bank Robbers left business cards with a Celtic Cross and references to Yahweh (Hebrew for “God”), Obadiah 18 (e.g. Old Testament scripture in the Bible), and “His Wrath” at the scene of bank robberies and bombings. They believed they were literally carrying out God’s work by attacking banks, an abortion clinic and the local newspaper office. They viewed each of these targets as representing evil, Satanic influences. Similarly, domestic terrorist bomber Eric Rudolph cited Biblical passages and offered religious motives for his attacks on abortion clinics in Georgia and Alabama. Extremist “true believers,” like the Spokane Bank Robbers and Rudolph, will eventually cloak themselves in a mantle of religious righteousness and may initiate their violent act as part of a divine plan, heavenly edict or perceived mission from God.

An important aspect to understanding right-wing extremists’ use of religious concepts and scripture is the emergence of Dominion Theology among Christians in the U.S. Due to its strong and divisive message, Dominion Theology likely serves as a gateway to right-wing extremism. According to Frederick Clarkson, a Senior Fellow at Political Research Associates, “Dominionism is the theocratic idea that regardless of theological camp, means, or timetable, God has called conservative Christians to exercise dominion over society by taking control of political and cultural institutions.” This is similar to fears over Muslim extremists attempting to invoke Sharia Law in America.

Political Research Associates points out that there is a broad spectrum of Dominioniststhat range from mild supporters to hardcore believers. According to Clarkson and fellow analyst Chip Berlet, there are three key characteristics of Dominion theology. First, Dominionists celebrate Christian nationalism, in that they believe that the United States once was, and should again be, a Christian nation. “In this way, they deny the Enlightenment roots of American democracy,” Berlet and Clarkson said. Second, Dominionists promote religious supremacy, insofar as they generally do not respect the equality of other religions, or even other versions of Christianity. Lastly, Dominionists endorse theocratic visions, believing that the Ten Commandments, or “biblical law,” should be the foundation of American law, and that the U.S. Constitution should be seen as a vehicle for implementing biblical principles.

Dominion theology calls for Christians to assert God’s dominion over all mankind, including their communities, secular politics and American society to achieve the fulfillment of their Messianic expectations — to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It is rooted in Biblical scripture (see Genesis 1:26-31), where God grants human beings “dominion over all creation.” Dominion theory teaches that Jesus has commanded his followers to begin building the Kingdom of God in modern day, by incorporating the doctrine and principles of the Christian faith into the political establishment with the ultimate goal of creating a Christian nation.

More radical orthodox Dominionists reportedly advocate the abolishment of civil rights, labor unions, public schools and any laws with which they disagree. In addition, they favor withdrawing U.S. citizenship from non-believers, as well as the removal of women from the workforce. Further, they believe federal, state and local government should eventually be replaced with a Christian theocracy, thus empowering religious institutions to run every aspect of the executive, legislative and judicial functions of government. Their ultimate goal is the creation of a Judeo-Christian nation where the only legitimate voice is Christian. Dominion theory reportedly contributed to the growth of religious fanaticism and extremism among Christians in the U.S. and likely served as a religious foundation for many right-wing extremist views. Such views seem closely aligned with sovereign citizen extremists, among other groups on the alt-right.

This series of articles will delve deeper into how white supremacists, sovereign citizens, militia extremists and violent anti-abortion adherents use religious concepts and scripture to justify threats, criminal activity and violence. This discussion of religious extremism should not be confused with someone being extremely religious. It should also not be misconstrued as an assault on Christianity, rather it represents an exploration of the links between violent right-wing extremism and its exploitation of Christianity and other religions to gain a better understanding of how American extremists recruit, radicalize and mobilize their violent adherents toward terrorism.

Daryl Johnson is the owner of DT Analytics, a private consulting firm for law enforcement. Johnson is the former lead analyst for domestic terrorism at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Johnson has over 25 years experience working as a counter-terrorism analyst for the U.S. government. He is the author of Rightwing Resurgence: How A Domestic Terrorist Threat Is Being Ignored (Rowman & Littlefield, 2012).

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un-enfant-immature · 6 years ago

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$100M Grant for the Web fund aims to jump-start a new way to pay online

Getting paid for providing content online isn’t simple, and as the ad-based economy continues to collapse pretty much everyone is looking for alternatives. One problem: While the web is great at moving images and audio and files around, it has a real problem with money. Coil, Mozilla, and Creative Commons hope to change that with a native web payments standard and $100M to get it off the ground.

“Web monetization” is the name of the game here, not just generally but also the specific new web protocol being proposed. It’s meant to be an open, interoperable standard that will let anyone send money to anyone else on the web.

That doesn’t mean it sprang fully formed out of nowhere, though. It’s based on a protocol called Interledger pursued by former Ripple CTO Stefan Thomas in his new company Coil.

“We were basically applying the concept of internet protocol to payments — routing little packets of money,” Thomas told TechCrunch, though he was quick to add that it’s not blockchain-powered. Those systems, he said, are useful in their place, but end up bogged down in upkeep and administration. And services like Flattr are great, he said, but limited by the fact that they’re essentially run by a single company.

Interledger, he explained, is a protocol for securely and universally connecting existing payment systems in a totally agnostic way. “It supports any underlying payment structure, bitcoin or a bank ledger or whatever, and any connection you use, satellite or wi-fi, it doesn’t care. We were working on on it for a long time, since like 2015, and last year were like, well, how do we get this out into the real world?”

300M-user meme site Imgur raises $20M from Coil to pay creators

The answer was a new company, for one thing, but also partnering with open web advocates at Mozilla and Creative Commons on Grant for the Web, a $100M fund to disburse with their input. Both have a seat at the table in selecting grant recipients, and the latter is a recipient itself.

“This is an opportunity for CC to experiment with optional micropayments in CC Search,” said Creative Commons interim CEO Cable Green. “If users want to provide micropayments to authors of openly licensed images, to show gratitude, we’re interested in exploring these options with our global community.”

“An open source micropayment protocol and ecosystem could be good for creators and users,” he continued. “Building a web that doesn’t rely on data acquisition and advertising is a good thing.”

The $100M fund is all Coil money, which makes sense as Coil was founded to promote and develop the Interledger and Web Monetization protocols. Huge funding pushes don’t seem like the ordinary way to establish new web standards, but Thomas explained that payments are a unique case.

“The underlying business model for the web is kind of broken,” he said. And that’s partly by design: Enormous companies with vested interests in existing payment and monetization structures are always working to maintain the status quo or shift it in a favorable direction — companies like Google that rely on advertising, or Visa and others that power traditional payment methods.

Payments giant Stripe debuts a credit card in its latest step into the financing fray

“From our perspective, what the standard is ultimately competing with is proprietary platforms with billions in funding,” Thomas said.

The $100M fund will be spread out over five years or so, and will be awarded both to companies and people that use or plan to use the Web Monetization standard in an interesting way, and to content creators who are poorly served by existing monetization methods.

