It’s not child’s play
Kinder has broken rules on junk food promotion, reports the Guardian. The UK Advertising Standards Agency ruled that by targeting advertising for chocolate at children through the use of “advergames” and videos, the chocolate behemoth had broken rules set by the Committee of Advertising Practice on the promotion of high fat, salt or sugar products to the under-16s. A series of websites, an app and a YouTube channel promoting the products have all been banned in the UK.
Meanwhile an “epidemic of sleeplessness” affecting children as a result of compulsive technology use has led the Information Commissioner to consider levying an £18m fine on social media companies if they send children notifications alerts at night. The Telegraph reports that the plans are part of a broader project to improve legislation for protecting children's privacy and data in the digital domain.
The Great Firewall of China
Google is developing a censored search engine specifically for China, according to The Daily Dot. Details that have emerged about the product indicate that Google will tie search results to individuals’ phone numbers—a move that will help the Chinese government better monitor its citizens. Google hasn’t publicly commented on the new product, but apparently some of its employees have started to resign over the company’s involvement.
Speaking of Google – the tech titan is fighting the extension of the European ‘right to be forgotten’ more globally, reports the BBC. Ironically, (certainly, if the Daily Dot is correct) Google argues that extending the law could turn it into a tool for censorship, in "less democratic" regimes.
“I’m not on the menu”
McDonald's workers across the US went on strike on Tuesday to demand that the company address what has been described as “rampant” sexual abuse and harassment, the Guardian writes. Workers described the company’s lack of action on sexual harassment as part of a larger culture of disrespecting and exploiting workers. A survey of the fast food industry in the US showed that forty percent of female fast food workers reported they had been sexually harassed.
In a stunningly tone-deaf move, Bloomberg reports McDonald’s is using the same law firm (Chicago-based Seyfarth) as that representing Harvey Weinstein to advise on its harassment policy. Women’s advocacy groups pointed out that the Seyfarth partner representing Weinstein Co. told Bloomberg that Mr Weinstein prefers to have men on the jury in a sexual harassment case because some of them might be more skeptical…
This week on CrowdJustice, a group of asylum lawyers are crowdfunding for a legal aid clinic for refugees in Greece; a whistleblower challenges the act that criminalises civil servants who report wrongdoing, and the Good Law Project seeks to hold the Electoral Commission accountable for referendum spending rules.