2019 RDR Index evaluated 24 companies on 35 indicators examining disclosed commitments, policies, and practices affecting freedom of expression and privacy... RDR Index scores represent the extent to which companies are meeting minimum standards. Yet few companies scored above 50 percent... Microsoft earned first place in this year’s ranking, mainly due to strong governance and consistent application of policies across all services. Google and Verizon Media... are... tied for second place among internet and mobile ecosystem companies—as well as in the RDR Index overall... Telefónica shot ahead of all other telecommunications companies in 2019, disclosing significantly more than its peers about policies affecting freedom of expression and privacy... Most companies have made meaningful efforts to improve.

... [However] most companies still fail to disclose important aspects of how they handle and secure personal data... Transparency about the policing of online speech remains inadequate... Transparency about demands that governments make of companies is also uneven and inadequate... Recommendations [include]... 1) Go beyond legal compliance; 2) Be transparent; 3) Get serious about oversight and due diligence; 4) Offer effective grievance and remedy mechanisms; 5) Innovate for better governance of data and speech.