2024 Tech Proposals
Meta
Lead Filer: NorthStar Asset Management
Lead Filer: Proxy Impact
"Meta is the world’s largest social media company, used by billons of children and teenagers. Its platforms—including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp—have been linked to numerous child safety problems including a mental health crisis for young people, data privacy violations, age verification failures, cyberbullying, self-harm and child sexual exploitation, grooming and trafficking. Meta has become a dangerous playground for children and teens. Instagram, Facebook and Messenger are linked to a youth mental health crisis and a vast pedophile network. Meta's recent announcement to encrypt its platforms will provide child predators cover that will exponentially expand their outreach and the number of child and teen victims." - Michael Passoff, Proxy Impact
Report on Generative Artificial Intelligence Misinformation and Disinformation Risks
Lead Filer: Arjuna Capital/Open Mic
“Artificial Intelligence offers great promise — and we should be excited about that — but even leading tech researchers are concerned about the potential for its abuse. In a world where democratic institutions are already threatened by online mis- and disinformation, Alphabet and Meta need to assure billions of users and their shareholders that their management and boards are up to the task of responsibly managing the technology.” - Michael Connor, Open MIC.
Lack of Investment in Content Moderation in the Global Majority
Lead Filer: AkademikerPension
"Meta has implemented content moderation guardrails in the U.S. to guard against the online hate-mongering and incitements to violence that could threaten election integrity and undermine democratic institutions. However, these measures have not been extended to non-Western, non-English speaking markets, leaving them vulnerable to these risks.” - Anna Kaagaard, AkademikerPension
Human Rights Impact Assessment
Lead Filer: Mercy Investments
"Meta's business model relies on a single source of revenue – advertising. Targeted advertising, given concerns around the fairness, accountability, non-discrimination, and transparency of the underlying algorithmic system, has been heavily scrutinized for its adverse impacts on human rights, and is facing significant regulation beyond existing laws. This is a material risk to investors. In fact, The Digital Services Act (DSA) imposes new obligations on companies operating in the EU. Currently, this transparency and accountability stops at the borders of the EU. However, we know this to be a global problem and Meta should use the reporting system they already have in place for the DSA to conduct a HRIA across their entire targeted advertising business." - Lydia Kuykendal, Mercy Investments
Lead Filer: SHARE
Alphabet
Lead Filer: NorthStar Asset Management
Report on Human Rights Impact of AI-Driven Advertising Practices
Lead Filer: SHARE
"As artificial intelligence continues to expand into nearly every aspect of society, shareholders would be wise to ensure that the companies building this technology — including Google and its parent, Alphabet — do so in a way that respects fundamental human rights. Companies that neglect those rights open themselves up to massive legal, regulatory, financial and reputational risks — not to mention the wider systemic and societal risks presented by such disruptive tech." - Sarah Couturier-Tanoh, SHARE
Report on Generative Artificial Intelligence Misinformation and Disinformation Risks
Lead Filer: Arjuna Capital
“Artificial Intelligence offers great promise — and we should be excited about that — but even leading tech researchers are concerned about the potential for its abuse. In a world where democratic institutions are already threatened by online mis- and disinformation, Alphabet and Meta need to assure billions of users and their shareholders that their management and boards are up to the task of responsibly managing the technology.” - Michael Connor, Open MIC
AI Principles and Board Oversight
Lead Filer: Trillium Asset Management Corporation
"The OpenAI episode reminded investors that board oversight and governance matters enormously when it comes to AI. This shareholder proposal connects the dots between Alphabet's AI Principles and Alphabet's Board responsibilities - a pragmatic step to take." - Jonas D. Kron, Trillium Asset Management, LLC
Lead Filer: Boston Common Asset Management
“Boston Common filed a resolution with Alphabet in 2024 because YouTube poses a significant risk to children's and teens' online safety. The FTC fined YouTube $170 million in 2019 for illegally harvesting children’s data. YouTube is also known as a primary online channel for grooming and coercion, livestreaming, and housing Child Sexual Abuse Exploitation (CSAE) material. While Alphabet has taken steps to improve its assessment and oversight of content moderation risks to children, it must also integrate children’s safety into product design principles.” - Lauren Compere, Boston Common Asset Management
Amazon
Lead Filer: Harrington Investments
“We continue to focus on the concerns associated with facial recognition – the human and civil rights threats that this technology poses are not only here to stay, but increasing since these tools and the usage of this surveillance are becoming ubiquitous.” - Brianna Harrington, Harrington Investments
Lead Filer: Investor Advocates for Social Justice
"Despite two consecutive years of substantial shareholder support for the "customer due diligence" proposal, Amazon persists in a negligent and irresponsible disregard for what is evidently clear. The company's deliberate dismissal of shareholder concerns, blatant evidence of significant risks, and its own declared commitments to human rights are nothing short of alarming.
These concerns have escalated to the highest international levels, with allegations of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights violations resulting in lawsuits that have reached the international courts and the United Nations General Assembly. Even in the face of judgments and rulings from international courts, Amazon steadfastly refuses to conduct a third-party assessment of its customer due diligence.
This refusal has left investors and the general public increasingly troubled by Amazon's stance, raising questions about the company's willingness to engage in business relationships with any customer, even when there is compelling evidence of potential involvement in genocide." - Courtney Wicks, Investor Advocates for Social Justice
Human Rights Impact on AI Deployment
Lead Filer: AFL-CIO
Please see investor proponents' slide deck on the 2024 Big Tech digital rights proposals.