This second iteration of the Digital Inclusion Benchmark measures and ranks 150 of the world’s most influential technology companies on their responsibility to advance a more inclusive digital society. More specifically, the benchmark measures what companies are doing to:

• enhance universal access to digital technologies
• improve all levels of digital skills
• foster trustworthy use by mitigating risks and harms
• innovate openly, inclusively, and ethically.

From laptops, to online news platforms, to the WIFI connection that powers them, digital technology has become indispensible for everyday life. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency of digital inclusion. If left unaddressed, the growing gap between the under-connected and hyper-digitalised will widen, inflaming existing inequalities.

Five key findings

Our 2021 iteration shows that the majority of tech companies still aren’t taking their responsibility to ensure that people are able to use technology – and in a way that benefits them – seriously...

1. Most companies are lagging behind on digital inclusion; progress is too slow...
2. Enthusiastic about AI benefits, the industry is failing to consider the risks...
3. Questionable impact of ‘technology for good’ initiatives...
4. We need more women in tech...
5. The industry needs to pay attention to its human rights risks and impacts...