Tag: Business & Human Rights
Blog
Zombie cookies rise again as telcos respond to our report on tracking headers
Even George A. Romero, visionary creator of zombie movies, would scarcely believe this script. After public outcry, policy turnarounds, and regulatory scrutiny, tracking headers live on in Verizon’s networks. The company just announced a new program combining AOL’s online advertising and tracking capabilities with Verizon’s UIDH mobile tracking headers, to track users across the fixed and mobile web. We have fought to expose the use of mobile tracking headers, and made some progress in holding companies to account. The nonprofit Business and Human Rights Resource Centre invited formal responses from the companies named in our report. Let’s go through the responses, one by one.…
9 October 2015
Blog
Announcing the 2015 Heroes & Villains of Human Rights and Communications Surveillance
Today Access recognizes the individuals and groups that have either been champions of the 13 internationally recognized principles for human rights in communications surveillance (“Heroes”), or have undermined or violated those principles (“Villains”). These principles, called the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance (or “the Principles”), have been endorsed by more than 400 civil society groups worldwide. They provide a framework for assessing whether government surveillance practices comply with international human rights obligations. Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Principles, which were publicly released on September 22, 2013.
…22 September 2015
Blog
Vodafone should come clean about Australian journalist data breach
Vodafone employees accessed journalist Natalie O’Brien’s call and text records in 2011, after she wrote reports about problems with the company’s Siebel security system. According to a leaked email, Vodafone managers asked employees to use “any means available” to uncover the source of O’Brien’s information. Vodafone commissioned an investigation by a top accounting firm, the results of which it refuses to release, while denying any “improper behavior.” However, after public pressure intensified this week, Vodafone reversed course and has asked federal police to investigate. We call on Vodafone to cooperate fully with investigators, release the independent report it commissioned, publicly explain what actions the company took after it became aware of the breach, and promise non-repetition. The company should strive to implement encryption, including end-to-end encryption, which would prevent employees from being able to access user data like this in the future.
…16 September 2015
Blog
Exploring socially disruptive technology and human rights at the World Economic Forum in China
Brett Solomon will speak next at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, discussing socially disruptive technology and its impact upon digital rights and users at risk.
…4 September 2015
Press Releases
EU Decision on TTIP Threatens ‘Corporate Takeover’ of the Internet, Risks Users’ Rights
Today the European Parliament’s trade committee is expected to decide whether to give the European Commision carte blanche to continue negotiations on a mechanism that would make it easier for foreign corporations to influence legislation in Europe. …
29 June 2015
Blog
Civil society groups urge governments to promote and protect encryption and anonymity
Today at the 29th session of the UN’s Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Access joined a group of more than 25 civil society organizations in a joint statement that calls on all governments to promote the use of strong encryption technologies, and to protect the right to seek, receive, and impart information anonymously online.
…17 June 2015
Blog
Transparency report update: more companies share information about requests for user data
This year, 11 companies published transparency reports for the first time, including Snapchat, Kickstarter, and GitHub. We take a look at the information that some of these companies are sharing (or not sharing), and the implications for users’ rights.
…11 May 2015
