GettyImages-527461716 |
Source : GettyImages
–
Facebook published – belatedly, some say – a global corporate human rights policy, as well as a fund to support human rights defenders.
Rather than introducing new content rules, the new policy essentially codifies and regulates existing business practices and introduces more transparency.
“This new policy sets out the human rights standards that we will strive to uphold, as defined in international law, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. (UNGP) ”, explains Miranda Sissons, director of human rights at Facebook, in a blog post.
“And it defines how we will apply these standards to our applications and products, our policies, our programs and the overall approach to our business.”
The most critical human rights issues, such as risks to freedom of expression, will be brought to the attention of the company’s board of directors. At the same time, Facebook will publish an annual public report on how it deals with human rights concerns arising from its products, policies or business practices.
Finally, a new fund – the amount of which has not been disclosed – will provide offline support to those defending human rights under threat, starting with Asia later this year. It should be about ensuring the safety of activists and journalists.
“We will also build on our current work to protect defender accounts, including fighting against malicious actors who target them, protecting them from erroneous content deletions using CrossCheck, providing advanced security options. , by taking measures to thwart unauthorized access to the accounts of defenders who are arrested or detained and by establishing partnerships with human rights organizations in terms of awareness and training, ”explains Miranda Sissons.
It remains to be seen how the new policy will be enforced – and the Access Now campaign group has some concerns.
“We welcome Facebook’s new human rights policy, a necessary step for any business seeking to respect human rights. But 17 years is too long to wait for this basic statement, especially from a huge and powerful company like Facebook, ”says group general counsel Peter Micek.
“If Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has endorsed this policy, he must ensure its implementation, respecting civil society calls while complying with rights-respecting regulations, in order to chart a whole new direction. to Facebook ”.
Over the years, Facebook has come under heavy criticism for its attitude to human rights, only giving in to calls to ban the Burmese military after continued pressure. And, according to Isedua Oribhabor, US Policy Analyst at Access Now, “Facebook’s recent actions in Australia – the blocking of civil society organization accounts in response to a controversial law – is just one example. others about why the tech giant needs a human rights policy ”.
“Having a strong policy in place means that when Facebook acts in a way that goes against its stated commitments, platform users, investors, regulators, courts, as well as its own employees and subcontractors of Facebook, have a concrete document to which they can refer to hold the company to account ”.
Article translated from Forbes US – Author: Emma Woollacott
<<>>
–
