Surveillance Capitalism

NGO Issues Guidelines on Rights Observance in IT Supply Chains

July 16, 2018

The nongovernmental organization Germanwatch has published, with financial support from the German government, a report containing recommendations to EU institutions and the information technology (IT) industry on how best to implement the global human rights agenda and OECD guidelines in guidelines on minerals sourcing.
Academic: AI Must Force Businesses to Address Rights Abuse

July 12, 2018

Consultant and Rutgers University academic Samir Goswami writes that governments must ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) technology places pressure on businesses to better respond to alleged human rights violations in their supply chains and does “not exacerbate existing economic disparities.”
Lawyer: EU Procurement Rules Could Support Foreign Lawsuits

July 12, 2018

Eamonn Conlon of the law firm A&L Goodbody asserts that the 2014 EU Procurement Directives, as transposed into the national laws of EU members, could be the basis for a cause of action against companies that have procurement contracts with governments for labor rights abuses in foreign countries.
NGOs Seek Strict Standards for Jewelry Due Diligence

June 29, 2018

A group of nongovernmental organizations and trade unions is calling on the Responsible Jewellery Council, which certifies companies in the jewelry industry for compliance with human rights and other standards, calling for the body to require more comprehensive due diligence in jewelry supply chains in line with OECD guidance.
Academic: Finance Industry Must Develop "Social Conscience"

June 28, 2018

Professor David Kinley of Sydney University asserts that finance companies bear a responsibility to "find a social conscience" and remove their investments from companies that do not embed the global human rights agenda in their operations and thus fail to operate with a so-called "social license."
Wells Fargo Plans $200 Billion for "Sustainability"

June 26, 2018

Wells Fargo has announced that, as part of the UN's plans for worldwide investments into climate-friendly projects, the US multinational bank will invest $200 billion in "climate action and sustainability" by the year 2030 and regularly report on its progress in compliance with standards issued by the global Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure.
FIFA Pledges to Offset World Cup Carbon Emissions

June 26, 2018

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) recently announced that it would work with UN bodies to fund projects aiming to offset the greenhouse gas emissions created by travel of attendees to this year's World Cup, in an effort to help fulfill the goals of the 2015 UN Paris climate deal.
Businesses Seek UN Approval of Climate Targets

June 26, 2018

A press release on the UN's climate website spotlights the decision by 103 corporations to subject their reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions to "official validation" by the joint UN- and nongovernmental organization-led Science Based Targets Initiative, as a growing number of businesses embed the goals of the UN's Paris climate accord in their operations.
Governments Agree to Broad Shipping Emissions Cuts

June 25, 2018

173 governments at a recent session of the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry by at least 50 percent by the year 2050, as UN officials called for even greater ambition for emissions cuts upon the review of the strategy in 2023.
HSBC Announces Divestment from Coal, Oil Projects

June 25, 2018

Reuters reports that the largest bank in Europe, HSBC, has announced plans to end its funding for most coal power plants, oil sands, and arctic drilling in an effort to help fulfill the 2015 UN Paris climate accord.