Insights from our team highlighting topics that are critical to our human rights mission.
The annual AGM (annual general meetings) season at major tech companies recently wrapped up in a climate of increased scrutiny toward the industry, with the rapid emergence of new AI and AI-powered tools. While these new tools may appear to rekindle excitement in an industry
Late last year, a bombshell investigation found that 12 companies linked to the persecution of the Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang region appeared in Article 9 funds. These funds, under EU law, are meant to include only companies that follow the strictest level of sustainability.
Over the past weeks, Amazon, Meta, Twitter, and Alphabet (Google) all faced a shareholder reckoning. Nearly 50 petitions launched by investors across the four tech giants called on them to come clean on an array of issues. Many of those issues were related to human
The SEC rejected Meta’s push to block a slate of human rights proposals, including one focused on targeted advertising A round of rulings by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has made it clear that Meta (FB) cannot escape shareholder scrutiny on fundamental human rights
Today, Alphabet ($GOOGL) shareholders filed a set of proposals ahead of the annual shareholder meeting this spring covering major human rights issues ranging from algorithmic transparency to data security, to disinformation. Ranking Digital Rights is proud to have worked with Alphabet shareholders and the Investor
RDR maintains strong bonds with the investor community. Our methodology and standards were designed to respond to the needs of shareholders seeking insight on tech companies’ and telcos’ performance on digital rights issues.
With the rise of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investing, the impact of our work with investors has continued to grow.
We use our detailed research findings to advise investors on individual companies’ transparency about their policies and practices. We support investors in standalone digital rights-related projects, including the development of digital rights principles and expectations for tech companies.
In collaboration with the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, we are supporting more than 175 investors with more than $9T in assets in a multi-year campaign to push the companies evaluated in our Scorecards to address our human rights recommendations. The Investor Statement on Corporate Accountability for Digital Rights serves as a point of departure for the campaign and highlights areas where investor signatories expect tech companies and telcos to improve.
We work directly with investors and investor coalitions to develop shareholder proposals (resolutions) targeting companies we rank and their peers. In 2022, we collaborated with shareholders to draft a proposal calling on Meta to assess the human rights impacts of its targeted advertising systems that achieved one of the highest levels of support in the company’s history. In 2022, we were cited in at least five shareholder resolutions at Alphabet (Google), Apple, Meta, and Twitter.
Shareholder resolutions are one of the most powerful tools in the activist investor’s toolbox. Shareholders often target publicly held companies with proposals calling for more transparency and accountability on human rights issues. These petitions are put to a vote at the company’s annual meeting through a process known as proxy voting.
Although proposals are generally non-binding, winning a majority of shareholder votes creates strong pressure for the company to comply. Proposals that win 30% support or more are also likely to persuade companies to review policies and practices by demonstrating growing shareholder alignment to the Board.
Below, you will find a list of recent shareholder proposals related to digital rights at companies covered by RDR’s Scorecards as well as other tech companies and telcos.
We include resolutions on the following topics: transparency reporting (including government demands), corporate governance of human rights issues, human rights due diligence, civil rights audits, privacy (e.g., data collection and processing), content governance, algorithms and targeted advertising, interconnected rights (e.g., freedom of association), and political lobbying. We also include other resolutions related to digital rights on a case-by-case basis.
The Outcome column reports voting outcomes for proposals that made it to the voting stage. It also notes when a filer withdrew a proposal following an agreement with the company, if this information was made public. The Impact column highlights relevant news coverage and major development stemming from each proposal. You can search for specific proposals by keywords using each table’s search bar.
At most companies, one share is worth one vote. But some use unequal voting classes that allow the votes of founders and insiders to hold many times the weight of an ordinary vote. By voting against proposals, this “superclass” artificially dilutes the outcome, ultimately entrenching its own power. We mark the companies to which this applies in the tables below. Read more about how these structures can harm human rights and what we can do about it.