Long tail content that’s nevertheless important, like investigative journalism or documentaries from and by marginalized communities, is one of the targets for the fund. Grants could come in the form of direct funding, or matching subscribers’ contributions. There’s no quid pro quo, Thomas said, except for a hard minimum of half the content being released under an open license like Creative Commons — which that organization is likely excited about.

Right now a subscription-based browser extension that allows easy payments to sites that have implemented the standard is the only way to get in the door. Admittedly that’s not a very sexy onboarding experience. But part of the fund is intended to juice the development and adoption of the standard much more widely.

It’s a way — though an expensive one, sure — to show that an alternative model exists to the traditional ad-based or subscription-based methods of supporting content.

You can sign up now to be notified when they start accepting grant applications at grantfortheweb.org.

#TechCrunch

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marymosley · 5 years ago

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Role of Courts in Indian Cinema

I do not want my house to be walled in all the sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any – Mahatma Gandhi

INTRODUCTION

Indian cinema attracts a wide range of viewers and is one of the largest cinema hubs in the world. In FY 2019, the box office revenue in India was INR 142 billion, a number that is mind-boggling.[1] Apart from the fondness towards cinemas, as per the statistics, going for movies is the cheapest outing option available to a family of four.[2] Now, let’s flip back to a time wherein you were eagerly waiting for a movie to hit the theatres so that you could go and watch its first show on the first day. How badly would you have resented wherein just one week before the release had the movie been banned? The movies being banned in India is not a new phenomenon and its reasons include the explicit portrayal of sexual content, the political angle attached to the movie, if it hurts the religious sentiments of the people, or if there is an incorrect portrayal of a public figure.

Movies exhibit ground reality and it is one of the most captivating forms of audiovisual which can have a huge impact on the viewers’ minds. It gains the attention of the viewers quickly due to the combination of different factors such as the intense light of the screen, the sound, you can watch the characters come to life and the environment of the theatre as we all know eliminates any form of distraction.[3] Hence, the Apex Court has ruled that it is essential to certify the movies as Unrestricted (“UA”), Adult (“A”), Under Parental Guidance (“UA”), or Restricted to any special class of persons (“S”), before it hits the cinemas, as it can easily motivate and influence people and hence cannot be equated with other forms of expression or communication.[4]

Film censorship was introduced in the colonial era and it continues to exist even today. The controversies regarding film censorship by the Central Board of Film Certification (“CBFC”) and the States is not something that is novel. States have been equally involved in banning movies. For instance, the Padmavat row, there was a huge hue and cry regarding this movie right from the inception, the sets were burnt, death threats were made, and all of this took place without even knowing the actual content of the movie. The Supreme Court came to the rescue of the artists and held that the States cannot ban the movies once it has been cleared by the CBFC. Further, it is difficult to understand the relevance of changing the name from Padmavati to Padmavat and the difference it made in the end.

CENSORSHIP VIS-À-VIS ARTICLE 19

Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech and expression subject to reasonable restrictions. Article 19(1)(a) does not list down the different mediums of expressions that fall within its ambit. However, motion pictures are one of the forms of expression and hence receive the protection of Article 19.

Article 19 mentions “freedom of speech and expression” which is significantly different from the mere mentioning of “speech and expression”. This article protects the former one and not the latter one as the former one recognizes the fact that a person has the liberty to express his/her ideas but that does not mean he/she can say whatever or whenever they want to.[5]

It has been held by the Apex Court that movies are much different from other mediums of expression, for instance, the printed word, and hence, it needs to be certified and the certification is well within the scope of Article 19. Pre-censorship was held to be constitutionally valid in the landmark case of K.A. Abbas v. Union of India[6] (“K.A. Abbas”).

The Central Board of Film Certification (nomenclature has been changed from Central Board of Film Censorship), has been established under the Cinematograph Act, 1972 (“Act”) and as the name suggests, it is for certification of movies. However, under Section 4 of the Act, the CBFC has also been given the power to refuse the sanctioning of a film for public exhibition. Despite the change in name, there is a little change in the role of CBFC and it continues to ban movies on hare-brained grounds. Once the movie has been certified it should be left to the viewers’ decision as to whether they wish to watch the movie or not.

The CBFC has been resistant to change and the same is evident from the fact that in the year 2002 when Vijay Anand, the Chairman of CBFC, had proposed changes in the censorship law and had also suggested that films with explicit sexual content should be portrayed too, the government prevented the entire action and did not even consider to look into the matter[7]. It is pertinent to note the observations of the Shyam Benegal Committee constituted to recommend guidelines for certification of movies and it had suggested that the role of CBFC should be limited to mere certification of movies and that the system of suggesting alterations in the movie should be completely done away with.[8] The Committee had submitted its report in April, 2016, however, until now no action has been taken.

Ever wondered whether the content being shown on the OTT platforms such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, or Disney+Hotstar is censored or not or how do they manage to portray content that has explicit sexuality and extreme violence. In response to an RTI filed by India Today TV, it has been confirmed that neither the CBFC nor the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology regulates the content being shown on the OTT platforms. Thus, it can be seen that this is a positive step towards the premise that it should be left on the viewers’ choice as to whether they want to watch a particular content or not. A similar approach should be followed by CBFC too and the powers of the CBFC should be restricted to mere certification of movies.

THE ROLE OF JUDICIARY

Under the Indian Constitution, the powers and functions have been allocated between the three organs, i.e. the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary, and all the three are required to work independently. However, another unique feature of our Constitution is the checks and balance system, wherein one organ keeps a check on the other organ and the same applies to the CBFC as well wherein the judiciary keeps a check on the CBFC. The British had kept the area of film censorship completely outside the purview of the judiciary, however, in the K.A. Abbas case, it was argued that there should lie an appeal with the courts, which the government agreed to and it was observed by the Apex Court that the same was necessary to remove the stigma around the film censorship in India.

It cannot be denied that the role of the judiciary in the case of Indian cinemas has brought in great relief to the filmmakers and audience and its role cannot be neglected as it has been massive. One such precedent is the case of Vinod Kumar Kanojia v. UOI[9], wherein the petitioner claimed that the use of the word ‘dhobi’ in the movie Dhobi Ghat is an insult to their community and that has affected and dented the feeling of the community. The Court said that firstly, the name in no manner can be offensive to a particular community, and secondly, it pointed out that the PIL’s were being misused to gain personal interests and the issues raised have no nexus with the public interest. Had there been a violation of any act or rules by the CBFC, they would have interfered, but just because the name of the movie is Dhobi Ghat, it does not fall within that sphere of protection.

