Tech Giants Fail to Protect User Privacy and Freedom of Expression

Strategic Insights -

The world's top tech companies have been failing to uphold basic standards of privacy and freedom of expression, according to a comprehensive assessment of their user agreement policies. Tech firms including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Vodafone, Orange, and Tencent were among the 16 publicly traded companies surveyed in the ongoing project called Ranking Digital Rights. The survey, conducted by the New America Foundation thinktank, found that no single company scored above a 65% aggregate grade on privacy, freedom of expression, and their commitment to those values. Google was the highest scorer with 65%, while Mail.ru, the Russian email service, scored the lowest at 13%.

Key Takeaways:

  • No company scored above a 65% aggregate grade on privacy, freedom of expression, and their commitment to those values.
  • Google was the highest scorer with 65%, while Mail.ru, the Russian email service, scored the lowest at 13%.
  • Only six companies of the 16 surveyed scored at least 50% in the poll, demonstrating a serious deficit of respect for users' freedom of expression and privacy.
  • Seven companies, nearly half, scored less than 22%, illustrating a significant lack of transparency and accountability in user agreement policies.
  • None of the surveyed companies provided clear disclosures about internal censorship, with many failing to publicly disclose the reasons for editing or removing content.
  • Only 6% of web-based companies allowed encryption of private content, and users had little control over access to their own data.
  • European companies, including Orange, had significant cooperation issues with government agencies, reinforcing the need for greater transparency and accountability.
  • The survey found that, despite efforts to improve, tech companies often favored clarity for regulators over users, leaving users in the dark about many company practices affecting freedom of expression and privacy.
  • The Ranking Digital Rights project emphasized the need for improvement, citing the high stakes consequences of unclear policies, such as Syrian opposition groups getting locked out of Facebook due to unclear terms of service.

Statistics:

  • No company scored above a 65% aggregate grade on privacy, freedom of expression, and their commitment to those values.
  • Google scored the highest at 65%.
  • Mail.ru scored the lowest at 13%.
  • Only 6% of web-based companies allowed encryption of private content.
  • 7 companies, nearly half, scored less than 22% in the poll.
  • None of the surveyed companies provided clear disclosures about internal censorship.
  • 31 multi-part questions were used to evaluate user rights and company practices.

Sources:

  • New America Foundation thinktank
  • Ranking Digital Rights project
  • Sustainalytics (data analysis firm)
  • United Nations (standards for privacy and free expression)
  • Electronic Frontier Foundation (staff attorney Nate Cardozo)
  • The New York Times (article by Sam Thielman)