**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
December 5, 2022
Contact: Anna Lee Nabors, comms@rankingdigitalrights.org
Washington, D.C. — Telcos are perpetuating many of the same harms to privacy and freedom of expression as digital platforms, while facing far less scrutiny, according to the Ranking Digital Rights Telco Giants Scorecard, released today. The Telco Giants Scorecard evaluates and scores major global telecommunications companies (telcos) on more than 250 aspects of company policies that affect people’s human rights, focusing on corporate governance, freedom of expression and information, and privacy.
While Big Tech companies have stolen the spotlight in recent discussions of the ills of our information systems, our findings show that telcos are disclosing significantly less information about their policies and practices than Big Tech companies. Yet telcos, despite being less visible than their Big Tech counterparts, wield far more power. This is especially true where they are government-owned, in part or whole, and where they operate in authoritarian or authoritarian-trending regimes. As the primary providers of internet access across the globe, the effects of their policies and practices on digital rights are in desperate need of renewed attention.
“Big Tech platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Apple have dominated media coverage of social technologies in recent years, but telcos actually wield more power while being far less transparent,” says RDR Director Jessica Dheere. “Around the world, telcos are most people’s first and only point of access to the internet, and when that access is revoked or the information it leads to is distorted, such as through zero rating or targeted advertising, it can cause irreparable damage not just to people’s rights but to their lives.”
Other highlights from the Telco Giants Scorecard include:
- Spain-based Telefónica came out on top, primarily due to expanded human rights risk assessments as well as disclosures noting that it does not comply with private requests for censorship or user information. This year marked the first time it came out on top across all three categories.
- South Africa’s MTN and Mexico’s América Móvil led on improvements by increasing the transparency of their policies significantly. Both companies cited RDR’s standards as the roadmap for their new transparency reporting. The changes in their scores reflect the improvements that are possible when companies prioritize human rights.
- UAE-based e& (formerly Etisalat), as well as Qatari company Ooredoo, which is currently offering free SIMs to World Cup visitors, came in at the bottom of our ranking once again as they continue to lack any substantive form of transparency.
- U.S.-based company AT&T made modest improvements, but not enough to move up to second place. Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning federal abortion rights, AT&T declined to clarify how its policy on government demands for user information would be applied to abortion-related cases.
The RDR Telco Giants Scorecard analyzes the policies of 12 of the biggest global telecommunications companies headquartered in 10 different countries on five continents. The Scorecard is a part of the RDR Corporate Accountability Index, which also includes the Big Tech Scorecard that ranks 14 of the world’s most powerful social media and e-commerce platforms. Every company we rank has its own report card that offers a detailed look at highlights from the past year, key takeaways, recommendations, and changes.
| Airtel | Deutsche Telekom | Orange |
| América Móvil | Etisalat (e&) | Telefónica |
| AT&T | MTN | Telenor |
| Axiata | Ooredoo | Vodafone |
Also new in the Telco Giants Scorecard, our nine Key Findings essays. Take a deep dive into year-over-year progress and decline, emerging patterns and longtime trends, problem spots, and opportunities for changes:
- In a world where social media and e-commerce platforms dominate global headlines proclaiming society’s information ills, telcos can seem like benign fixtures from the past. But, despite being less visible than their Big Tech counterparts, telcos wield far more power. Read “Missed calls?: It’s time telco giants answered for themselves.”
- The 12 telecommunications companies we rank made improvements in all three categories of standards we measure. Yet few have effective mechanisms in place to identify human rights problems before they happen. Read “Some progress, but more stagnation in 2022.”
- As a result of their improvements, MTN and América Móvil surpassed France’s Orange in this year’s ranking for the first time–a milestone for telecommunications companies from emerging markets. Read “Who made the biggest gains, lost the most ground?”
- When telcos engage in targeted advertising, it raises many of the same human rights concerns that have been extensively documented in the case of digital platforms. Read “Did you know: Telcos target us with ads, too?“
- Telcos can sometimes serve as enablers of far-reaching abuse by other powerful actors, yielding to expression-chilling government surveillance, executing government-ordered communication blackouts, and blocking services and websites. Read “Transparency improves on shutdowns, but telcos still weak on free expression.”
- Research has found that zero-rating arrangements jeopardize media pluralism, lead to the spread of disinformation, increase broadband costs for users, and distort fair competition between providers. Read “Companies commit to net neutrality while ignoring the hazards of zero rating.”
- Digital rights organizations across the globe have used RDR’s methodology to document inconsistencies in policies between parent companies and subsidiaries, with commitments to human rights among the latter often weaker. Read “The disconnect between HQ and local subsidiaries results in less transparency and protection.”
- Telcos can end up facilitating mass government surveillance. Because they are licensed and operate according to commitments made to government entities, they can become a tool for data collection with little recourse to contradict government demands. Read “Unremarkable privacy scores could signal growth in telco-enabled surveillance.”
- This year marks the first time that every telco we rank has published a report explicitly covering ESG (environmental, social, and governance) issues. But more pressure is needed to catalyze progress among companies that are behind their peers. Read “ESG Investors take note: Companies are responding to pressure on digital rights.”
Also, check out our Executive Summary.
To speak to an expert, please contact us at comms@rankingdigitalrights.org.
EXPERTS
Jessica Dheere, Director, @jessdheere
Florida, USA; EDT (GMT – 5)
Areas of Expertise
- Corporate accountability in the digital age
- Business and human rights
- Algorithmic content-shaping and the targeted advertising business model
- Global trends in freedom of expression and privacy
- RDR Index findings and positioning
Nathalie Maréchal, Policy Director, @marechalphd
Washington DC, USA; EDT (GMT – 5)
Areas of Expertise
- Corporate accountability in the digital age
- Business and human rights
- Algorithmic content-shaping and the targeted advertising business model
- Global trends in freedom of expression and privacy
- Why RDR was created, and its global vision and mission
- Geopolitical lens on business and human rights
Jan Rydzak, Company Engagement Lead and Research Analyst, @ElCalavero
Washington DC, USA; EDT (GMT – 5)
Areas of Expertise
- Network shutdowns
- Content moderation
- Role of investors/ESG/SRI
- Transparency reporting
- Human rights due diligence
- Disinformation and crisis
- Analysis of company announcements and news
- United Nations and technology
Ranking Digital Rights is an independent tech policy research and advocacy program at New America in Washington, D.C. We evaluate the world’s most powerful companies on their publicly disclosed policies and practices affecting users’ freedom of expression and privacy. Now in their seventh year, our rankings have seen companies progressively commit to protecting users’ rights in greater numbers. Visit us online at rankingdigitalrights.org or follow us on Twitter @rankingrights.org.
ABOUT NEW AMERICA: New America is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute dedicated to renewing America in the digital age through big ideas, technological innovation and creative engagement with broad audiences. To learn more, please visit us online at www.newamerica.org or follow us on Twitter @NewAmerica.