Another such precedent is the case of Rashtravaddi Shiv Sena v. Sanjay Leela Bhansali[10], wherein the Delhi High Court rightly pointed out that our Constitution grants not only freedom of speech but freedom after speech. The petitioners contended that the name of the movie is Ramleela and it gives a wrong impression of the movie being based on Lord Ram’s life whereas on the other hand the movie is completely based on violence and is filled with vulgarity. The petitioners further contended that the movie deliberately aimed at hurting the religious sentiments of the people. The Court said that the Constitution provides for prior restraint, however, the weighing scale needs to be favored towards the artists who should have room to showcase their art in the form of movies. The petitioners had admitted that they had not watched the movie. The Court further pointed out that the title, scenes, and dialogues should not be judged from a weak-minded person’s point of view. The movie was released and it crossed the 100 crore mark at the box office, which again shows that the final decision should rest with the viewers.[11]

The Bombay High Court in a recent judgment, Children’s Film Society v. CBFC, slammed the CBFC and held that CBFC should not be the one deciding what a person should watch. The CBFC in this case had granted a U/A certificate to the movie Chidiakhana. The order of the Bombay High Court made some really strong observations about CBFC and it further said that the role of CBFC will have to be redefined. The Court pointed out that merely by deleting one or two scenes from the movie would not change the ground reality and that movies can be used as a medium to educate children about the issues existing in the society. The Bombay High Court also noted that the role of the CBFC is to certify the movies and not censor them.[12]

It is not just the CBFC but even the state governments have played an active role in banning the movies. In S. Rangarajan v. P. Jagjivan Ram[13] case, the state government banned the movie, Ore Oru Gramathile. Further, when challenged in the Madras High Court, the “U” certificate granted to the movie was revoked on the ground that the release of the movie would lead to demonstrations in the state. However, the Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the High Court and held that the freedom of speech and expression cannot be compromised upon, due to the threats of demonstration and violence.

The movie Da Vinci Code despite being given an ‘A’ certificate by the CBFC was banned in several states on the ground that it hurt the religious sentiments of the Christian and the Muslim community. Further, a PIL was filed to ban the movie and the selling of the original novel on which the movie was based, throughout India, which was rejected by the Apex Court. The Supreme Court further pointed out that the movie had not been banned in any of the Christian dominated countries and there was no legitimate ground brought forward by the petitioners to ban the movie in India.[14] Later on, the High Courts of various states revoked the ban.[15] The Madras High court while revoking the ban held that[16]:

“When our Courts have considered it their duty and responsibility to intervene when even the Central Board of Film Certification interferes with the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression, the duty and responsibility is heavier in this case where the film has got the Censors’ approval and yet, the petitioners have been prevented from exhibiting the film by an order which has no reasonable basis. Therefore, the impugned order is void for contravention of the fundamental right.”

The Apex Court, in the case of Harinder S. Sikka v. Union of India has made it amply clear that once the movie has been certified by the CBFC, no body, group, association or individual can obstruct the screening of the movie. It further noted that once the movie has been certified, unless the certification is modified or altered by a superior authority, there should not be any hindrance caused in releasing the movie.[17]

CONCLUSION

The list of the number of movies banned in India is endless right from the first movie that was banned by the CBFC i.e. Neel Akshar Neechey to other movies such as Bandit Queen, Madras Café, Fire, Final Solution, and so on. The CBFC, sometimes, instead of refusing to grant the certification asks the movie producers to remove certain parts, i.e. cut scenes from the movies, for instance, movies like Padmavat, Udta Punjab, and Hava Aane Dey were asked to cut out several scenes from the movie. No doubt, the essence of the movie is lost altogether when so many parts are required to be cut.

However, banning the movies is not the solution and the same is evident from the fact that when the movie India’s Daughter was released on YouTube, after being banned in India, it received thousands of views. Sadly, the movie was again taken down as requested by the government. On the other hand, the judiciary in India has played an active role in upholding the freedom of speech and expression of the artists along with ensuring the need for certification. Moreover, the courts have not shied away from its responsibilities to ensure that the essence of the Indian Constitution is always upheld. Further, it has been rightly pointed out by Mahatma Gandhi that the windows should be kept open and different cultures should be allowed to be blown around the house. Maybe, someday the essence of his words will be reflected in the way Indian movies are certified.

[1] Sanika Diwanji, Film Industry in India – Statistics and Facts (Jan. 22, 2020), https://ift.tt/31zQWHU

[2] Pratik et al., If not cinemas, where would families go?, OTT vs Cinemas: “The new kingmakers have the industry’s veto power” (June 10, 2020), https://ift.tt/2XBsbKn

[3] S. Rangarajan v. P. Jagjivan Ram, 2 S.C.C. 574, 592 (Mad. H.C. 1989).

[4] Ira Bhaskar, Vetting Important, Do we need a film censor? (April 13, 2017 : 23:28 PM) https://ift.tt/2XGgORk

[5] M.P. Singh, Clause 1(a): Freedom of Speech and Expression 136 (13th ed. 2019).

[6] 2 S.C.R. 446, (1971).

[7] Someswar Bhowmik, Politics of Film Censorship: Limits of Tolerance, Economic and Political Weekly 3574, 3574 (2002) https://www.jstor.org/stable/4412538?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3A81b32afab6d9b4c96b3c8fa6e558c867&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

[8] Report Summary: Report of the Expert Committee on CBFC, https://ift.tt/31Af6ls

[9] 2010 SCC OnLine Del 3344.

[10] 2013 SCC OnLine Del 4085.

[11] Goliyon ke raas-leela Ram-Leela enters Rs. 100 crore club, Deepika’s fourth blockbuster of the year (Nov. 26, 2013 : 19:52 PM), https://ift.tt/3ikXpx3

[12] Bombay HC raps CBFC over kids film certification, says it will not decide what people should watch, Economic Times, (Jul. 06, 2019), https://ift.tt/2C9aZUU

[13] 2 S.C.C. 574, 592 (Mad. H.C. 1989)

[14] SC rejects plea to ban “Da Vinci Code”, Times of India, (Jun. 13, 2006), https://ift.tt/33GinCw

[15] Potter Stewart, The Ban Story, Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself, https://ift.tt/2k8wNXh

[16] Sony Pictures Releasing of India Ltd. v. State of T.N., 2006 SCC OnLine Mad 591.

[17] SC allows release of movie on Guru Nanak’s life, says Censor Board’s approval is final (April 10, 2018 : 05:08 PM), https://ift.tt/3in0Pzo

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easyfoodnetwork · 5 years ago

