News
Facebook Oversight Board and other news
Here are some news stories involving Business and Human Rights published around the web from 27 January to 2 February 2021.
Facebook Oversight Board
Philippine Daily Inquirer published two news stories by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Facebook’s new attempt at a human rights-based approach to content moderation.
In “Facebook backs away from heated political talk” (28 January 2021), AFP reported from San Francisco that the social media giant will use an algorithm that no longer recommend politics-themed groups to people in the US and, according to chief Mark Zuckerberg, the rest of the world.
This is in response to positive feedback from users on the above measure for curbing misinformation and divisive speech that the company first put in place during the US elections won by President Joe Biden.
People and Profits notes that disinformation and vitriolic speech, when amplified by social media platforms, often have a negative impact on human rights, including the rights to life (such as in the case of Rohingya) and – in relation to democracies and foreign influence operations – suffrage, public participation and self-determination.
Read the complete story here: https://technology.inquirer.net/107529/facebook-backs-away-from-heated-political-talk
In “Facebook ‘supreme court’ overturns four content-removal rulings” (29 January 2021), AFP reported from Washington on the first batch of decisions of Facebook’s newly-established Oversight Board.
The Oversight Board makes final decisions on appeals regarding what is removed or allowed to remain on Facebook.
Its members come from different countries and include jurists, human rights activists, journalists, a Nobel peace laureate and a former Danish prime minister.
Facebook has agreed to be bound by its decisions.
The Facebook Oversight Board, like a supreme court, reversed the social media company’s removal of the following posts:
- A post asserting that France lacked a health care strategy and claiming that a cure for COVID-19 exists;
- A public health campaigner’s Instagram pictures of women’s nipples as part of a breast cancer awareness message [note that Instagram is part of Facebook];
- A post condemning the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China.
People and Profits notes that these decisions involve the impact of Facebook’s business on freedom of speech balanced with other interests.
Read the entire story, which includes academics’ suggestions for improving Facebook’s human rights impacts, here: https://technology.inquirer.net/107531/facebook-supreme-court-overturns-four-content-removal-rulings
EU due diligence law proposed
In “Lawmakers push for European due diligence law on environmental, human rights” (27 January 2021), Kate Abnett of Reuters reported from Brussels:
“The European Parliament’s legal committee adopted a report on Wednesday calling on the European Union to legally require companies to protect human rights and the environment in their supply chains.
“The move is intended to increase EU scrutiny of companies over the impact their operations have on the environment and people globally, not just in the 27-country bloc.
“The report urged the European Commission, the EU executive, to propose mandatory due diligence requirements on environmental and human rights risks for all companies and sectors established in the bloc. State-owned undertakings and the financial sector should be included, it said.”
Read the full article on Yahoo! News here: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/lawmakers-push-european-due-diligence-175247111.html
Corruption in African mining
In “How foreign operators exploit weak protections in Africa” (27 January 2020), Quartz Africa’s Tawanda Karombo wrote from Harare, Zimbabwe:
“Former US president Donald Trump’s last minute controversial removal of sanctions against an Israeli businessman named in corruption scandals in DR Congo’s mining industry and the jailing of another international commodity broker for bribery in a Guinea iron ore scandal this month, shows just how vulnerable Africa’s lucrative resources sector has long been to international operators.
“For too long Africa’s mineral wealth has failed to uplift the majority of ordinary citizens out of poverty. Resource-rich countries including Zimbabwe (gold, platinum, diamonds) , Sierra Leone (diamonds), DRC (copper, cobalt, gold, diamonds), Guinea (iron ore, bauxite) and others still trailing on various global poverty and human development indices.
“Reports and investigations have often focused on powerful politicians as the main beneficiaries of their countries’ mineral wealth often through corruption and kick-backs from mining corporations. But the key role of international players, often as the middlemen in corruption and bribery scams, particularly in the mining sectors is less covered.”
Read the full feature article here: https://qz.com/africa/1962926/israel-billionaires-exploit-congo-diamond-guinea-mining-sectors/?utm_source=YPL&yptr=yahoo
US sanctions for Myanmar coup
In “Analysis: Biden threatened Myanmar sanctions. What are his options?” (2 February 2021), Reuters’ Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis reported from Washington:
“Activist groups including Human Rights Watch have joined calls for Biden to target companies run by the military.
“The military’s two major conglomerates Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corp (MEC) are sprawling holding companies with investments spanning various sectors including banking, gems, copper, telecoms and clothing.
“State Department officials had prepared Magnitsky sanctions against the companies in 2018 in response to violence against the Rohingya, but had not gone through with them, said Kelley Currie, U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues under former President Donald Trump, who was deeply involved in that administration’s Myanmar policy.
“‘Treasury could take those up and move them forward based on the events of the past 24 hours, immediately,” said Currie. ‘And they should.’”
Among the other options at Biden’s disposal would be to impose further sanctions under the Magnitsky Act, which freezes any U.S. assets held by those targeted and prohibits Americans from doing business with them.
Read the entire analysis on Yahoo! News here: https://news.yahoo.com/analysis-biden-threatened-myanmar-sanctions-050554954.html
China trade and human rights
In “China is testing the UK and Europe’s balance between trade and human rights” (28 January 2021), Quartz’s Annabelle Timsit wrote,
“In Europe, concerns are growing about human rights violations in Chinese supply chains. In response, parliaments are forcing their governments to reevaluate their trade and business relationships with Beijing.
“Two recent votes show how, in 2021, lawmakers and bureaucrats will face off on China.”
These are a “genocide amendment” in the UK parliament and the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) with China announced by EU leaders.
Read about these two votes on Yahoo! News here: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/china-testing-uk-europe-balance-174728289.html