Surveillance Capitalism

EU Report Seeks Expanded Remedies for Corporate Action Abroad

April 10, 2019

A group of academics has produced a report for the European Parliament’s Sub-Committee on Human Rights seeking to identify barriers to access to European courts by alleged victims of human rights abuses by EU-based companies and proposing, in response, significantly expanded due diligence requirements and judicial remedies for extraterritorial conduct.
Norwegian Wealth Fund Divests from Fossil Fuel Exploration

April 04, 2019

The Guardian reports that Norway’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund has announced it will remove investments from companies engaged in oil and gas exploration in an effort to reduce exposure to oil prices that are declining as UN and activists increase pressure on companies to switch to renewable energy projects.
Facebook Imposes New Rules on “Political Advertisers”

April 03, 2019

In response to a push by nongovernmental organizations and EU institutions to combat “fake news” and malign influence in the run-up to the European Parliament elections in May, Facebook has announced new rules requiring “political advertisers” to verify their identities and publicly disclose information about their ad reach.
New York Yankees Sign UN Climate Action Framework

April 03, 2019

Demonstrating the ongoing pressure from the UN and nongovernmental organizations on businesses to show they are seeking to combat global warming, the New York Yankees baseball club has signed on to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, pledging to reduce and offset its carbon emissions and promote “climate awareness.”
UN Rights Observers Target Blackstone over Housing “Rights”

March 27, 2019

The asset management firm Blackstone Group has criticized as inaccurate a report from UN human rights mandate holders accusing it and other companies with real estate holdings of violating the global human right to “adequate housing” by raising the price of property and evicting tenants who fail to pay rent.
US Opposes "Prescriptive" Global Approach to Plastics Regulation

March 18, 2019

At the recent UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, US diplomats warned against an overly “prescriptive” approach to global governance of plastic waste, opposing the approach proposed by Malaysia and Turkey of creating a legally binding treaty to cut down on plastic production.
WEF Initiative Gains Influence over Indonesian Policies on Waste

March 14, 2019

In its first partnership with a national government, the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Plastic Action Partnership, which includes businesses and nongovernmental organizations, has announced collaboration with the Indonesian government on a national plan to reduce plastic waste.
NGOs Demand Rights Pledges from 2022 World Cup Co-hosts

March 14, 2019

A group of nongovernmental organizations has called for the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to demand that any country selected to co-host the 2022 World Cup abide by “international human rights law and labour standards” and draft multiple action plans regarding how the country plans to prevent rights abuses.
UK Pushes Contractors on Social, Environmental Agenda

March 14, 2019

The BBC reports that the UK government has announced a plan to require government contractors to take action on labor standards and “environmental sustainability” in their global supply chains.
UN Launches “Big Data” Environment Initiative at Business Forum

March 13, 2019

During the second session of its Science-Policy-Business Forum, the UN Environment Programme launched an initiative seeking to harness artificial intelligence and other technologies to build massive stores of global data with the aim of advancing the UN’s broad environmental agenda.