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Shutterstock/Kondor83 Restaurant employees from Kentucky, North Dakota, New York, Oregon, and Minnesota share their stories Last week, President Trump formed the Economic Revival Industry Group, a collection of 200 experts and industry leaders to inform the (possibly ill-advised) campaign to re-open the economy. The group, focused on restaurants, included numerous chain CEOs and celebrity chef-owners like Wolfgang Puck and Thomas Keller. And though the latter could hardly be expected to advocate for the needs of restaurant owners whose restaurants don’t have Michelin stars, there is another group notably absent from the committee: restaurant workers. Independent restaurant owners are struggling with the realities and uncertainties of life in a pandemic, whether it’s having to lay off employees or trying to keep people paid as the business pivots to take-out only. But for your average food service worker — servers, bartenders, line cooks, and baristas — there is even less support. Restaurant employees made up 60 percent of the jobs lost in March. Twenty-two million people filed for unemployment in the past four weeks, leaving unemployment websites overwhelmed. The Paycheck Protection Program, which offers federal loans in exchange for keeping employees on payroll, is out of money. All this adds up to millions of food service workers being left without a paycheck. Despite Trump’s plans, no one knows what the restaurant industry is going to look like on the other side of the pandemic. And so workers wait, hoping their restaurants will reopen, hoping they or their coworkers will be rehired, hoping there will be a workplace to come back to. As chains and fine-dining chefs are the only ones with access to the White House, it’s important to remember their experiences do not represent the restaurant industry as a whole. Whether or not restaurant workers, not merely restaurateurs, feel supported will be the true test of any government program’s success. With that in mind, we spoke to five restaurant workers across the country on what they’re experiencing right now. These are stories in their own words, edited lightly for clarity. Gregg Adams, line cook at J Harrods, Louisville, Kentucky The chef and I are the only kitchen staff left of four full-time and two part-timers. He takes a salary, I am on reduced hours, which means less money to repair the house and cars, much less save anything. Since this began we have been steadily losing customers. Our food isn’t geared for takeout, though we changed the menu some. Also, we made a lot of our money through drinks. Initially, the state only allowed the sale of closed alcohol containers, and some restaurants started selling flight bottles and half pints with soda or cup mixer on the side. Within a week, open alcohol sales were allowed rather than just packaged liquor, but it was too late for those who followed the rules. I’m hanging in there, but I’m lucky. Not much has changed for me and my family. My wife is on medical disability with fixed income and doesn’t leave the house much. My teenager already practiced social distancing. My 26-year-old is working 60 hours a week at a local coffee chain. My 25-year-old works for UPS. I’m blessed to have employment. I know three other cooks and two chefs who are unemployed. But I can’t plan anything for anything now. I’m wondering about my concert tickets and my child’s education if my older children will get sick, and what my options are in general. I’m trying to not panic. Massoud Violette-Sheikh, sous chef at the Heights, Ithaca, New York I am 23 years old and have been working in the industry for five years, starting as a dishwasher at the Heights. My start in the industry was mainly out of necessity — dishwashing offered good hours and the possibility of upward mobility in the restaurant. But the work ethic and our local food community was contagious; I wouldn’t want to be in any other industry, even in these times. I rose to sous this past year. In an area where we are financially dependent on Ithaca College and Cornell as our main contributors to economic stimulation, this has train-wrecked the local economy. At the Heights, all staff with the exception of our chef de cuisine have been temporarily let go. I think the post-pandemic dining landscape is going to be entirely different — staff cuts, wage cuts, and mandatory seating reduction will absolutely affect how we are able to eat. Even the most luxurious restaurants will have to cut back on menus, garnishes, and available reservations. I’m hopeful that diners will come out in droves after restaurants open up, but realistically that’s not likely. The social habits that we develop will linger. I spend a lot of time talking with my close friends and coworkers. Everyone just wants to be back in the kitchen — to be back home. As an individual I’m grateful for private grants such as the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund — programs like that are going to be our saviors. But our primary concern is how long our local independent restaurants, farms, and purveyors will be able to stay open. The debt to equity ratio in our industry is very high, and I expect to see places sink into irreversible debt. I hope customers will be patient as we get back on our feet; without their support, all that will be left is Chili’s and McDonald’s. Marlena Chaboudy, cook at A Frame Bar & Grill, Westhope, North Dakota Busy season is the beginning of spring through the end of summer. We are situated on Lake Metigoshe, and when the snow melts people start moving in their boats and readying their docks to enjoy their summer. We were all gearing up for that when the spread of the virus hit hard and hours were cut. Our place was then shut down for dine-in service and we tried to stay positive. I found out the secret was really not to make eye contact, because if I saw one of us start to tear up, it opened the floodgates for me. I’m behind in rent, my vehicle is in need of a few repairs. I had planned on moving closer to work — I live about 40 miles away — and found a place, but will have to come by money for the utility and house deposits and rent in order to do so. My fiancé and I live together, and he also works at the A-Frame as a dishwasher. He has filed for unemployment but has a limited work history and hasn’t paid in enough in the quarters to draw unemployment. And he won’t get the one-sum stimulus check either, and that’s going to hurt. Living in a rural community, you can’t count on anything for relief. You can’t count on the small town store to get a delivery truck, or go to the store the same day and be able to buy a roll of toilet paper or a dozen eggs. I can’t guarantee that my internet will be functional much less my phone service, and trying to even access the unemployment website can take all day. You go to the gas station for a treat and you never know if they are open because if they haven’t had enough business that day to justify keeping the lights on, or paying an employee to sit there, they close early. I don’t think the aid the government is giving is enough. Not at all! It’s getting bad everywhere. The people in the foodservice industry are the “blue collar” workers that everyone forgets about. We are not paid as much as the blue collar norm and making ends meet isn’t looking possible for most. Rae Bullinger, former front of house at Rise Bagels, Minneapolis We closed our dining room around March 16th, but kept our online and takeout phone ordering systems the same. After closing the dining room, it was fairly slow that first week, but we kept advertising the online and pick-up ordering and by the weekend our system just couldn’t keep up. On my weekend shift, we were so overwhelmed with online orders overnight that we actually had to turn the first customers away, because we were still trying to catch up with the online orders. The next day is when the owners decided to temporarily close. Before coronavirus, we had a good sense of how many bagels we needed each day of the week to fill our normal amount of orders. Once we started advertising more about online and phone ordering mid-March, our demand shifted to a point we couldn’t have predicted. Before I started my job at Rise Bagel, I was a graduate student in the psychology field. I had to take a leave of absence in October due to an inpatient stay for my mental health, and decided to put school on pause and pursue a new career in food sustainability. I thought getting my foot in the door at a local restaurant that focuses on local, organic ingredients and sustainable practices would provide me with some great insight. The job finally gave me a sense of purpose and control when I hadn’t had that in a long time. However, when we suddenly had to close, it was like my sense of purpose also disappeared. My job was the one thing that kept me feeling certain about my future. Uncertainty about my future at Rise has led to an increase in my anxiety around leaving school and my future career. I have many fears of having to start all over again, and it’s hard to stay motivated when I can’t gain restaurant experience from my home. Here in Minnesota, individual unemployment benefits are only given if you had made $3,000 or more before unemployment. Because I was in graduate school and had only been at my job at Rise for a few months, I did not meet this requirement and will not be receiving any unemployment benefits. For those making minimum wage (aka many of those in the food service industry), prerequisites like this may have some major impacts. I’m incredibly thankful to be living at home during this time with great support, but I couldn’t imagine being in a more dire situation and then denied benefits based on something I may not have had control over. I’m really glad something is being done for small business owners, but what really matters is what happens after this. A restaurant will only survive if better legislation is passed and people continue to visit even after social distancing orders are lifted. The attention and support food service employees and places are getting right now is amazing, but systematic change needs to occur for them to continue to survive. Ashton Long, bartender, Portland, Oregon We were all in an especially odd situation because we had just all been through training and had opened the restaurant, Bar King, to the public Monday, March 9th. Our restaurant closed down to the public on March 15th and began only providing takeout orders. Luckily, right now it is looking like we’ll be opening back up and all have our jobs back, but when? I don’t think anyone has even a clue. And that is terrifying. My partner and I moved here in early January of this year. Luckily, he works from home, but I set out to find a job as soon as I got here, and even with my experience and my resume, it took me nearly two months to find something because of how competitive the service industry staffing is in Portland. I exhausted nearly all of my savings and threw all of my faith into the fact that I’d find a job when I got here, and then I worked for literally two weeks and then lost my job. I don’t remember a time in my life where I didn’t have two jobs and work anywhere from 40 to 70 hours a week, so having this much free time, and on such an incredibly STRICT budget of one income, has been extremely challenging to fill. While I think the stimulus money is great, and quite literally a life saver for many — including me — unemployment has been a literal shit show and a nightmare to deal with. I still have yet to see any benefits or correspondence from either Michigan or Oregon to figure out what I need to do in this situation where I lived and worked in Michigan last year and Oregon now. While I do understand that having 2.2 MILLION people sign up for unemployment in the last month is overwhelming, if it weren’t for the stimulus check and my partner, I could very well be on my way back to Michigan right now to live with family. And as a 25-year-old who has never had to consider an option like that because I’ve always had work and savings, that is a horrifying and scary scenario. If you’re a food service worker, Eater wants to hear your story. Please fill out this survey. from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3cz9Lic

