The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 1.23 Zoella and Rita Ora Under Fire, Venezuela Uprising, Debt Shame App, & More

Episode Date: January 23, 2019

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Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you've been a fantastic Wednesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're going to talk about today is just kind of a quickie note. If you have gotten a message from me or any other creator on YouTube that looks something like this, that is not from me, that is not from any of these other creators, that is very likely someone trying to scam you. And while I think that 98.3% of you that got this were like, that's definitely a scam. I just, I wanna help out the few that may not be privy. So just a heads up because I've seen myself and other creators out there getting a ton of messages. And then let's talk about the latest crackdown on social media advertising brought to you by coffee.

Want a socially acceptable addiction? Coffee. Maybe throw a tub of sugar in it, boom, two socially acceptable addictions. I'm getting sidetracked, I'm tired. This latest news comes from the UK where you have celebrities like Rita Ora and Alexa Chung having been warned that their social media posts

could break consumer law. And for those of you who do not know, which I think is like three of you, sponsored content is pretty much the norm of social media nowadays. To the point, as we've discussed on previous shows, you even have people faking endorsements so they seem more legitimate, more established,

because if you're getting sponsored, then oh, you must be doing something right and you're being taken seriously. And so more and more where you have these celebrities if they're at least doing things properly they're actually verbally saying I'm sponsored by or brought to you by or if it's more text-based you see hashtag sponsored, spawn, ad. Well now the CMA, the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK is saying that is not enough. And this is because they say there is a concern that influencers aren't doing enough to clarify when they've been paid for content. And so in order to make celebrities and influencers start declaring what content is paid for, the CMA has issued guidelines.

And these guidelines include being really clear by using words like advertising or advertisement or advertisement feature. And even more importantly here, they also include staying away from words like hashtag spawn, hashtag sponsored, in association with thanks to brand or just simply at mentioning the brand. And that's because the Advertising Standards Authority, the ASA, says that this does not tell the full story. That it doesn't go far enough to make it clear that it is an ad and that an influencer has been paid. They also say things like each post must be treated

in isolation, meaning that if an influencer is engaged in various commercial relationships related to an individual post, each one has to be declared. Also these celebrities, these influencers have to clarify if they have received any gifts or loans of products they endorse. Because even if a brand's not paying you, if they're giving you something, then the audience needs to know that so they know you didn't spend your money on it. Because obviously for some people that would affect their reaction or review of the product. And so connected with this story, there are 16 social media stars that have been warned by the CMA. And this includes singers like Rita Ora and Ellie Goulding,

models like Alexa Chung, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Iskra Lawrence, and even YouTuber, yes, we made it, Zoe Sugg or as many people know her, Zoella. Reportedly the reason letters were sent out to these 16 in particular is because they may have repeatedly breached the guidelines laid out by the CMA. Additionally, it makes sense that they would focus on these 16 because of their size, they're huge. People like Rita Ora, who has more than 14 million followers on Instagram, Zoella's got more than 14 million followers on Instagram, as well as got more than 11 million subscribers on YouTube, has gotten over a billion views just from that. But the biggest thing here is the possible penalties.

Reportedly, if influencers fail to comply with these guidelines, they could not only be taken to court and face heavy fines, they could even face prison sentences of up to two years. And so with that, it's really not surprising that following the warning letters, the 16 social media stars agreed to change the way they post online. But still, the situation is not over and done with. The CMA says that the investigation is not finished.

It has sent warning letters to more influencers and is going to invest the social networks too. Which is of note, because it's not just the influencers themselves, but they're investigating the role and responsibilities of social media platforms. For instance, social media platforms like Instagram already have built-in tools like the paid partnership tool, which makes it clear that a post is an ad. But yeah, I guess main point here is if you're a, I hate the term, an influencer or a creator or anyone else, and you're getting paid to put out something, be transparent about it,

not only because of the potential legal consequences we just talked about, but I think that the audiences nowadays are especially understanding and on board. Unless you're one of the people that's hawking the flat tummy tees, in which case, I really, really do not like you. But that part is just my personal aggressive reaction

to those. Yeah, of course, I'd love to know your thoughts around this. Then, very quickly, I wanted to provide an update to the story around Venezuela we covered yesterday. If you didn't see that coverage, I highly recommend you check it out. But the big update to the coverage starts with National Assembly Juan Guaido declaring himself

interim president of Venezuela until legitimate elections can be held. Trump and the United States, Canada and Brazil have joined other Latin American countries in recognizing Guaido as interim president. And that list of countries is growing as we record and edit this video. Also, as you might remember, there were calls for the people of Venezuela to get out, to protest. And wow, wow, wow, they did. Thousands upon thousands taking to the streets. I just wanted to make sure I included part of this because what happens next

is either going to happen very, very fast and or it's gonna get very violent. But a big thing I do wanna note with this story is this is just a quick update. We're gonna have eyes on this. We're going to try and keep up with this and update it. Ultimately, we're gonna have to wait to see what happens next.

