On April 4th we will hold a day-long invitation-only workshop to determine the scope and focus of general research as well as specific case study research to be conducted in 2013, so that the Phase I methodology for ranking ICT companies on free expression and privacy can be drafted by early 2014 and published for public consultation.
Invited participants include: UPenn faculty advisors; graduate and undergraduate students involved in the research; international research partners from Brazil, China, India, Russia, the United Kingdom and elsewhere; human rights advocates; technologists; socially responsible investors; experts on best practices in corporate ranking and rating systems; experts in the field of business and human rights, business ethics, and corporate social responsibility.
The proceedings will be held under Chatham House Rule and a summary of the discussion and outcome will be published online.
For more information please contact Rebecca MacKinnon at mackinnon AT newamerica DOT net.
AGENDA:
10-10:30 – Introductions and overview
10:30-11:30 – Lessons from other ratings/rankings initiatives
11:30-11:45 – Break
11:45-2:30 (With working lunch around 1pm) – Possible criteria for ranking the policies and practices of Phase 1 companies (web/internet and telecommunications). What elements are globally rank-able?
– Lessons from the Global Network Initiative
– EFF’s “who has your back”
– Special issues related to telecommunications companies
– Technical criteria for security and privacy
– Privacy policies and terms of service
– Questions related to export controls, sanctions, conflicts and atrocity situations.
2:30-2:45 – break
2:45 -3:45 – Maximizing data compatibility with other projects
– outline for first steps and how to follow-up/coordinate going forward
4-5:30 – Next steps for methodology research
– What other regional/country case studies are needed beyond Brazil, India, China & Russia?
– What other research needs to be prioritized and what is missing from our list?
(Note that case study research partners and other members of the research team will be holding a follow-up meeting on Friday morning to lay out next steps for research more concretely.)
