2019 Ranking Digital Rights
Corporate Accountability Index

The 2019 Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index evaluated 24 of the world’s most powerful internet, mobile, and telecommunications companies on their disclosed commitments and policies affecting freedom of expression and privacy of internet users across the world.

24
companies
73
services
35
indicators
Industry
Internet and mobile ecosystem companies
Telecommunications companies

Key findings

Most companies improved scores in at least one area, and many made significant improvements in the past year. Yet companies still fell short:

  • Privacy: Companies still do not adequately inform people about all the ways user information is collected and shared, with whom, and why.

  • Expression: As companies struggle to curb extremism, hate speech, and disinformation, most lacked transparency about how they police content or respond to government demands.

  • Governance: Most companies failed to anticipate and manage privacy and expression risks caused by their business models, and by the deployment of new technologies.

The 2019 RDR Index ranked 24 companies on 35 indicators across three categories evaluating their disclosure of commitments, policies, and practices affecting freedom of expression and privacy. The RDR Index evaluates policies of the parent company, operating company, and those of selected services (depending on company structure).

Read more about the methodology, research process, and how we score each company.

2019 RDR Index ranking

How did the companies compare?

Year-on-year comparison

Which companies improved the most? To read how each company fared in comparison to the 2018 RDR Index go to the "Compare" page.

Barchart that shows the year-on-year score changes in comparison to the 2018 Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index. Most companies were able to improve their policies and therefore their total scores.

Report highlights

Highlights and trends

Most companies have disclosed more about key policies and practices affecting users’ privacy and freedom of expression than in the past. Yet they still fell short on disclosing basic information to users about the design, management, and governance of the digital platforms and services that affect human rights. Read Chapter 2 to find out more about RDR Index leaders, and key highlights and trends.

Governance

Companies that led the RDR Index have stronger governance and oversight over human rights. Yet oversight and management of human rights risks faced by users remains inconsistent and uneven. Few companies provide effective grievance and remedy mechanisms. Read more about our Governance findings in Chapter 3.

Freedom of expression

A small number of internet platforms, mobile ecosystems, and telecommunications services have become powerful gatekeepers for public discourse and access to information. But most lack transparency about how online expression is policed. Read more in Chapter 4.

Privacy

Nearly all ranked companies made some improvements to their disclosures of policies and practices affecting privacy in the past year. But companies that led the Privacy category of the 2019 RDR Index distinguished themselves by going beyond minimum legal requirements—at least in certain areas, even if they were deficient in others. Read more about our privacy findings in Chapter 5.

Questions for Investors

The RDR Index provides a clear standard for investors to use in evaluating company respect for users’ digital rights. Shareholder value is put at risk not only by security breaches, but also when companies fail to identify and mitigate broader human rights risks across their business operations. Read Chapter 6 to find out questions investors should ask of companies.