We depend on dozens of companies – such as Facebook, Google, Apple, and Vodafone – for the digital products and services that increasingly shape our personal lives, careers, and even politics. But how well do these companies respect our rights to privacy and freedom of expression?

On March 23, 2017, CMDS presents the launch of the Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) Corporate Accountability Index, which ranks of 22 of the world’s most powerful telecommunications, internet, and mobile companies on their commitments and disclosed policies affecting users’ freedom of expression and privacy.

The 2017 Index follows the inaugural 2015 Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index which found widespread failure by companies to disclose key information about their policies and practices affecting freedom of expression and privacy. Users were left largely in the dark about how and why their information is collected, used, and shared, as well as many of the circumstances under which content is blocked or removed.

The Index launch will be webcast at CEU from Washington D.C., featuring a presentation of Index results by project director Rebecca MacKinnon.

The webcast will be followed by an in-person discussion with RDR team members Amy Brouillette, Lisa Gutermuth, Ilana Ullman, and Nathalie Maréchal.