abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb

이 페이지는 한국어로 제공되지 않으며 English로 표시됩니다.

의견

17 1월 2024

저자:
Phil Bloomer, BHRRC

Accountability in conflict: The problem of tech company opacity

Phil Pasquini, Shutterstock

San Francisco, CA – September 8, 2022: Activists demonstrated against project "Nimbus," an Amazon and Google Cloud services surveillance program for Israel government and military.

The killing and suffering of people in Gaza and Israel diminishes us all. As of 14 January, the UN reported that at least 23,968 Palestinians have been killed, 60,582 injured and over 1.9 million people, or nearly 85% of the population, have been displaced – their houses now likely destroyed by Israeli bombs; and over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 136 hostages remain captive after three months.

The siege and corralling of Palestinian civilians, and massive loss of civilian life, alongside the destruction of homes and essential infrastructure has led South Africa to accuse Israel of genocide before the International Court of Justice, which Israel refutes. But while the Court considers the case, momentum is also growing around demands for accountability from other actors. This includes the companies and investors associated with the conflict. Legal and reputational risks for these firms are rising, including the threat of being asked in UN fora, in domestic courts, and through other mechanisms, how they assess and mitigate human rights risks associated with turning a profit in conditions of intense conflict - what heightened due diligence efforts have been undertaken?

Tech companies will rightly be in the crosshairs of these inquiries.

Such questions will surely be asked of Google and Amazon, developing the US$1.2 billion ‘Project Nimbus’, an initiative intended to provide the Israeli government with an all-encompassing cloud solution. This has sparked public protest and strong internal opposition at the companies, due to its links with surveillance tech allegedly to be used against Palestinian civilians and activists. Google denies that Nimbus will be used in military operations or intelligence services, while Amazon did not respond to the Resource Centre’s invitation to comment.

Other concerning examples of the role of tech companies in the conflict exist. By acts of omission or commission, major social media platforms are alleged to have consistently censored Palestinian voices and facilitated a stream of hate speech that helps dehumanise people on both sides. X (formerly Twitter), for example, allegedly failed to remove antisemitic and Islamophobic hate speech, while Meta and Google allegedly allowed paid ads containing hate speech and incitement against Palestinians.

International human rights standards for business in challenging circumstances provide guidance on the bounds of acceptable corporate action in conflict, and seek to ensure irresponsible business is held to account. In conflict settings, companies must demonstrate and report on ‘heightened human rights due diligence’ regarding their operations and value chains to ensure they do not contribute to the drivers of conflict, nor the triggers that spark more intense violence.

But most tech companies appear to be falling at this first fence of transparency.

The Resource Centre has set up Heightened Due Diligence Trackers for conflicts in Myanmar, Ukraine, and now OPT/Israel. In the case of OPT/Israel, the tracker seeks to make public the due diligence measures taken by tech companies, specifically, in response to the conflict. We reached out to 104 tech companies with 23 questions on human rights due diligence concerning their operations, supply chains, and investments there. We have yet to receive a single response to this survey.

Similarly, in approaching seven tech companies since the 7 October attacks, with specific allegations of abuse, just one has responded.

Without due diligence and its essential transparency, company leadership may believe it can plead ignorance regarding the human rights impacts of corporate abuse – allowing perpetuation of those harms. It also prevents civil society from acting as watchdog, and limits identification of better corporate practice and business-to-business learning (sharing better practice on human rights due diligence is surely pre-competitive). With new and emergent due diligence standards, businesses should understand that this opacity also means increased legal and reputational risks over time.

It feels absurd, amid such immense human suffering, to have to plead for the most basic of corporate responsibilities: transparency on human rights due diligence. But it seems we must: the Resource Centre has not faced such universal opacity in either Ukraine or Myanmar. Our partners report similar frustrations. We now need tech companies’ cooperation to improve corporate respect for human rights. Transparency is the first, essential step. Those companies who seek to demonstrate greater responsibility must distinguish themselves by displaying respect for minimum international standards. The alternative is continued loss of public trust, growing risk of allegations of profit-seeking at the expense of civilians in conflict, and the possibility of real consequences for these firms and their investors down the line.

By Phil Bloomer, Executive Director, BHRRC

This blog was revised on 23 May 2024 when some inaccuracies in our data set regarding company contacts were brought to our attention, which we have since corrected.

개인정보

이 웹사이트는 쿠키 및 기타 웹 저장 기술을 사용합니다. 아래에서 개인정보보호 옵션을 설정할 수 있습니다. 변경 사항은 즉시 적용됩니다.

웹 저장소 사용에 대한 자세한 내용은 다음을 참조하세요 데이터 사용 및 쿠키 정책

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

분석 쿠키

ON
OFF

귀하가 우리 웹사이트를 방문하면 Google Analytics를 사용하여 귀하의 방문 정보를 수집합니다. 이 쿠키를 수락하면 저희가 귀하의 방문에 대한 자세한 내용을 이해하고, 정보 표시 방법을 개선할 수 있습니다. 모든 분석 정보는 익명이 보장되며 귀하를 식별하는데 사용하지 않습니다. Google은 모든 브라우저에 대해 Google Analytics 선택 해제 추가 기능을 제공합니다.

프로모션 쿠키

ON
OFF

우리는 소셜미디어와 검색 엔진을 포함한 제3자 플랫폼을 통해 기업과 인권에 대한 뉴스와 업데이트를 제공합니다. 이 쿠키는 이러한 프로모션의 성과를 이해하는데 도움이 됩니다.

이 사이트에 대한 개인정보 공개 범위 선택

이 사이트는 필요한 핵심 기능 이상으로 귀하의 경험을 향상시키기 위해 쿠키 및 기타 웹 저장 기술을 사용합니다.