Compliance Culture

Practical insights for compliance and ethics professionals and commentary on the intersection of compliance and culture.

Round-up on compliance issues with PSD2 implementation

The Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) became effective in the European Union as of January 13, 2018.  These revised rules replace the first Payment Services Directive, which was previously in place from December 25, 2007.

The purpose of PSD2 is to provide stronger consumer protections when making electronic payments, especially in online purchases, promote fintech innovations in online and mobile payments as well as open banking applications, and improve the efficacy and safety of cross-border payments within the EU.

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Round-up on justice issues with marijuana legalization

The ongoing discussion about marijuana legalization has gained great momentum and now must include vital justice considerations.  As the process of decriminalizing marijuana cultivation, use, and possession gains public acceptance, the scope of the discourse must widen to include racial and social justice reforms.  These issues are critical for understanding in the mixed progress of legalization, the efficacy and impact of enforcement trends, and ongoing requirements for regulatory design and social equity gains.

Cory Booker, US Senator from the state of New Jersey, is the author of the Marijuana Justice Act and has spoken repeatedly about the need for states to consider criminal justice reforms alongside medical and recreational marijuana legalization campaigns.  As states legalize future marijuana possession, use, and distribution but do not consider corrective action for people with previous criminal convictions they create an unjust and unfair double standard where legalization benefits one set of citizens and does not alleviate what Senator Booker refers to as “collateral consequences” that seriously impair another set.

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Round-up on compliance issues with online platforms: Reddit

This is the final post in a series of six on compliance issues with various online platforms.  The first post was about YouTube.  The second post was about Facebook.  The third post discussed Instagram.  The fourth post was about Twitter.  Last week’s post covered Snapchat.  Today’s post, the sixth and final post in the series, is about Reddit.

Reddit is a web-based forum where users share links to news, photos, and videos, as well as engage in social media-style discussion threads.  Founded in 2005, Reddit has become one of the most visited websites in the world.  The platform is set up as a variety of user-generated community boards called “subreddits.”  These subreddits cover a wide variety of popular culture, current event, and special interest subjects.

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Round-up on compliance issues with online platforms: Snapchat

This is the fifth in a series of six posts on compliance issues with various online platforms.  The first post was about YouTube.  The second post was about Facebook.  The fourth post discussed Instagram.  Last week’s post was about Twitter.  Today’s post will cover Snapchat.  The sixth and final post in the series, on April 12, will be about Reddit.

Snapchat is an app-based photo and video messaging service.  Upon its initial release in 2011, Snapchat grew quickly in popularity due to its novel feature which allowed users to share messages that then disappeared.  This concept evolved from a person-to-person design to then include a chronological timeline of stories and content sponsored by brands, media groups, and influencers.

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Round-up on compliance issues with online platforms: Twitter

This is the fourth in a series of six posts on compliance issues with various online platforms.  The first post was about YouTube.  The second post was about Facebook.  Last week’s post discussed Instagram.  Today’s post will focus on Twitter.  On April 5, the fifth post in the series will cover Snapchat.  The sixth and last post in the series, on April 12, will be about Reddit.

Twitter, one of the best-known social media platforms and a popular news and networking service, was created in 2006. Within a few years, Twitter rapidly became one of the most frequently-visited websites in the world. Twitter is widely used all over the world as a source of breaking news as well as a social messaging service and a content-sharing platform for photos, videos, links, and microblogs in threaded comments.

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Round-up on compliance issues with online platforms: Instagram

This is the third in a series of six posts on compliance issues with various online platforms.  The first post was about YouTube.  Last week’s post was about Facebook.  Today’s post, the third in the series, will discuss Instagram.  Next week’s post will focus on Twitter.  On April 5, the fifth post in the series will cover Snapchat.  The sixth and last post in the series, on April 12, will be about Reddit.

The photo and video sharing and social media service Instagram was created in 2010 and has been owned by Facebook since 2012. Instagram has evolved massively in popularity, adding users exponentially year after year, and creating features which have inspired huge engagement and imitation on other platforms to take advantage of popular usage of the app, such as thematic hashtags and aesthetically curated content.

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Round-up on compliance issues with online platforms: Facebook

This is the second in a series of six posts on compliance issues with various online platforms.  Last week’s post was about YouTube.  Today’s post will be about Facebook.  Next week’s post will discuss Instagram.  The fourth post in the series, on March 29, will focus on Twitter.  The fifth post, on April 5, will be about Snapchat.  On April 12, the sixth and final post in the series will discuss Reddit.

The online social media site Facebook was created in 2004 and in the following years has become one of the most well-known online platforms. Facebook was originally created as a social networking service by and for Harvard University students and then expanded to the broader Ivy League and then general university community before opening up in 2006 to all users who meet the local minimum age requirement.  Since 2012, Facebook has been publicly-listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Facebook’s rise to extreme popularity coincided with the disruptive innovations in Internet-enabled devices other than traditional computers, such as smartphones and tablets. Therefore as the site grew its user base it became an immersive and highly-engaging platform for people to share a wide variety of personal information, partake in social interactions, upload media such as photos or videos, and participate in community-based activities organized by profession, background, and interests.

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Round-up on compliance issues with online platforms: YouTube

This is the first in a series of six posts on compliance issues with various online platforms.  Today’s post is about YouTube.  Next Tuesday’s post will be about Facebook.  The third post in the series, on March 22, will discuss Instagram.  The fourth post in the series, on March 29, will focus on Twitter.  The fifth post, on April 5, will be about Snapchat.  On April 12, the sixth and final post in the series will discuss Reddit.

The video hosting and sharing service YouTube was created in 2005 and is now owned by Google. YouTube contains content from both individuals as well as media corporation partners.  This content is extremely diverse, ranging from short clips to entire television shows and films as well as music videos, video blogs, live streams, and educational presentations.  YouTube also makes use of the advertising program Google AdSense and includes targeted ads on its content; most of the videos on YouTube are free to view but some ad content will appear before, during, and/or after the video plays.

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Round-up on anti-money laundering compliance

The practice of money laundering takes on many forms, all with the objective of transferring money earned from illegal activities into the legal financial system for further use.  These various strategies for transferring profits from theft, drug sales, bribery, or other illicit activities are all targeted for the criminals to gain access to legitimate banking and from there use the money for mainstream activities such as investing, shopping, or buying property.

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Round-up on bioethics in scientific research

Considerations from bioethics are prevalent throughout scientific research.  As bio-technology innovations advance in both science and medicine, research methodology standards and practices become more ethically complex.  Bioethics is traditionally centered on the link between humans and the sciences.  The far reach of bieothics into health and human sciences reflects how pervasive the ethical obligations and moral choices in scientific research can be.  As humans continue to explore the far boundaries of existing science knowledge for their own benefit, these transformations to all areas of human life will also change the ethical choices and challenges involved.

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