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| Year | Topic | Description | Outcome | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Report on customer due diligence | Publish a report assessing whether customers’ use of Amazon’s products and services with surveillance, computer vision, or cloud storage capabilities contributes to human rights violations. | 39.99% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Additional reporting on freedom of association | Publish a report analyzing how Amazon’s current human rights policies and practices protect the fundamental rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining. | 38.57% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Lobbying report | Publish an annual report breaking out Amazon’s lobbying payments and the policies and procedures governing them. | 47.03% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Report on customer use of facial recognition technologies | Commission an independent study of Amazon’s Rekognition facial recognition product and report on existing and potential risks and impacts, including use by repressive governments, violations of privacy and/or civil rights, and loss of good will and other financial risks associated with human rights issues. | 40.42% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Report on customer due diligence | Publish a report assessing whether customers’ use of Amazon’s products and services with surveillance, computer vision, or cloud storage capabilities contributes to human rights violations. | 39.99% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Additional reporting on freedom of association | Publish a report analyzing how Amazon’s current human rights policies and practices protect the fundamental rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining. | 38.57% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Lobbying report | Publish an annual report breaking out Amazon’s lobbying payments and the policies and procedures governing them. | 47.03% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Report on customer use of facial recognition technologies | Commission an independent study of Amazon’s Rekognition facial recognition product and report on existing and potential risks and impacts, including use by repressive governments, violations of privacy and/or civil rights, and loss of good will and other financial risks associated with human rights issues. | 40.42% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | End the use of productivity expectations and workplace monitoring | End the use of productivity quotas and worker surveillance across Amazon’s warehouse facilities and distribution network, including, but not limited to the policies commonly known as Rate and Time Off Task. | 0.25% in favor | Coverage: WIRED, Protocol, Washington Post, Engadget. |
| 2022 | Diversity and equity audit | Commission a racial equity audit analyzing Amazon’s impacts on civil rights, equity, diversity and inclusion, and the impacts of those issues on Amazon’s business. | Withdrawn. Filers withdrew the proposal after Amazon agreed to conduct a racial equity audit, to be led by former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch. | Helped push Amazon to announce a racial equity audit, building on 44% support in 2021. Coverage: Bloomberg, Forbes, Reuters, others. |
| 2021 | Report on customer due diligence | Publish a report assessing whether customers’ use of Amazon’s products and services with surveillance, computer vision, or cloud storage capabilities contributes to human rights violations. | 34.79% in favor | Coverage: MarketWatch, Corporate Secretary |
| 2021 | Report on customer use of facial recognition technologies | Commission an independent study of Amazon’s Rekognition facial recognition product and report on existing and potential risks and impacts, including use by repressive governments, violations of privacy and/or civil rights, and loss of good will and other financial risks associated with human rights issues. | 33.85% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Independent Board chair | Adopt a policy to require that the Chair of the Board be an independent director who has not previously served as an executive officer of Amazon. | 14.5% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Diversity and equity audit | Commission a racial equity audit analyzing Amazon’s impacts on civil rights, equity, diversity and inclusion, and the impacts of those issues on Amazon’s business. | 43.84% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Risk report on anticompetitive practices | Report on how Amazon oversees risks related to anticompetitive practices, including details on the Board’s oversight role. | 33.26% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Lobbying report | Publish an annual report breaking out Amazon’s lobbying payments and the policies and procedures governing them. | 34.71% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2020 | Report on potential customer misuse of certain technologies (surveillance, computer vision, cloud) | Publish a report assessing whether customers’ use of Amazon’s products and services with surveillance, computer vision, or cloud storage capabilities contributes to human rights violations. | 31.8% in favor | Coverage: GeekWire, Seattle Times. |