http://easyfoodnetwork.blogspot.com/2020/04/dispatches-from-food-service-workers.html

#EasyFoodNetwork #ComfortFoodRecipes #EasyRecipes #GoodFood #BestComfortFoodRecipes #TastyFoodv

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courtneytincher · 6 years ago

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The G7 Should Pressure China but Find a Solution with Russia

Another G7 summit impends, in Biarritz, France, with few achievements likely. Although the gathering might avoid last year’s dramatic photo of President Donald Trump staring down the other attendees, expectations are low. No effort will be made to draft a final statement, a first for the group, which began in 1975. Given the members’ divisions, the attempt would be “pointless,” observed French President Emmanuel Macron, who blamed “a very deep crisis of democracy.” The G7 no longer has the heft it once had. Its members still dominate the world’s economy, but not to the same degree. During the 1980s, G7 members accounted for about 70 percent of the world’s GDP. That number now is below half. Moreover, the members have only about a tenth of the world’s population. And turning the G8 into the G7 by expelling Russia meant losing a member that was more important than its economic role alone would suggest.Attendees this weekend also might have trouble making their decisions stick. The newly-installed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson might be out of a job in weeks. So could Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who trails in polls for elections in October. Meanwhile, Italy’s ruling coalition just collapsed and Germany’s long-serving Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is a lame duck. Finally, Macron endures even lower poll ratings than Trump, who faces an election next year. Only Japanese leader Shinzo Abe seems secure politically.However, the G7 meeting offers the most important leaders of the most important Western nations an opportunity for serious discussions of important issues, conducted privately though not secretly. Indeed, this grouping has the advantage of being more personal, about the leaders, than institutional, about the countries. Members can more easily focus the meeting on what they want, irrespective of the formal agenda.Even before the summit’s start, Trump roiled the proceedings as is his want by proposing that Moscow be invited next year to the meeting hosted by the United States. Trump apparently offered this without much diplomatic preparation and—rather like his off-the-cuff comment about buying Greenland before his aborted trip to Denmark—it sparked European opposition. However, Macron commented favorably on the idea, though adding that it would be a “strategic error” to do so before resolving the Russo-Ukraine conflict.In fact, adding Russia is a surprisingly good idea. President Vladimir Putin, suspended in 2014, has not transformed himself into a liberal Western democrat. However, keeping him outside the club isn’t going to cause him to become one either. And Moscow’s permanent estrangement only serves the interest of China, an even more authoritarian, powerful, and dangerous opponent of Western liberalism to which Russia has moved closer.Inviting Putin back into the club should be part of a process to achieve peace and stability in Eastern Europe and pull Moscow back from its embrace of China. Only compromise can prevent the divide from becoming permanent. This weekend, G7 participants should chat about options to simultaneously secure Ukraine and accommodate Russia.For instance, the allies could drop plans for North Atlantic Treaty Organization expansion, limit military aid to Kyiv, and end economic sanctions. In return, Russia could abandon support for Donbas rebels in Ukraine, grant Kyiv full navigational access in contested waters, and stop using natural gas as a weapon. Both sides could eschew political interference in the other’s affairs—after all, America and Ukraine are not blame-free in this regard. Kyiv would be left to forge whatever economic ties it desired east and west. If the allies left Biarritz with a determination to reach such an agreement, its fulfillment could be celebrated with Russia attending next year’s newly-reinstated G8 enclave.Moreover, G7 members should use their forum to develop a common policy to press Xi and the People’s Republic of China to respect human rights and international norms. The back-drop of mass protests in Hong Kong makes the issue particularly pressing. Even so, it is important not to inflate the threat posed by China. The People’s Republic of China faces significant economic, social, and political challenges, and poses no direct military danger to America or Europe. The problem for Japan is greater, but still limited mostly to a handful of contested islands.However, Beijing’s widespread, sometimes brutal crackdown at home, increasingly threatening approach to both Hong Kong and Taiwan, and more aggressive stance toward territorial disputes challenge common Western interests and values. Members of the European Union and NATO, as well as the United States, have expressed concern over Beijing’s course. A united diplomatic stand by leading Western states would be more likely to temper the People’s Republic of China’s international behavior. This would especially be true if accompanied by a message of accommodation to Moscow which helped the latter see its interests better served by leaning West. Brexit is likely to be decided one way or another by next year’s meeting anyway. But, the G7 summit provides an opportunity for informal meetings on how the United Kingdom, assuming it leaves, with or without an exit agreement, relates to both America and Europe. The fabled Special Relationship may be near the end of its life, but Washington and London still have reason to cooperate closely. Nevertheless, the UK’s positions on many issues remain closer to those of Europe. Constructing a new, positive, enduring relationship with London requires that the Trump administration not squeeze the potentially fragile Johnson government too hard. Irrespective of the UK’s looming departure from the EU, Trump has made the U.S.-European relationship unnecessarily hostile. Although he is right to criticize the continent’s military dependence on America, the relationship remains important. It is in Washington’s interest to retain positive ties with Europe as well as the UK.The forum also offers an opportunity to bring together many of the combatants in President Trump’s multiple trade wars. That could allow him to set priorities. For instance, the administration continues to threaten to sanction European automobile-makers and Japanese products as part of ongoing trade talks. Yet the economic battle with China, which reflects so much more than pure commercial concerns, deserves the most attention. Furthermore, joint action by America, EU, and Japan—toward Huawei, for instance—would have a greater impact on the People’s Republic of China. Thus, summit attendees should discuss a common position on economic ties with Beijing. More broadly, these democratic and market-friendly nations should pursue a common trade agenda. Finally, a good place to start would be Trump’s idea of triple zero: no tariffs, non-tariff barriers, or subsidies. The G7 could encourage his rare pro-free trade moment. Finally, Trump should use the meeting to advance his America-first foreign policy—a particularly useful effort with an election approaching—but without trashing the allies. Instead of publicly berating the Europeans for their anemic military efforts, he should privately prepare them for upcoming U.S. force withdrawals. How they responded would be left up to them. While beginning to shed—rather than share—defense burdens, Trump should emphasize that the U.S. plans to maintain a good relationship with its international friends. The change in approach would be subtle but critical: Washington would simply decide its own policies rather than attempt to control what its allies do. If past is prologue, nothing much should be expected from Biarritz. However, it isn’t too late to use the time productively. Substantive talks would be more critical than sanitized communiques which even Macron admits that no one reads.Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He is the author of Foreign Follies: America’s New Global Empire.Image: Reuters

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

August 23, 2019 at 01:09PM via IFTTT

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martechadvisor-blog · 7 years ago

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Can the Cookie Survive the Changing Ecosystem?

