Today, the Global Network Initiative (GNI) released its public report on the fourth cycle of independent assessment of GNI Company Members. The companies assessed in this cycle were: BT, Ericsson, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Nokia, Orange, Telenor, Telia Company, Vodafone, and Verizon Media/Yahoo. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, these companies underwent an independent review of their efforts to implement the GNI Principles and Guidelines, including the examination of thousands of pages of documentation, 114 interviews of key personnel, and 88 specific cases (detailed summaries of the case studies will be published as a separate supplement to the report).
Based on a detailed evaluation of the information compiled by independent assessors, much of which is confidential, and discussions with each company and their assessor, GNI’s multistakeholder Board determined that these companies are making good-faith efforts to implement the GNI Principles with improvement over time. The assessment determination were also accompanied by recommendations on steps each company can take to improve their efforts to respect freedom of expression and privacy.
This report describes the assessment process, provides a summary of each company’s assessment determination, shares lessons and learnings drawn from the assessments, and informs the public about the ways in which GNI companies and GNI are working to foster responsible company decision making to advance freedom of expression and privacy around the world. We invite readers to read this report carefully in order to understand how users, civil society, and government actors benefit from these efforts, and to learn how you can engage with GNI to support them.
The GNI assessment is the longest-running, most comprehensive mechanism for sharing non-public information across stakeholder groups about the commitments and methods that tech companies have undertaken to protect freedom of expression and privacy. These independent assessments demonstrate that amidst sustained threats to freedom of expression and privacy rights, users are benefiting from the implementation of the GNI Principles by participating companies.
“A constant theme that we see is the continuing of government efforts to conduct surveillance and manipulate information space. This report is part of an important multistakeholder accountability mechanism to help companies improve their processes and protect freedom of expression and privacy in light of government demands. The GNI assessments provide insights and important evidence of steps companies are taking to protect human rights online,” said GNI chair David Kaye.