| 2020 | Independent Board chair | Adopt a policy to require that the Chair of the Board be an independent director who has not previously served as an executive officer of Amazon. | 16.15% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2020 | Report on viewpoint discrimination | Issue a report evaluating the range of risks and costs associated with discriminating against different social, political, and religious viewpoints. | 1.5% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2020 | Lobbying report | Publish an annual report breaking out Amazon’s lobbying payments and the policies and procedures governing them. | 29.9% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2020 | Report on efforts to restrict certain products (hate speech, offensive products) | Report on Amazon’s efforts to address hate speech and the sale or promotion of offensive products throughout its businesses. The report should discuss Amazon’s process for developing policies to address hate speech and offensive products, including the experts and stakeholders with whom Amazon consulted, and the enforcement mechanisms it has put in place, or intends to put in place, to ensure hate speech and offensive products are effectively addressed. | 34.65% in favor | Coverage: MIT Technology Review, GovTech. |
| 2019 | Report on impact of facial recognition technology on civil rights | Commission an independent study of Rekognition regarding the extent to which such technology may endanger, threaten, or violate privacy and or civil rights, and unfairly or disproportionately target or surveil people of color, immigrants, and activists in the United States and the extent to which such technologies may be marketed and sold to authoritarian or repressive foreign governments. | 27.55% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Report on efforts to address hate speech and sale of offensive products | Report on Amazon’s efforts to address hate speech and the sale or promotion of offensive products throughout its businesses. The report should discuss Amazon’s process for developing policies to address hate speech and offensive products, including the experts and stakeholders with whom Amazon consulted, and the enforcement mechanisms it has put in place, or intends to put in place, to ensure hate speech and offensive products are effectively addressed. | 26.92% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Prohibit sale of facial recognition technology to government agencies | Prohibit sales of facial recognition technology to government agencies unless the Board concludes, after an evaluation using independent evidence, that the technology does not cause or contribute to actual or potential violations of civil and human rights. The filers called on the company to consult with independent experts on privacy and civil rights harms as well as sales to repressive governments. | 2.42% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Independent Board chair | Adopt a policy to require that the Chair of the Board be an independent director. | 24.07% in favor | To be determined. |
Proxy statements: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
| Year | Topic | Description | Outcome | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Include app removals in transparency reporting ◼︎ | Revise Apple’s Transparency Reports to provide clear explanations of the number and categories of app removals from the app store in response to or in anticipation of government requests. | 31.36% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Civil rights audit | Commission a third-party audit analyzing the adverse impact of Apple’s policies and practices on the civil rights of company stakeholders. | 52.83% in favor | Apple committed to conducting a civil rights audit shortly after the shareholder meeting. |
| 2020 | Report on freedom of expression and access to information policies as human rights ◼︎ | Produce an annual report to shareholders on the company’s policies on freedom of expression and access to information, including whether it has publicly committed to respect freedom of expression as a human right, the oversight mechanisms for formulating and administering policies on such freedoms, and the actions the company has taken in the past year in response to government or third-party demands that were likely to limit free expression or access to information. | 40.64% in favor | Pushed Apple to publish a human rights policy with commitments to freedom of expression and privacy in August 2020. Coverage: Financial Times, The Verge, Reuters. |
Proxy statements: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
| Year | Topic | Description | Outcome | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Independent Board chair | Adopt a policy so that two separate people hold the offices of Chair and CEO. | 32.72% | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Political congruency report | Publish a report analyzing the congruence of AT&T’s political and electioneering expenditures during the preceding year against publicly stated company values and policies. | 43.57% | Coverage: Corporate Secretary, Popular Information, Seeking Alpha |
| 2022 | Civil rights and non-discrimination audit | Publish a racial equity audit analyzing the AT&T’s impacts on civil rights and non-discrimination, and the impacts of those issues on AT&T’s business. The proposal, filed by a conservative activist group, is one of several questioning companies’ efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). | 3.90% | To be determined. |
Proxy statements: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
Note: Alphabet’s multi-class stock structure grants Class B (insider) shareholders ten votes per share. A separate class (Class C) has no voting rights. This gives Board members Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the primary holders of the “insider” class of stock, 52% of the overall voting power.