And what I would say, because I saw people from Venezuela Commenting on yesterday's video. Good luck. This has been amazing to watch but also please stay safe Then let's talk about a couple of updates around the story We covered recently just this horrible story out of Arizona as you might recall there was a woman that was reportedly in a vegetative state That gave birth the staff at the Hacienda healthcare facility did not know she was pregnant No one knew who impregnated her when we last left this story the investigation was still ongoing. Then yesterday the family of the woman put out a statement through their lawyer to

clarify her current state and that she is not in a coma saying she has significant intellectual disabilities as a result of seizures very early in her childhood. She does not speak but has some ability to move her limbs, head and neck. Their daughter responds to sound and is able to make facial gestures and adding the important thing is that she is a beloved daughter Albeit with significant intellectual disability This is something that seems to contradict court and medical records that describe her as not alert and her condition as flaccid quadriplegia and then the biggest update we got was that Nathan Sutherland a 36 year old practical nurse was arrested for sexually assaulting this woman

According to police they obtained a DNA sample from Sutherland and yesterday they determined that it matched the babies. Also in a statement from Hacienda Healthcare they said, "'Nathan Sutherland, who held a current state "'of Arizona practical nurse's license "'and who had undergone an extensive background check "'upon hiring, was terminated from Hacienda "'the moment our leadership team learned of his arrest.'"

And what I'll say regarding this story is, while this is fantastic news, right, that there's a DNA match, it seems like the person behind this has been caught, a big thing to keep in mind is Sutherland worked at Hacienda Healthcare since 2011. And so with that comes not only the question of, well how long was he sexually assaulting this woman, but also did he have other victims, and if so, how many?

Because the only reason we're even having this conversation, the only reason we're aware of this, is because a woman had a baby. If that woman never becomes pregnant, that baby is never born, this could have just continued. But also hopefully that's something we get an answer to because according to officials, the investigation is still ongoing.

And then let's talk about this very weird and interesting thing happening in China. So in Hubei, which is a province in China, developers have created an app where people can see if anyone around them is in debt. The Higher People's Court of Hubei unveiled the app recently and people in the province can actually use it now. According to a state-run paper, China Daily, the app is called Map of Deadbeat Debtors and it shows a radius of 500 meters.

It also reportedly gives you the exact location of any debtor. People use it with WeChat, which is a popular messaging platform. Right now there are also things that are unclear, like what personal information the app reveals about the people in debt, like their name or photo. As of right now, it's also unclear how much debt a person has to be in to appear information the app reveals about the people in debt, like their name or photo. As of right now, it's also unclear how much debt a person has to be in to appear on the app. Reportedly, the goal of the app is for people to act as whistleblowers in their communities and report people who could be paying their debts off. I guess the idea being you see Joe Schmoe

buying some Gucci, your phone's like, "'Hey, guess what? He's in debt!" And then you blow the whistle on them. And in general, this app is being viewed as a new piece of China's social credit system, with a spokesperson of the court saying, "'It's a part of our measures to enforce our rulings "'and create a socially credible environment.'"

Which actually, if we can take a second, we should talk about the social credit system. We talked about this before it was implemented. We talked about it once it was implemented. If it's not fresh in your mind, kind of to bring you back, China has created a program that monitors and rates citizens' behavior. Right, similar to a credit score, it factors in things

like how regularly you pay off loans, other financial decisions you make. But it also tracks things like the way people act on public transportation, the content they post on social media. The system will have the ability to reward good behavior, punish bad behavior. Also right now, the scoring varies

based on the area of China you're in. Common rewards include discounts on public tolls, priority access and education. Punishments include things like being barred from buying real estate, certain cars, limiting access to education. While some areas in China have their own trial systems, it is not mandatory for the entire country

until the end of 2020. But that said, right now, some citizens have already been affected by this. Earlier this month, the Global Times, which is a state-run paper, reported that 6,000 people were banned from using either domestic planes or trains for a year based on their social credit score. As far as why China is doing this, they say they see this as a method to hold their citizens accountable. Over the past several decades, China has seen increased financial

scandals, scams. Debt, which of course was the reason we're even talking about this today, has increased significantly in the last 15 years since citizens became allowed to take out private bank loans. And they say that the hope is that the system will force people to hold themselves and one another to a higher standard. But of course there has also been a ton of criticism of this system. The system has been scrutinized as some feel uneasy with its aim to track people's every move. People have been commonly comparing it to Black Mirror or George Orwell's 1984. And as far as my opinion, I'm on that side. This to me is the craziest thing in the world.