Adam Corey, CMO, Tealium talks about why cookies will still hold a crucial role in the changing digital ecosystem

These are tantalizing times for cookie cynics. Data privacy is now at the forefront of digital advertising and cookies are firmly under the microscope. Not only have technology giants limited third-party tracking cookie usage — see Apple’s Safari 11 update — but authorities are clamping down on data management. In May, the globally-applicable General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will enforce robust new restrictions on how personal information, including identifying cookies, can be accessed, processed, and stored.

Some are asking if cookies are tough enough to survive in the changing digital ecosystem. But stand down, cookie critics. They still hold a crucial role, but they must be reborn on a foundation on consent, trust, transparency, and a true value exchange.

Let’s explore what that means in a little more detail.

Distinguishing types of cookies

There are two types of cookie tracking: first-party and third-party. The former is created by the website the user visits, and the latter created by the brands advertising on that site. It’s use of third-party cookies that tend to cause the most concern to consumers, and it’s this that has, in part, triggered the need for legislation such as the GDPR.

How the GDPR impacts cookies

The GDPR categorizes any cookies that can be used in isolation or combination with other insights to identify individuals as personal data: names, IP addresses, emails, and contact details. However, cookies at their foundation are device identifiers, not people identifiers. By obtaining consent and utilizing cookies in the manner in which they were intended – to track devices and not identify personal data – marketers can glean helpful insights without comprising data privacy.

Cookies are subject to the GDPR’s consent rule, which goes beyond even California’s robust privacy notices and requires companies to ask for permission before collating data. The same also goes for third-party tracking tools; in fact, organizations will also be accountable if the tools they employ don’t follow the rules. Once GDPR is in place, the default setting of browsers will be to disallow cookies. This is where the need for value exchange, trust, and transparency comes into play. Unless individuals actively decide to opt-in, the cookie will meet its demise and companies must look towards alternative tracking solutions.

While previously implied consent was sufficient – remember those pop-up ‘By using this site, you accept cookies’ messages – this will no longer fly. And it must be easy to withdraw consent once given, with an opt-out option made readily available.

This is especially pertinent given the recent revisions to the EU e-Privacy Directive, which also stipulates that organizations are obliged to explain data processes in a way that is easily understandable to consumers. Businesses must outline what data they will be collecting and what it will be used for, in simple terms, so that users can give informed consent.

Consumer data that companies have long taken for granted is now in jeopardy – that’s unless they change their ways. So how can the cookie continue its reign post-GDPR?

A catalyst for quality

**Marketers must ensure they are providing an incentive for individuals to opt-in to cookies.** Bur first, individuals must have complete trust that their data is not being misused. With 57% of consumers saying they do not trust how brands use their data, it’s not going to be a simple task. But once trust is gained, the relationship shifts and consumers become more willing to share data. In fact, a recent DataIQ study found the number of consumers who are happy to share their data if they trust the company increased from 16% to 30% between 2016 and 2018. The tide is turning towards trust, and this is essential for success in the post-GDPR world.

**To encourage consumers to take affirmative action and opt-in for cookies, there needs to be a clear rationale on why this will benefit them.** Marketers must be able to show a data-value exchange. This can be achieved by delivering highly targeted, creative, and personalized ads in real time, executed on user-friendly formats. Once consumers see the value they gain from sharing data – and understand why marketers retrieved it in the first place – they are more likely to grant access to their insights.

The final piece of the puzzle is transparency. Marketers must be fully open about why and how they are using customer data. In fact, nearly half of those surveyed in a DataIQ study said they are happy to be tracked this as long as they are informed and are presented with the choice.

The end isn’t nigh for cookies — nor is it likely to be anytime soon. But if marketers wish to continue retrieving valuable insights from cookie tracking, they must provide a clear incentive for consumers to opt-in. **Individuals value trust, transparency, freedom, and value exchange, and catering to these qualities is key to excel in consent-driven, post-GDPR world.**

This article was first appeared on MarTech Advisor

#martech #marketing #technology #business #cmo

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djgblogger-blog · 8 years ago

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Real security requires strong encryption – even if investigators get blocked

http://bit.ly/2ilcIIW

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What's the best way to keep data secure? Victor Moussa/Shutterstock.com

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice have been fighting against easy, widespread public access to encryption technologies for 25 years. Since the bureau’s dispute with Apple in 2016 over access to the encrypted iPhone of one of the two people who shot 14 victims in San Bernardino, California, this battle has become more pitched.

This dispute is not about whether regular people can or should use encryption: The U.S. government is in favor of using encryption to secure data. Rather, it’s about the FBI’s demand that encryption systems include “exceptional access,” enabling police who get a warrant to circumvent the encryption on a device or on an encrypted call.

Nearly every element of American society is a potential target for sophisticated hackers. That makes the conflict complicated; giving law enforcement officers a way into secure systems makes breaking in easier for others as well. In 2016, I testified before Congress in support of Apple and against the FBI position; and as I explain in my forthcoming book, “Listening In: Cybersecurity in an Insecure Age,” the FBI’s stance would make people, and society, less secure, not more so.

A new battle in an old war

An export-restricted encryption algorithm was printed on a T-shirt as a form of protest in the 1990s. Adam Back

Today, the American public is engaged in the second round of what have been called the “encryption wars.” During the 1990s, the U.S. had restrictions on encryption software and algorithms, allowing their use within the country, but preventing them from being exported to other countries. As a result, U.S. software companies faced a choice between creating two versions of every program – a strong system for U.S. customers and a weak system for everyone else – or providing only the weak version. Most chose the latter. That limited the availability of encryption software in the U.S., so export control worked well for both the NSA’s intelligence gatherers and the FBI’s investigators.

But in 2000, the two agencies’ interests split. The Clinger-Cohen Act required the U.S. Department of Defense to buy commercially available communications and computer equipment – and the agency wanted encryption built in. To boost the strength of cryptography in the marketplace, the NSA supported loosening the export controls.

