Rights group demands Chinese supporters of HK democracy be freed

Amnesty International called on Monday for the release of eight mainland Chinese activists who face long prison sentences for posting messages and pictures supporting Hong Kong's 2014 pro-democracy protests. Six of the activists, arrested on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power" after holding up banners with messages such as "Support Hong Kong's fight for freedom", face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. They have been charged with "inciting subversion of state power", "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and "gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public place". Human Rights Watch social media marketing for dummies also issued a statement last week demanding the Hong Kong government drop charges against Hong Kong activists, investigate its handling of the city's pro-democracy protests and restart the electoral reform process. The Hong Kong Justice Department declined to comment on cases before the courts but said there is no justification for dropping criminal charges simply because people seek to express their political aspiration. The Independent Police Complaints Council has said previously it was reviewing complaints related to the protests. Monday marks the one-year anniversary of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, social media marketing definition during which activists blocked major roads in the city for 79 days to demand open nominations for the city's next chief executive election in 2017. While largely peaceful, the size and duration of the protests - and the fact that they took place in full view of international media, who filmed the activists using umbrellas to defend themselves against police tear gas, pepper spray and batons - raised a serious challenge to China's Communist Party, which has been tightening control over civil society. Citing the need to buttress national security and stability, President Xi Jinping's administration has tightened government control over almost every aspect of civil society since 2012.

EMPLOYERS, SCHOOLS, AND SOCIAL NETWORKING PRIVACY

A growing number of employers and schools are demanding that job applicants, employees and students hand over the passwords to their private social networking accounts such as Facebook. Robert Collins of Maryland, for example, was required to provide his Facebook login by his employer, the Maryland Division of Corrections. Justin Bassett of New York was asked for his Facebook password during a job interview. Police departments such as the Norman, Oklahoma Police Department ask applicants to turn over their Facebook passwords as part of background checks. Many students, such as this Minnesota girl, have been forced social media marketing firm to provide access to their Facebook accounts. For several years, the city of Bozeman Montana instructed all job applicants to provide passwords for all social media accounts. Such demands constitute a grievous invasion of privacy. Private activities that would never be intruded upon offline should not receive less privacy protection simply because they take place online. It is inconceivable that an employer or school official would be permitted to read an applicant's or student's diary or postal mail, listen in on the chatter at their private gatherings with friends, or look at their private videos and photo albums. Nor social media marketing firms should they expect the right to do the electronic equivalent. Employers have a legitimate interest in monitoring work to ensure efficiency and productivity. But electronic surveillance often goes well beyond legitimate management concerns and becomes a tool for spying on employees in furtherance of no legitimate business interest.

Retailers tapping social media like Pinterest, Instagram to find out what consumers really want

Social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram can provide just as keen an insight into what merchandise consumers want as the suppliers who sell the goods to stores, retailers say. Retailers have been boosting their digital presence on Facebook Inc.’s social media photo app for a while now, but two recent examples show just how powerful it has become. Read on “Now consumers post every possession they have on Instagram ….you know precisely what their taste level is,” Joel Teitelbaum, chief executive of the iStore electronics chain, told a Retail Council of Canada conference industry panel here Wednesday social media marketing books on strategies for adapting to modern sales trends. Teitelbaum said social marketing on those sites and Facebook are important ways to measure consumer demand and assess the movements of early adopters of retail and product trends. Artificial intelligence technologies such as image recognition are helping to make it even easier for retailers to determine what those customer preferences are, he added. “When we are too vendor-driven we often miss out on those opportunities,” Teitelbaum said. “The vendor may have their own agenda, their own particular set of circumstances that was causing them to develop certain products or push a certain product onto retail customers. So I think it is about shifting that risk back into the supply chain, which helps you have a better view of what customers really social media in marketing want.” Social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram can provide just as keen an insight into what merchandise consumers want as the suppliers who sell the goods to stores, retailers say. Retailers have been boosting their digital presence on Facebook Inc.’s social media photo app for a while now, but two recent examples show just how powerful it has become. “Now consumers post every possession they have on Instagram ….you know precisely what their taste level is,” Joel Teitelbaum, chief executive of the iStore electronics chain, told a Retail Council of Canada conference industry panel here Wednesday on strategies for adapting to modern sales trends.