European Union authorities are investigating Meta because they worry that the firm has not taken sufficient measures to safeguard the next EU elections or address the issue of foreign disinformation on its platforms. This investigation could result in significant fines or other types of punishment.

On Monday, the European Commission revealed that the new investigation specifically focuses on management of fraudulent and foreign actors interfering in elections advertising. The investigation will also look into Meta’s decision to discontinue a tool that journalists and researchers frequently use to keep an eye on facebook’s platforms.

EU Investigates Meta Over Fears Of Election Interference And Foreign Disinformation

The probe represents the most recent instance of European regulators asserting their authority over US tech firms in response to implementing a series of new regulations to curb their power.

Authorities have stated that the inquiry brings attention to evident breaches of the Digital Services Act, Europe’s prominent legislation regulating internet platforms. If the crimes are verified, they might result in substantial fines amounting to 6% of Meta’s worldwide turnover.

As part of the investigation, officials are examining if Meta’s efforts to reduce the ranking of political information in users’ feeds may breach the transparency regulations of the DSA. Furthermore, Meta’s options for users to report illicit content do not seem to comply with the criteria of the DSA.

EU Investigates Meta Over Fears Of Election Interference And Foreign Disinformation

The probe follows Meta’s submission of necessary documentation to the European Commission last autumn, detailing its approach to addressing perceived hazards associated with its products. The probe conducted on Monday shows the European Union’s doubt that Meta has effectively mitigated such risks.

The study places a lot of emphasis on Meta’s decision to stop using CrowdTangle, a tool that civil society organizations had previously used to keep an eye on hot topics on Facebook and Instagram.

According to the European Commission, in the absence of it, users and researchers may encounter less transparency regarding the operations of Meta services, which could limit their ability to spot and address instances of foreign election manipulation.

The company announced earlier this year that CrowdTangle will cease to be accessible after August 14.

The European Commission has stated that discontinuing support for CrowdTangle without a suitable alternative could harm civic discourse and electoral processes. This includes tracking and identifying mis- and disinformation, detecting voter interference and suppression, and providing real-time transparency to fact-checkers, journalists, and other stakeholders involved in elections.

EU Investigates Meta Over Fears Of Election Interference And Foreign Disinformation

A spokeswoman from Facebook stated that the company will collaborate with the investigation.

The representative stated that our platforms have a firmly established procedure for identifying and reducing hazards. “We anticipate maintaining our collaboration with the European Commission and furnishing them with additional specifics regarding this project.”

SOURCE – (CNN)

Sergey Mingazov, a journalist from Forbes, has been placed under house arrest by a Russian court. He was detained on the grounds of allegedly disseminating false information about the Russian armed services, as reported by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

As Forbes Russia reported, a journalist from Forbes Russia will be placed under house arrest for a minimum of two months while awaiting trial following his detention on Friday.

According to RIA, Mingazov, a journalist for Forbes, has been put under house arrest for distributing false information about the Russian Armed Forces.

Forbes Journalist Placed Under House Arrest For Allegedly Spreading Fake News About Russian Army

According to Mingazov’s lawyer, Konstantin Bubon, the journalist was arrested for “sharing a post about the incidents in Bucha (Ukraine)” on Telegram’s messaging app.

At the time of posting this article, Mingazov’s Telegram channel had 476 subscribers. Evidence indicates that he shared reports from several news agencies, including the BBC’s Russian outlet and Radio Freedom, which reported on alleged atrocities committed by Russian troops in Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Bubon alleged that Mingazov is charged with disseminating “deliberately inaccurate information” about the Russian military “while pretending” to provide trustworthy journalism.

Ukrainian soldiers liberated the city of Bucha in late March 2022, after it had been taken during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of the same year. As to the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office, the Russian army perpetrated numerous war crimes in the Bucha district, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people in the town. The Kremlin has refuted any involvement in the mass executions and has restated unfounded assertions that the photographs of civilian dead were counterfeit.

Restriction on internet access implemented

Bubon informed Forbes Russia that Mingazov’s house detention was implemented as a precautionary measure. In Russia, pre-trial preventative measures are implemented, which may involve either being detained in custody, granted bail, or subjected to home arrest.

Bubon also informed Forbes Russia that the court has prohibited Mingazov from accessing the Internet and has limited his interactions with individuals other than his relatives, investigators, lawyers, and medical practitioners.