This was a time when NSA itself was facing a new reality. Encrypted communications had become the norm in government work – and not just for technologically sophisticated nations. NSA adapted. Details are shrouded in secrecy, but we know that just like hackers, NSA takes advantage of unpatched vulnerabilities to break in to targets. NSA also relies heavily on communications metadata, the when, where, how long – and sometimes who – of a communication. And NSA apparently uses stealthy techniques, such as intercepting communication equipment while being shipped, to install eavesdropping tools. The result? Despite widespread use of encryption by its targets, NSA is largely able to obtain the information it seeks.

Adapting to an encrypted world

Today, the FBI is facing a similar situation to the NSA’s two decades ago. Consumer products and apps like WhatsApp regularly use strong encryption to protect communications and devices. And sometimes that prevents investigators from viewing potential evidence – as it did in San Bernardino, for a time. The bureau can keep fighting the battle to weaken encryption, which it has been losing for decades, or it can follow the NSA’s lead and adapt.

Police without a back door into encryption systems have several options. Since at least the early 2000s, the FBI has been getting court orders letting agents hack into criminals’ computer and communication systems to install recording and surveillance software. But that’s not the only possibility for investigators.

Other kinds of nonencrypted data may provide valuable information that can serve as an alternative, and computer systems can be enormously helpful in finding and analyzing that data. In the wake of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, investigators had to wade through paper copies of phone company records to discover who talked to whom when, and from there draw connections between members of the bombing conspiracy. Modern software – and digital phone, financial and other records available with a warrant – can make that analysis immeasurably faster.

Former federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald explains how technology assists criminal investigators.

The “internet of things” provides another potential treasure trove for investigators: In one instance, for example, the history of a person’s heart rate as measured by his data-collecting pacemaker led to his indictment for arson when his story of his actions during the fire didn’t hold up. In another case, a woman’s activity level, as tracked by her Fitbit, contradicted her husband’s account of her death – and led to murder charges against him.

Following suspects is a third area where technology really helps police: Using a team of trackers cost approximately US$275 an hour – but tracking a suspect’s phone as it travels drops the price to $5.21 an hour.

Such technological advances aren’t used as easily by state and local investigators, who conduct more than half of law enforcement wiretaps in the U.S. Sometimes state and local police are stymied by relatively simple issues, such as the wide variety of phones, internet providers and data formats. In 2013, the FBI stepped up to help, creating training programs through its National Domestic Communications Assistance Center to help police gather digital evidence without needing to break encryption.

Even as these varied investigatory techniques will help, sometimes encryption will simply prevent investigators from getting the goods – or getting them quickly enough to prevent a crime. But law enforcement has always had to deal with blocks to obtaining evidence; the exclusionary rule, for example, means that evidence collected in violation of a citizen’s constitutional protections is often inadmissible in court.

Facing new threats

The importance of strong cryptography in protecting people’s privacy has become clearer in recent years. Attackers are more sophisticated – as shown in the 2015 Russian hack of the Democratic National Committee emails and the 2017 Equifax data breach, among others. And any groups “viewed as likely to shape future U.S. policies” were targets of Russian hacking efforts, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. That could include almost any organization – activist groups, church associations, community foundations, professional societies, nongovernmental organizations and more – that forms the underpinning of democratic societies.

This broad threat to fundamental parts of American society poses a serious danger to national security as well as individual privacy. Increasingly, a number of former senior law enforcement and national security officials have come out strongly in support of end-to-end encryption and strong device protection (much like the kind Apple has been developing), which can protect against hacking and other data theft incidents.

As technology changes, the jobs of police and intelligence workers must also change; in some ways, it will be harder, in others, easier. But the basic need for security supports the call for wide use of strong encryption – and without modifications that make it easy for Russians, or others, to break in.

Susan Landau has a research grant from Google. In the past she has received funding from NSF. She participates in a Berkman Center group that periodically publishes whitepapers on security and privacy issues related to the Internet.

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vrheadsets · 8 years ago

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Review: Archangel

Skydance Interactive’s efforts to pursue virtual reality (VR) entertainment should be commended. Having deployed an in-house team dedicated to development of several VR works, the studio is aiming for high-end visual quality and immersive gameplay. The first title to emerge, Archangel, achieves the former with grace, but sadly feels outdated with the latter.

In Archangel, the player is cast as military personnel designated as the pilot of a skyscraper-high mech. The videogame plays as an on-rails shooter, with the player granted no control over movement or pacing at any point. However, they are afforded the opportunity to wield a large variety of weaponry in an interesting manner.

Played with the HTC Vive motion-controllers (or Oculus Touch), each controller represents a different arm of the mech. Each arm is equipped with a time-limited shield, which the player can pull across their body to provide protection from incoming fire. The shields take time to regenerate and cannot be used whilst firing the weapon connected to that arm, resulting in quick-thinking to ensure full-body coverage whilst still being able to return fire.

The weaponry the player has available is vast in quantity and varied in execution, though finding a preferred balance of heavy-hitting and rapid fire will be easy for most. Archangel’s later challenging levels will put your dependence on favourite fire arms to the test, and may call for some changes in tactical aggression. However, the variety of enemies thrown into combat in the first half of the videogame won’t really provide much pause for thought.

On PlayStation VR Archangel feels right at home. The limited input options offered by the PlayStation Move controllers work well acting as the mech’s arms and the lack of manual navigation results in an experience that is paced perfectly for VR newcomers. On the more powerful and less restrictive VR hardware available for high-end PCs however, Archangel already feels dated.

The HTC Vive (and, to a lesser extent, the Oculus Rift), allow for free-form movement, and while it’s not essential for every videogame – EVE Valkyrie and Elite Dangerous in particular – it does place Archangel in a box which the core VR audience would naturally deem ‘dated’. PC-based VR has made rapid progress in the quality and variety of content offered in the 17 months since launch, and on-rails experiences have long been considered passé.

What Archangel does manage to achieve is a remarkably high quality of visual design. Despite the demands VR places upon hardware, Skydance Interactive has managed to produce some remarkably detailed environments and character models for the war to wage with. Of the highest standard yet seen in VR, Archangel’s visual fidelity ranks alongside the likes of Robo Recall and Lone Echo in terms of graphical prowess, if not for pushing the boundaries of VR gameplay.

Archangel accomplishes much of what it sets out to do; a frequently intense on-rails shooter that looks spectacular and challenges players within its own predetermined rule set. However, it’s perhaps a case of limited ambition from the start that has kept Archangel from achieving more, as the genre chosen was one born of hardware limitation decades ago, and even now in these early days of VR those limitations are simply no longer there.

60%

Awesome

Verdict

from VRFocus http://ift.tt/2uWwcuN

#VRFocus #vr #virtual reality #canada

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derechointernacionalpublico · 8 years ago

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United States’ Missile Strikes in Syria: Should International Law Permit Unilateral Force to Protect Human Rights?