| Year | Topic | Description | Outcome | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Lobbying report | Publish an annual report breaking out Alphabet’s lobbying payments and the policies and procedures governing them. | 18.94% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Racial equity audit | Publish a third-party, independent racial equity audit analyzing Alphabet’s adverse impacts on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. | 22.31% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Equal shareholder voting | Adopt a plan to convert all outstanding stock to have one vote per share, within seven years or another timeframe justified by the Board. | 33.16% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Report on government takedown requests | Publish a semi-annual report that specifies Alphabet’s policy in responding to requests to remove or take down material from its platforms by the Executive Office of the President, Centers for Disease Control, or any other agency or entity of the United States Government. | 0.40% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Human rights assessment of data center siting | Publish a report assessing the human rights impacts of siting Google Cloud data centers in countries of significant human rights concern and describing the Alphabet’s strategies for mitigating these impacts. | 16.99% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Report on data collection, privacy, and security ◼︎ | Publish an annual report explaining how the Board is managing risks associated with user data collection, privacy, and security. | 12.21% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Algorithm disclosures | Provide more quantitative and qualitative information on Alphabet’s algorithmic systems, including, for example, how the company uses algorithmic systems to target and deliver ads, error rates, and the impact these systems had on user speech and experiences. | 19.54% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Misinformation and disinformation | Publish a third-party human rights impact assessment evaluating the efficacy of Alphabet’s policies and practices to address the impacts of its content management policies to address misinformation and disinformation across its platforms. | 23% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Report on external costs of disinformation | Publish a report on risks created by Alphabet’s business practices that prioritize internal financial return over healthy social and environmental systems and how such risks threaten its shareholders’ returns. | 3.51% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Report on military and militarized policing agencies policy | Publish a report reassessing Alphabet’s policies on support for military and militarized policing agency activities and their impacts on stakeholders, user communities, and Alphabet’s reputation and finances. | 9.16% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Human rights impact assessment of Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) ▲ | Publish an independent human rights impact assessment evaluating the potential impacts of Google’s planned Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) ad targeting technology. | Withdrawn. Conditionally withdrawn following Google’s termination of the FLoC project. | Helped push Google to terminate FLoC and seek alternative options. |
| 2021 | Nominate human rights and/or civil rights expert to Board | Nominate at least one candidate for the board who is recognized for their high level of human and/or civil rights expertise and experience. | 10.28% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Report on takedown requests | Report on the feasibility of publicly disclosing the number and nature of government-issued content removal requests in an annual report, organized by jurisdiction and including the delisted, censored, downgraded, proactively penalized, and blacklisted terms, queries, and websites resulting from government requests. | 13.27% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Report on whistleblower policies and practices | Solicit a third-party review of the effectiveness of its whistleblower policies in protecting human rights and publish a report on the review. | 10.35% in favor | Coverage: The Verge, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider |
| 2020 | Establish a Human Rights Risk Oversight committee ◼︎ | Establish a human rights risk oversight committee, composed of independent directors possessing relevant experience and providing an ongoing review of corporate policies and practices to assess how the company manages the current and potential impacts of its products and services on human rights. The committee should also oversee whether the company is meeting international human rights responsibilities. The proposal further advises that the company commission an advisory group of experts. | 16.2% in favor | Coverage: Yahoo Finance, Benefits Canada, Financial Times, Morningstar, Bloomberg Business. |
