Surveillance Capitalism

Facebook Responds to Global Pressure on Tax Revenue

January 05, 2018

Politico reports that, as EU and international bodies ramp up pressure on technology companies to pay their "fair share" of taxes to governments of countries in which they offer their services, Facebook has announced that it will pay taxes for advertising revenue in the countries in which its relevant sales offices are located.
UN Agencies Plan Center on Rights in Sports

January 05, 2018

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and other UN agencies have announced that, in cooperation with nongovernmental organizations, businesses, athletes, and trade unions, they are launching a Centre for Sport & Human Rights in 2018 focused on efforts to implement the global human rights agenda in the sports industry.
Norway's Wealth Fund Plans Divestment from Oil, Gas

January 03, 2018

Bloomberg reports that Norway's central bank has announced plans to divest money in the country's $1 trillion wealth fund from oil and gas projects and companies "to spread the risks for the state’s wealth" beyond what it perceives as declining future fossil fuel prices in light of global climate action.
NGO Criticizes FIFA's BHR Implementation in Russia

December 29, 2017

A Human Rights Watch press release accuses the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) of "falling short" of its commitments to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) in the run-up to the opening of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
IOC Renews Gender Equality Deal with UN Agency

December 29, 2017

In its renewal of an agreement with UN Women, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has accepted a responsibility to "empower" women through sports and to promote "women’s leadership and gender equality in the sport industry" around the world, as part of the IOC's implementation of the global business and human rights agenda.
NGO Supports Dutch Banks' Commitments to Remedy

December 21, 2017

In a recent blog post, Ryan Brightwell of the nongovernmental organization BankTrack praises a new initiative called the Dutch banking sector agreement on human rights that he says will place pressure on the finance sector to commit to setting up remedial mechanisms for alleged victims of rights violations related to projects they finance.
NGO Presses FIFA on Human Rights Report

December 20, 2017

A press release from Amnesty International uses a report of the recently established Human Rights Advisory Board of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), made up of representatives of international organizations, human rights groups, and labor unions, to push FIFA to take a hard line on human rights issues with future World Cup hosts Russia and Qatar.
FIFA Adopts BHR Agenda in Bidding Guidelines

December 19, 2017

In response to recent pressure on the global sports body to adopt the business and human rights (BHR) agenda, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has included in its guide to bidding for the 2026 FIFA World Cup provisions on "principles of sustainable event management and human rights protection."
NGOs Promote Climate Disclosures to Stock Exchanges

December 14, 2017

The Global Reporting Initiative and the Carbon Disclosure Standards Board co-hosted a workshop for stock exchange leaders to promote the implementation of the reporting guidelines introduced this year by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.
Philippines Investigates Fossil Fuel Companies for Climate Change

December 14, 2017

The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines is conducting the world’s first “national inquiry into the responsibility of the fossil fuel industry for the human rights impacts resulting from climate change hits,” with major companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP facing investigation in the wake of the deadly typhoon Yolanda, attributed by some to climate change.