Model and Influencer Olivia Culpo Says Stolen Content Is a Major Issue
Model and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo says that her social media content has been stolen in the past, and that security is still very much an issue within the influencer community.
"There's a lot of times where I see a picture of myself, and it's promoting a skin care brand or something that I have absolutely no idea what it is... I didn't approve it," Culpo said on Cheddar. "I'm sure things fly under the radar all the time."
The focus on copyright issues within the world of social media comes after reports that media company PopSugar used influencer content without properly compensating the content creators. The site allegedly stripped content from separate rewardStyle affiliate links, which pay influencers a portion of the sales generated from the post. PopSugar then allegedly included links from rewardStyle competitor ShopStyle, allowing PopSugar to profit from resulting sales rather than compensating the influencer behind the content.
Culpo is no stranger to social media. The beauty and lifestyle influencer has racked up over 2.7 million followers on [her Instagram account](https://www.instagram.com/oliviaculpo/?hl=en) and almost 700,000 followers on [her Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/OliviaCulpoOfficial/). While she didn't say she was impacted by the PopSugar scandal, she did say brands have used her content without paying her.
The 25-year-old socialite recently partnered with Timex to be the face of the company's new SS18 watch collection called [Crystal Bloom](https://www.timex.com/browse/women/trending/crystal-bloom/). Timex partnered with Swavorski to create 10 new, blinged-out styles.
Culpo says she wears her new timepiece when she wants "to add a touch of glam and femininity" to her style. Pieces in the Crystal Bloom collection cost between $65-$80.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/model-olivia-culpo-partners-with-timex-to-launch-spring-collection).
More than 70 religious leaders have come together to sign a letter to urge Mark Zuckerberg and Meta to halt plans for Instagram for Kids. The signers claim that this new platform, currently on pause, could cause spiritual harm to young people. Lucy Kidwell, the screen-free week coordinator for the nonprofit that organized the letter, Fairplay, joined Cheddar News to discuss the issue on Safer Internet Day. "It's not necessarily the content, even, that's on these platforms, but more the structure of the app itself," she said. "It's all focused on comparison, promoting yourself, putting forward this image of perfection and this beautiful life that's really harmful to kids who can't really separate what's real and what's fake and who may not be emotionally mature enough to handle something so complicated."
Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama are set to begin voting to unionize for a second time after workers at the facility in the town of Bessemer overwhelmingly voted against forming a union during an election early last year; but in November, the National Labor Relations Board overturned the vote, upholding a union challenge of the results which argued that Amazon undermined the conditions for a fair election. Another round of ballots will now be mailed out to works at the warehouse for a so-called re-run election. Director of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University John Logan and National Field Director for Our Revolution Mike Oles joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
February 8 is Safer Internet Day, and Google has partnered with online education organization Khan Academy to release a courseload focused on internet safety. The partnership includes a $5 million donation towards content development from Google, with modules to be made available in various languages throughout 2022. Founder of Khan Academy, Sal Khan, joined Cheddar News to discuss the partnership. "We need to get to a world where everyone of all ages has a chance to learn and practice and feel good that they can navigate the internet in a safe way,” said Khan.
Big tech companies such as Amazon and Google are garnering criticism for failing at their proposed climate pledges, most of which rely on carbon offsets — a potential loophole where companies pay others to address their omissions. Gilles Dufrasne, policy officer at Carbon Market Watch, joined Cheddar News to explain the organization's negative evaluation. "The objective here is not to bash companies and say everybody is doing the wrong thing," he said. "The objective is to also provide lessons, and there are some companies that are doing the right thing."
U.S. markets opened lower as disappointing Meta earnings dragged down the tech-heavy Nasdaq. Today, investors will be watching for Amazon's Q4 earnings report set for release after the market close. Greg Swenson, Founding Partner, Brigg Macadam joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