| 2020 | Report on takedown requests on content | Issue a report assessing the feasibility of publicly disclosing on an annual basis, by jurisdiction, the list of delisted, censored, downgraded, proactively penalized, or blacklisted terms, queries or sites that the company implements in response to government requests. | 11.4% in favor | Coverage: Open Mic, GlobeNewsWire, Morning Star, Deadline. |
| 2020 | Nominate a human and/or civil rights expert to the Board ◼︎ | Nominate at least one candidate for the board who is recognized for their high level of human and/or civil rights expertise and experience and will qualify as an independent director. | 8.98% in favor | Coverage: Corporate Board Member, Chief Executive. |
| 2020 | Report on whistleblower policies and practices | Report on the company’s whistleblower policies and practices, assessing how feasible it is to expand these policies and practices above current levels.. | 4.9% in favor | Coverage: CNet, Deadline. |
| 2019 | Report on content governance | Issue a report reviewing the efficacy of the enforcement of Google’s terms of service related to content policies and assessing the risks posed by content management controversies related to election interference, freedom of expression, and the spread of hate speech, to the company’s finances, operations, and reputation. | 6.8% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Human rights assessment of Google Search in China | Publish a Human Rights Impact Assessment to examine actual and potential human rights impacts of censored Google search in China. The proposal stemmed from reports that Google was developing a censored search engine codenamed Dragonfly for the Chinese market that would comply with China’s repressive censorship laws and “blacklist websites and search terms about human rights, democracy, religion, and peaceful protest.” | 2.15% in favor | Google terminated the Dragonfly project in July 2019, one month after shareholders voted on this proposal. This followed reports of internal opposition to the project at Google. Coverage: Politico, Open Mic. |
| 2019 | Strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value | Retain advisors to study strategic alternatives and put in place a committee of independent directors to evaluate those alternatives in exercise of their fiduciary responsibilities in light of privacy violations, data leaks, and illegal location tracking from Alphabet, allegations of collaboration with the Chinese government to censor searches in China, as well as the Federal Trade Commission being asked to investigate violations of the privacy of children by Alphabet. | 0.47% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Establish a Societal Risk Oversight Committee | Establish a Societal Risk Oversight Committee of the Board of Directors made up of independent directors and providing an ongoing review of corporate policies and procedures beyond legal/regulatory matters, to assess the potential societal consequences of the company’s products and services. The proposal notes the potential for Alphabet’s technologies to bot amplify false information and violate users’ privacy. | 8.76% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Equal shareholder voting | Adopt a plan to convert all outstanding stock to have one vote per share, within seven years or another timeframe justified by the Board. | 31.39% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Report on sustainability metrics | Prepare a report assessing the feasibility of integrating sustainability metrics (including diversity metrics) into senior executives’ performance measures or vesting conditions. | 12.21% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Risk report on anticompetitive practices | Report on how Alphabet oversees risks related to anticompetitive practices, including details on the Board’s oversight role. | 12.35% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2020 | Equal shareholder voting | Adopt a plan to convert all outstanding stock to have one vote per share at the earliest practicable time. | 31.63% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2020 | Report on sustainability metrics | Prepare a report assessing the feasibility of integrating sustainability metrics (including diversity metrics) into senior executives’ performance measures or vesting conditions. | 13.06% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Equal shareholder voting | Adopt a plan to convert all outstanding stock to have one vote per share at the earliest practicable time. | 30.01% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Sustainability metrics report | Prepare a report assessing the feasibility of integrating sustainability metrics (including diversity metrics) into senior executives’ performance measures or vesting conditions. | 9.67% in favor | To be determined. |
Proxy statements: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
Note: Meta’s multi-class stock structure grants Class B (insider) shareholders ten votes per share. This gives CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the primary holder of the “insider” class of stock, 57% of the overall voting power.