Forbes Journalist Placed Under House Arrest For Allegedly Spreading Fake News About Russian Army

On Saturday, the Investigative Committee of the Khabarovsk territory announced that it had placed an individual under house arrest as a precautionary measure. The person in question has been charged with spreading deliberately false information about the Russian military forces.

The Investigative Committee said that in April 2022, a man, driven by political animosity, published a post on a news channel under his administration to reach an unrestricted audience.

“It continued to state that the information, which was presented as trustworthy, actually consisted of intentionally inaccurate details about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”

Since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has been implementing stringent measures against journalists. Several notable journalists, such as Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, have been apprehended.

Furthermore, the courts have issued arrest warrants for some journalists, such as Alexander Nevzorov, Dmitry Gordon, and Marina Ovsyannikova, who have been critical of the state, even though they were not present during the court proceedings.

According to a statement from the press department of a local Russian court on Saturday, Konstantin Gabov, a Russian journalist who was identified as a producer for the Reuters news agency, was arrested and charged with “extremism.”

Forbes Journalist Placed Under House Arrest For Allegedly Spreading Fake News About Russian Army

According to the press staff of the Basmanny District Court, Gabov is accused of assisting in the creation of content for a YouTube channel named “NavalnyLIVE,” which is linked to the deceased opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

The court determined that Gabov was engaged in “creating photographic and audiovisual content” for the YouTube channel and ordered his custody for at least two months until June 27.

The Russian authorities have classified Navalny and his organizations as “extremist,” which implies that individuals who are affiliated with his group are exposed to potential legal consequences.

SOURCE – (CNN)

White Label Local SEO: To attract local customers, local SEO optimizes a business’ online listings, builds local citations, and earns positive reviews. For small businesses, local SEO plays an integral role. They stand out locally, appear in nearby searches, and attract customers to their physical locations.

White label Local SEO agencies provide various services. They offer expertise­ under their own brands, which companies can rebrand and resell as their own. Essentially, one firm provides the SEO expertise, while another resells the services.

The advantages of offering White Label Local SEO services

It is advantageous for marketing agencies to offer White Label Local SEO services. It allows them to expand their service offerings without hiring additional employees or acquiring new skills, which allows them to increase revenue streams. As a result, they may be able to upsell SEO services to their existing client base and increase revenue streams.

In addition, offering White Label Local SEO services can help agencies attract new clients specifically looking for local marketing solutions. White Label Local SEO services can benefit both marketing agencies and small businesses.

What are White Label Local SEO Services?

White Label SEO describes an SEO partnership. One firm provides SEO services under its own brand, and the other firm resells those services as its own. The SEO provider works behind the scenes, lending expertise to the reseller, who distributes it to customers branded as theirs.

Local SEO from White Labe­l focuses on increasing a business’s online presence to attract local customers. It optimizes Google listings, manages local citations, generates positive reviews, and employs tactics to boost its ranking in localized search results.

How does White Label Local SEO work?

In general, White Label Local SEO works as follows:

• Partnering with a provider: Partnering with a local SEO provider with expertise and resources to implement effective Local SEO strategies is the strategy of the marketing agency or reseller.

• Reselling services under your brand: The reseller then markets and sells local SEO services under its own brand name, with the SEO provider working on behalf of the reseller to deliver the services.

Difference between White Label and Traditional SEO Outsourcing

As a result, White Label SEO differs significantly from traditional SEO outsourcing in terms of branding. The client knows that a third-party vendor is providing the services, and the vendor’s brand may be visible in communications and reports.

As a result of White Label SEO, the services appear to be provided directly by the reseller. In most cases, the SEO provider’s brand is not visible to the end client, and the reseller handles all communication and reporting.

Key Components of White Label Local SEO Services

In general, White Label Local SEO providers provide the following services:

• Google My Business (GMB) Optimization: This involves optimizing a company’s Google My Business profile to ensure it contains accurate and up-to-date information, such as business hours, contact information, and business category, as well as adding photos and managing customer reviews.

• Local Keyword Research: Keyword research identifies relevant search terms that potential local customers use to locate products or services. This helps optimize website content and local listings so that they appear higher in local searches.

• Local Citation Management: Ensure that the company’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistently displayed across online directories, review sites and other platforms. This helps improve local search rankings and establishes credibility and trustworthiness.

• On-Page SEO: Our team tweaks website pages for local searches, incorporating relevant keywords and optimizing meta tags, headers and URLs while maintaining a user-friendly structure and navigation.

