"Citing New Evidence of Backsliding by Tech Companies, Investors Reiterate Call for Robust Safeguards to Protect Users' Digital Rights" 30 April 2025

In response to the latest RDR Index: Big Tech Edition, which benchmarks transparency, governance, algorithmic accountability, and data protection, investors expressed dismay at Big Tech’s lack of progress over the past three years and continued failure to meet human rights commitments.

The Index evaluates the policies of 14 global digital platform companies headquartered in the U.S. (Amazon, Apple, X, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft), China (Alibaba, Baidu, ByteDance, and Tencent), Korea (Samsung and Kakao), and Russia (VK and Yandex).

Assessing 43 services like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Siri, which billions use daily, the benchmark highlights that companies continue to train AI models on user data without offering opt-out options and fail to protect users from targeted advertising risks...

..."As an asset owner, we strongly believe that risks related to big tech's adverse impacts on users and society should be incorporated into company governance and risk management processes. We welcome this new analysis from Ranking Digital Rights, which draws important further attention to and provides additional insight on these issues. Given the size of these companies and their influence over both the economy and society, we are concerned to note that individually and collectively, Big Tech's commitments to human rights are stagnating rather than demonstrably serving the common good. These concerns are heightened in a context where the risks of social unrest and violent conflicts are rising on a localised and global scale,” said Clare Richards, of the Church of England Pensions Board.

“Tech companies have a major footprint in our everyday lives and a correspondingly significant potential for impact – both positive and negative,” said Anna Warberg of the Council on Ethics for the Swedish National Pension (AP) Funds. “Since 2023, we have coordinated the Big Tech & Human Rights investor collaboration, a group of investors that recognises the benefits of increased transparency and connectivity, but also the risks of harm to human rights and social structures. The Ranking Digital Rights Index is an important tool for us to assess how big tech companies are progressing in this area and offers key insights for our collaborative engagement efforts."...