| Year | Topic | Description | Outcome | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dual-class capital structure | Adopt a plan to convert all outstanding stock to have one vote per share, preferably within seven years or another timeframe justified by the Board. | 28.08% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Independent Board chair | Separate the roles of CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors. (Mark Zuckerberg holds both offices as of 2022.) | 16.69% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | External costs of misinformation | Publish a report on risks created by Meta’s business practices that prioritize internal financial return over healthy social and environmental systems and how such risks threaten its shareholders’ returns. | 2.72% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Report on Community Standards enforcement | Publish a report analyzing why the enforcement of Facebook and Instagram’s Community Standards has proven ineffective at controlling the dissemination of harmful user-generated content. | 19.19% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Report on metaverse impacts and advisory vote | Publish a report on the potential psychological and civil and human rights harms to users that may be caused by the use and abuse of the metaverse and seek an advisory vote on the metaverse project. | 2.91% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Human rights impact assessment of targeted ad business model ▲ | Publish an independent third-party human rights impact assessment (HRIA) examining the actual and potential human rights impacts of Meta’s targeted advertising policies and practices throughout its business operations. | 23.68% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Child sexual exploitation online | Issue a report assessing the risk of increased sexual exploitation of children as Meta develops and offers additional privacy tools such as end-to-end encryption. | 17.22% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Civil rights and non-discrimination audit | Publish a third-party audit analyzing Meta’s impacts on civil rights and non-discrimination, and the impacts of those issues on Meta’s business. The proposal, filed by a conservative activist group, is one of several questioning companies’ efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). | 0.31% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Report on lobbying | Publish an annual report breaking out Meta’s lobbying payments and the policies and procedures governing them. | 20.55% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Assessment of Audit and Risk Oversight Committee | Publish an independent assessment of the Audit and Risk Oversight Committee’s performance in overseeing company risks to public safety and the public interest and in supporting strategic risk oversight on these issues by the full board. | 10.44% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Human/civil rights expert on Board | Nominate for the next board election at least one candidate who has a high level of human and/or civil rights expertise and experience and is widely recognized as such. | 4.06% in favor | Coverage: MarketWatch |
| 2021 | Report on child exploitation | Issue a report assessing the risk of increased sexual exploitation of children as Facebook develops and offers additional privacy tools such as end-to-end encryption. The report should address potential adverse impacts to children and to the company’s reputation or social license and assess the impact of limits to detection technologies and strategies. | 17.26% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Platform misuse | Report on the benefits and drawbacks (for Facebook) of the enhanced actions the company used during the 2020 election cycle to reduce the amplification of false and divisive information. The report should characterize and quantify the benefits or harms of such enhanced actions on employee morale, recruitment, and retention; the existence and impact of public boycott campaigns; legal and regulatory actions against the company related to content; and revenue and earnings. | 19.5% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Dual-class capital structure | Adopt a plan to convert all outstanding stock to have one vote per share, preferably within seven years or another timeframe justified by the Board. | 27.74% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Independent Board chair | Separate the roles of CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors. (Mark Zuckerberg holds both offices as of 2022.) | 16.09% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2020 | Report on political advertising controversy | Report on the controversy surrounding political advertising and posts on Facebook. This report should evaluate the implications of the company’s policies that may exempt politicians’ posts and political advertisements from elements of platform rules such as the company’s Community Standards and its fact-checking process. This report should also assess the operational, reputational, and social license implications of the company policies and the board’s assessment of the concerns regarding the potential impact of those policies on democracy, public discourse, and civil and human rights. | 12.73% in favor | Coverage: AdExchanger, CNBC, MapLight. |
| 2020 | Nominate human rights and/or civil rights expert to Board ◼︎ | Nominate for the next board election at least one candidate who has a high level of human and/or civil rights expertise and experience and is widely recognized as such. | 3.71% in favor | Coverage: Corporate Board Member, Chief Executive, OpenMic, and The Street. |
| 2020 | Report on human/civil rights risks | Oversee the management team’s preparation of a report on board-level oversight of civil and human rights risks. In so doing, Facebook might consider reporting on board-level expertise in civil and human rights; the responsibilities of the board for advising on and managing civil and human rights risk; board-level expertise pertinent to oversight regarding civil and human rights issues impacting Facebook’s community of global users; and the presence of board-level infrastructure to ensure ongoing consultation with leading civil and human rights experts. | 7.17% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2020 | Assess risk of sexual exploitation of children and their privacy | Issue a report assessing the risk of increased sexual exploitation of children as the company develops and offers additional privacy tools such as end-to-end encryption. The report should address potential adverse impacts to children (18 years and younger) and to the company’s reputation or social license, as well as the impact of limits to detection technologies and strategies. | 12.65% in favor | Coverage: The Street. |