A bounty of recent blog posts have poured over the legality of the Trump administration’s missile strikes against a Syrian airbase in response to President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons (see, e.g, here, here, here, here and here). Possible justifications have recently come to light, but do not provide a sufficient basis for the administration’s actions under international law (which is the focus of this post). Most commentators conclude that, absent UN Security Council authorisation or a justifiable claim of self-defence, international law provides no clear right for states to use force in response to such grave violations of human rights. Therefore, the strikes most likely contravene Article 2(4) UN Charter. With that analysis, I agree. The question that then arises, and which has received much less attention (although, see here and here), is the normative question: should international law permit such unilateral action (either individually or collectively) outside of the UN Charter framework?

The understandable response is that ‘something’ must be done and at least President Trump has acted where the international community has previously failed to do so. This sentiment is reflected in the opinions of a number of world leaders who appear to be supportive of the strikes against the Assad regime. Yet, notably, where countries have expressed support for the United States’ actions, they have not presented a legal justification for it. Regardless of whether we agree that the missile strikes are the right thing to do in response to a criminal regime gassing its own people (and there are serious doubts as to whether these strikes are an adequate or effective response), how should international law respond to such horrors as a general matter? What is the legal framework on which states can rely to do what they think is right? The most obvious option is a so-called ‘right of humanitarian intervention’, which has long been the subject of debate. This concept would serve as an independent legal basis, absent state consent, UN Security Council authorization or justifications of self-defence, for a state (or group of states) to use military force to protect individuals from egregious breaches of human rights occurring in a third state. Superficially, this might seem to be the answer. I think it is not. In an article just published in International & Comparative Law Quarterly, I argue that international law should not recognise such a right.

My position is in response to the invitation by Sir Daniel Bethlehem in 2013 (on this very blog) to knit together various threads of international legal practice to establish a ‘tapestry argument’ in support of such right. My article examines in depth the core ‘threads’ of Sir Daniel’s tapestry argument – that is, developments since World War II in international human rights law (IHRL), international humanitarian law (IHL) and international criminal law (ICL). Together, these advancements point to a paradigm shift in the foundations of international law that emphasizes the security of persons and peoples instead of only states. As such, Sir Daniel’s argument provides a degree of superficial support for a right of humanitarian intervention. The key question, however, is whether this evolution in the fabric of international law has affected the nature and extent of state sovereignty to such a degree that a right of humanitarian intervention should exist to reflect and support it. However, these developments only advance the argument for humanitarian intervention so far. The evolution of IHRL, IHL and ICL is progressive and ongoing and, while the focus on individuals and their security is increasing, its ability to account for humanitarian concerns is circumscribed.

Vitally, secondary rules that might enforce or reflect these developments are weak. Instead, these rules underscore the enduring importance of state consent, peaceful dispute resolution, and ex post facto accountability. The latter notably occurs via ICL, where enforcement and accountability take place in a courtroom rather than through military means. Therefore, while individuals are seen increasingly as bearers of rights and active subjects or participants in international law, there are restrictions on the extent to which third states or other actors can protect them. The potential for international law to monitor and curb state power is limited. These secondary rules create their own tapestry of international law, one that recognizes higher priorities such as the prohibition on the use of force, the comity of nations and the proper functioning of the international order. A right of humanitarian intervention would endanger this. It simply does not ‘fit’ with existing norms. Rather, the very concept risks tearing a hole in that tapestry. Therefore, when the notion of unilateral enforcement and protection of human rights is pitted against the preservation of state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international peace and security, the former mechanism must lose. This is the (perhaps unfortunate) response to Professor Koh and the argument that wrongfulness of military intervention might be precluded after the fact. Like Professor Lederman, I am forced to conclude that the laws on state responsibility do not provide for a current defence to a breach of the UN Charter in this way and neither should they be used to support a normative claim.

In addition, as part of assessing the role of humanitarian intervention in the international legal order, the risks and dangers of its abuse, doubts as to its efficacy in responding to humanitarian abuses, and its position in the wider context of collective security raise substantial concerns. Article 2(4) is under great strain in the post-9/11 world and further exceptions would only further endanger international peace and stability. One only needs to consider how President Putin drew on NATO’s action in Kosovo as a precedent for intervention in Ukraine, stating that it was a ‘humanitarian mission’. This shows the dangers of setting precedents of humanitarian intervention and the risk of this ‘right’ being used as a pretext for aggressive and unlawful behaviour. It should not therefore be called upon to fill an enforceability or accountability gap. Responding to a breach of one cardinal international rule with a breach of another would be a retrograde step in the development of international law.

None of this is to say that the international community should do nothing. We might rightly conclude that, in extreme circumstances, breaking the law is justified, where the aims being pursued are legitimate. While this position risks undermining the rule of law and potentially invites further such intervention, an argument can be made that it provides a ‘safety valve’ where the law provides no clear response to an extreme situation. Better that than a legally permissive precedent. This seems unsatisfactory, however. Therefore, we should look to changing the system so that, collectively, the international community may respond to these emergency situations. The issue is not that international law lacks the tools to deal with such atrocities. We only have to look back to Libya to see that the UN can and has authorised force for humanitarian purposes. Even if the long-term results in Libya have been disastrous, the problems stemmed from how the legal authority granted by the Security Council was used by states to intervene (and not used, in the case of post-conflict planning), not from the factor of the legal authorisation itself.

The current issue therefore is a lack of political will to act, not a lack of a legal toolkit. We therefore come to the elephant in the room. Arguably the better answer to the road block to ‘doing something’ is facing up to the conundrum that is the exercise of the veto power of the permanent members of the UN Security Council. As the case of Syria shows, the veto may prove fatal to preventing humanitarian disasters. Yet, rather than pointing to a need for a separate legal right humanitarian intervention, this arguably speaks more strongly in favour of institutional and procedural reform of the UN. This will allow responses to future humanitarian catastrophes to be dealt with lawfully, through the collective security framework of the UN Charter.

This issue is nothing new. It harkens back to the stalemates of the Cold War era where the UN Security Council was rendered powerless by the threat and exercise of the veto. One response is greater reliance on the UN General Assembly’s Uniting for Peace Resolution. Yet, structural and procedural reform of the Security Council would be a more effective option to allow for collective action to prevent or stop humanitarian disasters. While, unfortunately, this may not happen any time soon, a meaningful step forward would be for all members of the UN to finally commit to the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. Supporters of the Code pledge ‘to support timely and decisive action by the Security Council aimed at preventing or ending the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes’ and ‘to not vote against a credible draft resolution’ before the Security Council on timely and decisive action to end or prevent such crimes. As at 25 January 2017, 112 states are listed as supporters, including two permanent members of the Security Council (the United Kingdom and France). The United States, Russia and China are conspicuously absent. If President Trump truly wishes ‘to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria’ (and elsewhere), then absent pushing to amend the UN Charter and the structure of the Security Council, he could consider making this meaningful commitment to achieving that end, and call upon the remaining states to follow suit.

[via EJIL: Talk!]

http://www.dipublico.org/105752/united-states-missile-strikes-in-syria-should-international-law-permit-unilateral-force-to-protect-human-rights/

#2013 #Article #Cold War #IHL #International Comparative Law Quarterly #Libya #nations #President Bashar #President Trump #Professor Koh #prohibition #Sir Daniel Bethlehem #Syria #UN Security Council #veto

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