Filterbaan and Taraaz Research’s report “Digital Rights & Technology Sector Accountability in Iran: The Case of Messaging Apps” uses an adapted version of the Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index methodology to assess Iranian technology companies’ disclosure of how their policies and practices either uphold, or undermine the fundamental human rights of their users. This research was undertaken on the principle that private tech companies have unique obligations to respect the human rights of their users, as outlined in the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (or UNGPs). UNGPs apply to all companies in every industry, including the ICT sector.
To make the UNGPs more practical for ICT companies, technology and human rights researchers have developed resources to assess and guide companies towards greater transparency and rights-respecting practices. Among these resources are the Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index, a ranking method to “evaluate [the] most powerful internet, mobile, and telecommunications companies on their disclosed commitments and policies affecting freedom of expression and privacy of internet users across the world.”
In order to support companies to assess their compliance with the UNGPs, and to make constructive reforms to their policies, Taraaz and Filterwatch have produced a workbook based on the Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index. This workbook is designed to help guide companies to spark meaningful conversations about how their policies impact on their users’ rights, and provide a roadmap on how they can improve them.
Download the toolkit here, and start the conversation in your company about upholding users’ rights online.