And I mean that both in general and especially in China in an environment where the key word is suppression. Suppression of other think and criticism history. Hell, Winnie the Pooh. How thin is your skin that you're out there censoring Pooh Bear? My opinion, it's completely unethical. You can say that it's because you want the best in society,

but it really seems to me based on just history. The long-term goal of this is probably to suppress those who do not want to be good little boys and girls, little lemmings. But that said, that's my personal takeaway from this and of course as always I love to pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts around that? Especially for the viewers in the States here, like what are your thoughts if our government right now put this system into place? And actually on that note, keep in mind there that our government is far more fluid, right? So if you're liberal, imagine if this administration put it into place. If you're conservative, imagine if the Obama administration put this into place. And actually on that note, keep in mind there that our government is far more fluid. Right, so if you're liberal, imagine if this administration put it into place. If you're conservative, imagine if the Obama administration

put this into place. I mean, even think of it in those lights. It doesn't even seem like this is a slippery slope sort of situation. This is a wet slide that is iced over. I don't know, once again, my personal takeaway. I'd love to know from you. And then let's talk about how yesterday it was reported

that as many as 20,000 Nigerian women and girls have been forced into sex trafficking in Mali. According to reports, most of the women are between the ages of 16 to 30. They were lured into sex trafficking under the guise of promised employment in Malaysia. But instead, they were sold into prostitution rings in Mali. And the extent of the trafficking was discovered by a fact-finding team from Nigeria's anti-trafficking agency, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, and the International Organization for Migration. According to the Director General of Naptip,

they were reliably informed by the locals that they had over 200 such places scattered around the southern part of Mali, adding that in each of the shacks where they held them, they had 100 to 150 girls in the area, saying the women are held in horrible slave-like conditions. They can't escape because they are kept in remote locations like deep in forests.

Reportedly, some of these 20,000 women are also thought to be trafficked to other West African countries, including Ghana, Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast. So that makes tracking them down even more difficult. Now, unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence in Nigeria. In 2011, officials from Naptip rescued 104 Nigerian girls

from three different brothels in Bamako, which is the capital of Mali. Reportedly, those women were mostly between the ages of 13 and 25 and had been trapped in Mali for many years. And according to officials from Naptip, the number of women trafficked to Mali has spiked tremendously, with every year tens of thousands of Nigerians trafficked illegally.

And the IOM estimates that about 91% of all trafficking victims are women and 77% have been sexually exploited. And although this particular story mainly centers around victims of sex trafficking in Maliali the vast majority of victims trafficked out Of Nigeria were trying to be smuggled into Europe for better economic opportunity and in fact according to the US State Department in 2015 Nigerian nationals were the most common foreign trafficking victims in the European Union with IOM also reporting that 39% of the victims are sent to Russia and 11% of the victims are trafficked to Italy. With the State Department going even further saying Nigerian

trafficking victims were reported in at least 40 different countries in 2017. And as far as why is human trafficking so high in Nigeria? Well, a lot of it has to do with the fact that Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with 181.5 million people. So you're talking about roughly 16% of the total African population and so much of that population still lives in extreme poverty and they're desperate. And this is despite the fact that they have made massive strides in increasing the quality of life for many people. And I really don't want to undersell how bad it is. Back in June of 2018, the Brookings Institute

reported that quote, Nigeria has already overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extreme poor in early 2018. And adding that their trajectories suggest that Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty compared to India's 73 million. And the report also states that the extreme poverty is growing by six people per minute in Nigeria.

And so you have this massive extreme poor population, you have people that are desperate in a place like Nigeria which has corruption, conflict, climate change that has resulted in migration or climate refugees. And along with that, according to the the State Department there have been repeated reports Indicating that government officials and security forces in Nigeria commit widespread sexual exploitation including sex trafficking So you have that situation additionally there's widespread sexual exploitation among Nigerian women and girls were displaced by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa in case you don't remember back in 2014 it was Boko Haram in the Islamic State West Africa. In case you don't remember, back in 2014, it was Boko Haram that kidnapped

more than 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria. Also, sex trafficking in particular is so high among Nigerians because Nigerian sex traffickers operate in highly organized criminal networks. With many sex trafficking victims working for their traffickers in exchange for getting out of sex trafficking themselves.

They've seen in European networks traffickers coercing their victims to stay in prostitution by changing the working conditions to increase the victims's travel debt, which has also led many women believing that they're not being exploited, but rather they're just paying off a debt. We've also seen victims believe that they would be cursed if they do not obey their traffickers. And because of so many of these factors that we're now talking about, the number of sex trafficking victims is still most likely underreported. As far as why globally human trafficking is so pervasive,

it's because it's low risk of getting caught with high profit. But the good news is Nigeria is making significant efforts to reduce human trafficking, including significantly increasing funding to Naptip, beginning a screening and information campaign to identify and prevent sexual exploitation and abuse of internally displaced persons, and signing a UN action plan to prevent the recruitment

of children and use of child labor by the Civilian Joint Task Force. But obviously there is still a long way to go here. And I guess if there's a place to end this story, I think yes, we need to understand that Nigeria is a hotspot for human trafficking, especially sexual exploitation, but this is a global problem.

I mean, this is something we even see happening in the United States. And unfortunately on that horrible note, that's where I'm going to end today's show. And remember, if you liked this video, you like these daily dives into the news, hit that like button, let us know. Also, if you're new here, you want more

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Also, if you missed yesterday's Philip DeFranco show, you wanna catch up, maybe you missed yesterday's Extra Morning News deep dive, which was really interesting. All you gotta do is click or tap right there to watch those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces, and I'll see you tomorrow.