Commentary Archive

Michael Posner, in an op-ed for Forbes’s leadership column, details the lessons to be learned from the government incited closing of the Central European University in Hungary.

After Facebook found itself in another dilemma, our Director, Michael Posner weighed in. In a recent op-ed he details that Facebook should accept a more significant role in regulating content on their site.

In an op-ed published by Forbes, Michael Posner explains that the Trump administration’s most recent action on lowering aslyees from entering the United States is unwise and indefensible.

Michael Posner, Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights and Sharon Waxman, chief executive of the Fair Labor Association, wrote an op-ed following their trip to Cambodia focusing on the EU’s interest in manufacturing products in the country.

After Facebook found itself in another dilemma, our Director, Michael Posner weighed in. In a recent op-ed he details that Facebook should accept a more significant role in regulating content on their site.

In an op-ed published by Forbes, Michael Posner explains that the Trump administration’s most recent action on lowering aslyees from entering the United States is unwise and indefensible.

Michael Posner, Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights and Sharon Waxman, chief executive of the Fair Labor Association, wrote an op-ed following their trip to Cambodia focusing on the EU’s interest in manufacturing products in the country.

On September 14-15, the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights hosted the fourth annual Business and Human Rights Scholars conference, co-organized with the Global Business and Human Right Scholars’ Association. The meeting brought together more than 40 academics from all over the world.

Center for Business and Human Rights Director, Michael Posner, writes that the current State Department is neglecting American values by instituting a ridiculously strict refugee admission policy. To support this view he details the various strides America has taken to promote refugee policies following World War II.

In an op-ed written by Michael Posner he argues that Gap should consider the implications of doing business in Myanmar. He details Myanmar’s complicated past and human rights issues that should be considered heavily by Gap if they want to continue their manufacturing operations in the country.

An op-ed written by Michael Posner he calls for internet companies to disclose more information about how their algorithms work so that public scrutiny could diminish.

An op-ed, written by Michael Posner, emphasizes why quarterly reporting is important for business. He stresses that global investors take comfort from the overall integrity of the U.S. regulatory system, with the SEC at its epicenter.

In an op-ed, Michael Posner, considers Jack Dorsey’s reactions to not taking down InfoWars content on it’s platform. Posner calls for internet companies to take ownership over the real ethical responsibilities they have.

Our Research Director, Dorothee Baumann-Pauly assesses the information included in the first wave of reports that internet companies submitted to the German government, as required by the NetzDG, a new German law to fight harmful content online

Michael Posner makes a case about why Google should not be trying to get into a Chinese censorship initiative. As revealed by the news site the Intercept, and corroborated by several other news agencies, Google has begun exploratory talks with Chinese officials about the terms of its re-entry. The news reports suggest that the company has initiated an internal project called “Dragonfly,” a new search engine that would enable Google to comply with Chinese censorship laws.

Our Director, Michael Posner, introduces the NYU Stern, Center for Business and Human Rights most recent report about Russian disinformation on Forbes.

After a trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, our Director, Michael Posner details his thoughts while traveling. His written words highlight the overwhelming dismal response U.S. leaderships has taken in trying to remedy the catastrophic conditions which remain for the Rohingyas and other minorities in Myanmar/Burma.

Director, Michael Posner explores a timely blog post written by Microsoft President, Brad Smith. The post raised important questions about the human rights challenges relating to facial recognition technology. Smith rightly focuses on vexing challenges relating to governance of facial recognition technologies, a rapidly evolving area which requires new governance models in which both governments and companies assume greater responsibilities.

Our Director, Michael Posner, introduces the NYU Stern, Center for Business and Human Rights most recent report about Russian disinformation on Forbes.

After a trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, our Director, Michael Posner details his thoughts while traveling. His written words highlight the overwhelming dismal response U.S. leaderships has taken in trying to remedy the catastrophic conditions which remain for the Rohingyas and other minorities in Myanmar/Burma.

Director, Michael Posner explores a timely blog post written by Microsoft President, Brad Smith. The post raised important questions about the human rights challenges relating to facial recognition technology. Smith rightly focuses on vexing challenges relating to governance of facial recognition technologies, a rapidly evolving area which requires new governance models in which both governments and companies assume greater responsibilities.

In a guest blog, Dan LeClair, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer – AACSB International, asserts the importance of teaching human rights in business school curriculum. He points to the Center’s efforts to create a global network of business schools that shows how human rights issues are relevant to different business disciplines, such as accounting, finance, marketing, and information systems. 

Snapchat claims it has found at least a partial solution to “fake news.” Snap, the Los Angeles-based parent of the image messaging app, recently announced it would separate social material from media. So, has Snap hit upon a solution to “fake news”? Not exactly. Snap’s redesign is not a game-changer.

Last week, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, caused a stir by suggesting publicly that the search giant would seek to “de-rank” Russia’s main international television service and a prominent Russian news website. RT, the television service, and Sputnik, the website, have been implicated by U.S. intelligence agencies in the Kremlin’s far-reaching attempt to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

British Prime Minister Theresa May helpfully reminded us that Russia’s politically motivated online disinformation constitutes a threat to human rights. But May missed an opportunity to issue a challenge to the social media and search platforms that Russian operatives and others have used to disseminate harmful content online.

