Young & Rubicam New York has joined forces with MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking), Paranoid U.S., music house Black Iris and independent sound designer Brian Emrich to produce a powerful new music video that raises awareness of human trafficking. The song, “When Will I Feel Love,” was sung by Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast.
Titled “Planet Better,” the hauntingly animated video–directed by Edward Salier of Paranoid–highlights the dangers and impact of trafficking for sexual exploitation, particularly of young women.
“The music video tells the story of a girl who is tricked by a man to follow her hopes and dreams across borders in search of a better life,” said Menno Kluin, creative director at Young & Rubicam, New York. “Just like in reality, this journey ends in tragedy. Hopefully we can raise awareness of human trafficking among the general public worldwide, and most importantly, among the young women who are in danger of being exploited.”
The video ends with a grim statistic: “Every year, 640,000 women and children are tricked into slave labor and prostitution with the promise of a better life.” An endtag directs viewers to mtvexit.org to help stop human trafficking.
“Planet Better” is appearing on MTV properties on-air and online around the world. The music track is also available to download on iTunes. Proceeds for the iTunes sales will be directed to anti-trafficking organizations working to rescue and rehabilitate victims of human trafficking.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More