Comments on European Commission Draft ICT Sector Guidance on Business and Human Rights

GNI Comments on EC Draft ICT Sector Guidance

The Global Network Initiative (GNI) welcomes the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry project to develop guidance on the corporate responsibility to respect human rights in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. We appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on the draft guidance.

GNI is a multi-stakeholder group of companies, civil society organizations (including human rights and press freedom groups), investors and academics, who have created a collaborative approach to protect and advance freedom of expression and privacy in the ICT sector. GNI provides resources for ICT companies to help them address difficult issues related to freedom of expression and privacy that they may face anywhere in the world. GNI has created a framework of principles and a confidential, collaborative approach to working through challenges of corporate responsibility in the ICT sector.

Developing detailed guidance that is of practical use to companies across the sector is a challenging task, and we have been pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the work of the project team at the Institute for Human Rights and Business and Shift, particularly with regards to freedom of expression and privacy rights. GNI is represented on the ICT Sector Advisory Group by Executive Director Susan Morgan and GNI Board members Rebecca MacKinnon and Lewis Segall, and participated in the recent roundtable discussion of the draft in Brussels.