• Local Link Building: Quality backlinks from local sites, directories, and other relevant sources enhance a site’s authority and position in local search results.

• Local Content Creation: Creating tailored content for the local audience—blog posts, articles, and landing pages—attracts local traffic and establishes the business as a market authority.

• Review Management: Keeping an eye on online reviews across Google, Yelp, Facebook, and other websites helps maintain a positive online reputation.

• Local SEO Reporting and Analysis: This report analyzes the performance of Local SEO. It covers rankings, website visitors, leads generated by those visitors, and sales generated by those leads. Progress is tracked, showing what needs to be enhanced.

Benefits of Offering White Label Local SEO Services

Here’s a deeper dive into the benefits you mentioned:

1. Expanding Your Reach and Attracting New Clients

• Broadened Service Portfolio: Offering White Label Local SEO makes you more attractive to clients who wish to concentrate on local marketing.

• Targeting a Wider Audience: The local business market is vast and growing. You can tap into this potential and reach a new audience by offering local SEO services.

2. Increase revenue with Minimal investment in Staff or Training

• Minimal Investment: By leveraging the expertise of a partner, you can reduce the need to hire additional staff or invest heavily in training your existing employees.

• Faster ROI: You can begin offering high-quality SEO services immediately, which can generate new revenue streams quickly.

3. Cater to the growing demand for local SEO, especially among small businesses

• Growing Demand: Local SEO services are in high demand among small businesses due to the increasing number of consumers searching online for local businesses.

• Helping Local Businesses Thrive: White Label Local SEO empowers businesses to increase their online presence, attract more local customers, and ultimately grow their business.

4. Scale your business efficiently by outsourcing SEO tasks

• Focus on Your Strengths: By outsourcing time-consuming SEO tasks to your White Label partner, your team can focus on core competencies such as client acquisition, strategy development, and account management.

• Increased Capacity: Offloading SEO tasks enables your agency to take on more clients and projects, allowing your business to scale efficiently.

Finding the Right White Label Local SEO Provider

Marketers and resellers can benefit from offering White Label Local SEO services in several ways:

1. Reputation and Track Record: Ideally, you should find a White Label service with a great reputation. Check their reviews, success stories, and online ratings to determine their clients’ happiness.

2. Expertise and Experience: Find a provider that specializes in local SEO. Find professionals who understand the ins and outs of ranking businesses locally. Ensure that you keep up with new SEO techniques as well.

3. Communication and Support: It is also important to consider the provider’s communication channels and level of support. Ensure that the provider offers responsive communication, timely updates, and ongoing support if a question, concern, or issue occurs.

4. Transparency and Reporting: You should choose an SEO provider that will provide transparent reporting and regular performance updates on your clients’ local SEO campaigns. The provider should also be able to provide detailed insights and analytics to track progress and demonstrate the value of their services.

5. Pricing and Value: Consider comparing the pricing structures and packages offered by different providers to ensure you receive the best value for your money. Be wary of providers that offer excessively low or unrealistic pricing, as this may suggest a lack of expertise or quality.

Getting Started with White-Label Local SEO

• Step 1: Research and Selection: Establish a partnership agreement outlining the terms and expectations between your agency and the White-Label Local SEO provider you choose.

• Step 2: Onboarding and Training: The provider’s team should be familiar with your agency’s processes and client expectations. Coordinate the onboarding process with the provider and provide necessary training.

• Step 3: Client Discovery and Strategy: Develop tailored Local SEO strategies based on client information and collaboration with the provider.

• Step 4: Implementation and Execution: Maintain close contact with the provider to implement Local SEO strategies and monitor their progress.

• Step 5: Ongoing Communication, Support, and Analysis: Communication should be maintained regularly, issues should be addressed promptly, and performance reports should be analyzed to optimize strategies.

• Step 6: Client Satisfaction and Retention: Monitor client satisfaction regularly. Look for opportunities to upsell or expand your services. This strengthens the relationship you have with your clients. Stay focused on their satisfaction. Look for other services that you could offer them.

Conclusion

Therefore, starting White Labe­l Local SEO services requires extensive research and selecting a trustworthy provider. Then, the proper onboarding and training process is essential. Working together on client strategies, executing campaigns and maintaining clear communication and analysis are crucial for success. Agencies must focus on keeping clients happy and retaining them to build solid partnerships. As a result, clients will receive better results, and their own businesses will grow.