All over the world – from the Americas to Europe to the Middle East to Africa and Asia – companies in the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) sector face increasing government pressure to comply with domestic laws and policies in ways that may conflict with the internationally recognized human rights of freedom of expression and privacy.
In response, a multi-stakeholder group of companies, civil society organizations (including human rights and press freedom groups), investors and academics spent two years negotiating and creating a collaborative approach to protect and advance freedom of expression and privacy in the ICT sector, and have formed an Initiative to take this work forward.
“I welcome the collaborative approach that the Global Network Initiative is taking to protect and advance freedom of expression and privacy. This new initiative provides a practical framework for business, human rights groups, the investment community, and academia to work together to advance fundamental human rights principles. While an important first step, the success of this and other multi-stakeholder initiatives addressing human rights issues will depend over the long run on whether they bring about concrete changes in the way businesses respond to unwarranted government restrictions, and whether they develop credible systems of accountability to assess implementation of commitments made.”
Mary Robinson
Founder and President
Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative (www.realizingrights.org)
News and Events
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GNI Invites Broad Range of ICT Companies to Implementation Dialogue
Posted: Mar 23, 2010
The GNI is seeing a rapidly growing interest in how the GNI’s Principles and Implementation Guidelines can be adapted for other segments of the ICT industry. In response, the GNI has issued a new invitation to a wide selection of ICT companies inviting them to participate in the next meeting of the GNI Implementation Dialogue.
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GNI Seeks Independent Chair of the Board of Directors
Posted: May 10, 2010
The GNI is seeking an Independent Chair of the Board of Directors to work with the GNI Board and Executive Director and serve as one of the leaders, ambassadors, advocates and communicators for a new multi-stakeholder organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the human rights of freedom of expression and privacy in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.
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GNI Convenes Stakeholders on Account Deactivation and Human Rights Issues
Posted: May 11, 2010
On 16th April 2010 the GNI held a conference call attended by over 30 company and human rights organization representatives to discuss the human rights impacts of account deactivation and content removal. As one outcome of this call, the GNI is establishing a network of companies and human rights organizations dedicated to sharing best practices, communicating potential incidents of concern and reducing the impact of account deactivation and content removal on human rights.
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