| 2020 | Dual-class capital structure | Adopt a plan to convert all outstanding stock to have one vote per share, preferably within seven years or another timeframe justified by the Board. | 27.14% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2020 | Independent Board chair | Separate the roles of CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors. (Mark Zuckerberg holds both offices as of 2022.) | 19.51% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Retain advisors to study strategic alternatives | Begin retaining advisors to study strategic alternatives and empower a committee of independent directors to evaluate those alternatives in exercise of their fiduciary responsibilities. The proposal grounds the request in persistent privacy violations, data theft, news manipulation, safety breaches, as well as incitement to violence in Myanmar and elsewhere, coupled with Facebook management’s poor handling of these problems. | 0.68% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Report on content governance policies | Publish a report evaluating its strategies and policies on content governance, including the extent to which they address human rights abuses and threats to democracy and freedom of expression. Among others, this proposal cites the Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation. | 5.7% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Dual-class capital structure | Adopt a plan to convert all outstanding stock to have one vote per share at the earliest practicable time. | 24.49% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Independent Board chair | Separate the roles of CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors. (Mark Zuckerberg holds both offices as of 2022.) | 20.04% in favor | To be determined. |
Proxy statements: 2021, 2020, 2019
| Year | Topic | Description | Outcome | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Surveillance technologies and government contracts | Commission an independent, third-party report evaluating how well Microsoft is implementing its human rights statements and other policies in the development of products, contracts, and business relationships with government agencies, including law enforcement. The proposal highlights the use of Microsoft’s surveillance products such as the Domain Awareness System (DAS) to enable discriminatory policing, as well as Microsoft’s other contracts with the NYPD, DOD, CPB, and ICE. | Withdrawn. Filers withdrew the proposal after Microsoft agreed to commission a third-party review of its government and law enforcement contracts. | Directly pushed Microsoft to commission a third-party assessment of its government and law enforcement contracts. Coverage: The Hill |
| 2021 | Ban sale of facial recognition technology to government entities | Pohibit sales of facial recognition technology to all government entities and disclose any exceptions made. | 4.05% | Coverage: The Hill |
| 2021 | Alignment of lobbying activities with company policies | Report on if, and how, Microsoft’s direct and indirect lobbying activities align with company policies and principles on artificial intelligence, public policy, human rights, and racial justice, and how the company plans to mitigate risks created by any misalignment. This proposal focuses on how Microsoft’s lobbying on privacy and facial recognition bills is undermining efforts to pass strong consumer privacy protections. | 38.04% | Coverage: The Hill |
Proxy statements: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
| Year | Topic | Description | Outcome | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Director with human/civil rights expertise Report on data collection, privacy, and security ◼︎ | Nominate at least one independent Board candidate with a high level of human and/or civil rights experience and widely recognized as such. | 14.76% | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Civil rights audit | Publish a third-party audit analyzing Meta’s impacts on civil rights and non-discrimination, and the impacts of those issues on Meta’s business. The proposal, filed by a conservative activist group, is one of several questioning companies’ efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). | 2.21% | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Electoral spending report | Publish a semi-annual report disclosing Twitter’s policies and procedures for making electoral contributions and expenditures and influence the public with respect to an election or referendum, and disclose related monetary and non-monetary contributions and expenditures. | 52.66% | To be determined. |
| 2022 | Lobbying activities and expenditures | Provide full, detailed disclosure of Twitter’s direct and indirect lobbying activities and expenditures. | 40.15% | To be determined. |
| 2021 | Director candidate with human and/or civil rights expertise | Nominate at least one candidate for the next board election who is recognized for their high level of human and/or civil rights expertise and experience. | 14.76% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2020 | Report on risk of viewpoint discrimination in EEO policy | Publish a report detailing the potential risks associated with omitting “viewpoint” and “ideology” from its written equal employment opportunity (EEO) policy. | 1.55% in favor | To be determined. |
| 2019 | Report on content enforcement policies | Issue a report to shareholders reviewing the efficacy of its enforcement of Twitter’s terms of service related to content policies and assessing the risks posed by content governance controversies (including election interference, fake news, hate speech and sexual harassment) to the company’s finances, operations, and reputation. | 37.45% in favor | Twitter launched its new Transparency Center in August 2020, three months after shareholders voted on this proposal. Twitter did not explicitly recognize the proposal’s role in this decision. |
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