Michael Connor, executive director of Open MIC, said: “Facebook’s problems can only be fixed by the company’s senior management and its board of directors. Hate speech and disinformation threaten the safety and rights of millions online, especially for people of color. As business leaders in a time of crisis, and with the 2020 elections not far off, Mr. Zuckerberg cannot avoid the inevitable. He needs to address these critical issues now.”
Shareholder human rights concerns at Facebook, Google and Twitter
Twitter has just filed its proxy statement, with an annual meeting which is also an audio webcast, is also on 27 May, and is also at 10 am Pacific Time. But, for some reason, the human rights resolution did not appear as a voting matter, despite there being no challenges to it at the SEC. Indeed, according to Michael Connor, executive director of Open MIC, none of the companies challenged any of the resolutions, even the second one covering human rights at Facebook. It is not clear, at this time, why Twitter was able to exclude the resolution.
Shareholder Actions and Social Justice in Tech
You’re right in that the whole COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of contacts and inquiries that are involved with surveillance of citizens. There is talk that the White House has been involved with various tech companies. And some of that may not be bad because technology can help address m any of the health issues involved with COVID-19, but—and it’s a big “but:” What we call the surveillance economy…that has been in the works for some time, and the government itself does not gather much of the data that people talk about. It is being gathered by private companies. It is being gathered by Facebook and Google and Twitter and these other companies, and one way or another the government accesses it. So the question is, “what are the rules and regulations involved in that?”
Privacy risks loom over Apple and Google's COVID-19 tracing tool
Michael Connor, executive director of Open MIC, a nonprofit organization that works with investors on media and technology issues, cautioned the service could open the door for tech companies and the government to glean additional sensitive information from users later on, including political beliefs, ethnicity and more. "What assurances do we have that contact tracing won't remain in place when the pandemic subsides?" Connor posed in emailed comments. Connor's organization and investment management firm Arjuna Capital recently filed a handful of proxy proposals directed at Google-parent Alphabet Inc., Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc., asking the companies to establish director-level oversight on human and civil rights issues.
What’s the ‘Purpose of a Corporation’?
Amazon, during its May 2019 annual meeting, actively opposed each of the 15 shareholder proposals on the ballot, according to Michael Connor, Executive Director of Open MIC, a nonprofit that works with shareholders to foster corporate accountability in the tech and media sectors. One resolution asked for a report on the human rights risks of Amazon’s facial recognition technology. Amazon has refused to engage with shareholders on it, Connor told me.
People over profits: Reframing corporate responsibility for data breaches
“It’s been obvious to many stakeholders – including many shareholders – that achieving sustainable success in a 21st century corporation requires much more than blind devotion to short-term quarterly profits,” said Michael Connor, executive director of the Open Media and Information Companies Initiative (Open MIC), a group that works for greater corporate accountability at tech and media firms.
Facebook's humbling deal with the FTC is the biggest assault on Mark Zuckerberg's power in the firm's history
Independent Facebook Shareholders Call for CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Leave Chairman Role
Facebook Investors Begin to Revolt Against Mark Zuckerberg
According to an analysis of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission data by the activist shareholder organization Open MIC, 68% of outside investors voted during the May 30 meeting for Facebook to separate the board chairman role from the C.E.O., up from 51% who voted on a similar proposal last year. An even more overwhelming majority, 83%, voted to implement a “one share, one vote” system at Facebook, replacing the dual-class structure that's now in place.