YouTube has taken a narrow but important step to protect its users and society at large from dangerous content online. The world’s most popular digital video site has markedly reduced its inventory of taped sermons delivered by the late terrorist recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki, the New York Times reported on Nov. 12.

A new Venezuelan law clamping down on social media and broadcast organizations demonstrates in extreme fashion the dangers of government regulation of online content. The measure requires operators of social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter to remove hateful posts immediately, with potential punishments of 10 to 20 years in prison for those who violate the law.

Four years after the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse, the two largest programs dedicated to garment factory safety in Bangladesh are nearing their end. As the Accord and Alliance get ready to leave, the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights recognizes that there is still much work to be done in Bangladesh. There is also a new opportunity for locally led efforts to make real change.

New research by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Ethical Trading Initiatives (ETI) confirms the Center’s research into the purchasing practices of international clothing brands and retailers and their detrimental affect working conditions in supplier factories. Now, findings and shows that these practices are not unique to Bangladesh.

The German government passed a law today requiring social media companies remove illegal, racist or slanderous content within 24 hours or face fines as large as $57 million. While governments have a legitimate interest in ensuring the safety of their citizens, laws like this are not the answer. Government legislation is a blunt tool that is likely to compound problems in this space, not solve them.

Over the past 30 years of globalization, it has become increasingly evident that, in many parts of the world, local governments are either unwilling or unable to protect their own people or the planet. As a result, governments, companies and civil society groups have formed a series of Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives (MSIs) to address environmental and human rights challenges. A review of them reveals that only few MSIs are equipped to address governance gaps

The three year extension of the Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety (“Accord”) is good news. As members of the Accord develop plans for the next four years they should pay special attention to the need for shared responsibility, local partners and subcontracting facilities. 

Guest blogger Bjorn Fasterling describes a recent French law that obligates French companies to take human rights challenges into account. When assessing the implementation of the law by companies, it will be important to focus on whether it goes beyond a bureaucratic compliance and whether it extends beyond a low risk of liability regime.

In times of regulatory rollback, limited resources, and an ever-growing list of corporate human rights abuses, fine-tuning our understanding of private governance mechanisms is more important than ever. How can the experiment of regulation through MSIs be safeguarded from a premature death in a politically hostile environment? 

Monday, April 24 marks the fourth anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory tragedy in Dhaka, Bangladesh. More than 1,100 people were killed and more than 2,500 injured when the eight-story factory complex collapsed. The Accord and Alliance programs have one year left in their collective efforts to make the Bangladeshi garment industry safe and sustainable. What have they have achieved to date and what remains to be done? 

The Trump administration’s intention to sell new weapons to Saudi Arabia, ignores the human rights abuses happening in those countries and fail to meet a standard articulated by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at his confirmation hearing in January.

In October, the international football governing association FIFA released a report entitled FIFA 2.0: Vision for the Future. It is not clear from the FIFA 2.0 report — or from other public statements — whether FIFA has made meaningful progress toward any of Ruggie’s recommendations. 

As an undergraduate student Kimi Rodriguez struggled to fit her aspirations of pursuing a private sector career with a significant social impact – “doing well while doing good” – with the realities of the job market. She talks about how her fellowship at PepsiCo was exactly what she was looking for – the opportunity to work in an influential multinational company and help shape their global human rights strategy.

My Fellowship provided the experience that I had been looking for: a look into the details of how international supply chains specifically impact people in many different companies around the world, and what it takes to manage this supply chain.

Last month’s criminal verdict against researcher Andy Hall and attempts to suppress an Amnesty International report have the very real potential to stifle vital research and activism on labor rights when conditions for workers are getting worse. 

The Center for Business and Human Rights recently completed a research mission to Bangladesh and India focused on the recruitment of migrant construction workers bound for nations in the Arabian Gulf region. Early findings point to the need for companies operating in the Gulf to look at ways in which their own policies might contribute to cycles of debt entered into by many migrant workers.

At the end of June, the U.S. State Department released its annual Trafficking in Persons Report which indicates that “Ghana is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children” affected by human trafficking. The State Department’s findings on Ghana are an important reminder for advocates, companies, and governments that human trafficking in fishing is a global problem.

A quiet story has been breaking in the Bangladeshi press over the last month about the number of factories producing for the garment sector. New data on factories released by the BGMEA has added to this dialogue. Sarah contextualizes the important role data and transparency play in protecting all workers in the supply chain.  

This month, the International Labor Organization (ILO) is holding its three-week International Labor Conference, where supply chains will take center stage. Sarah highlights the three big questions to look out for as the meeting unfolds. 

Today, companies are operating in a fishbowl, where their customers, investors, the media, and regulators can see their activities more and more clearly, even in remote locations. Transparency may come with costs. But the price of not knowing is high and getting higher.

The Institute of Business Ethics at the University of St Gallen, the Business and Human Rights Journal, and our Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU, brought together 13 PhD researchers from five continents for the first “BHR Young Researchers Summit.” The objective of the Summit was to advance their research projects and form a network of emerging scholars in the field. 

Any measurement of progress requires a baseline – determining whether the dial has moved can only be assessed if we know where it was before. Companies in the same industry face similar human rights challenges. They should therefore define the same priorities as they address human rights challenges.  

Lynn Walker Huntley, who had a profound impact on the evolution of the modern human rights movement, died on August 30, 2015. We remember her legacy of service, advocacy and leadership.