Publications
Research
False Accusation: The Unfounded Claim That Social Media Companies Censor Conservatives
Our report debunks the myth that the political right is suppressed online and recommends that the platforms make their content moderation practices more transparent.
Purchasing Power: How The U.S. Government Can Use Federal Procurement To Uphold Human Rights
Our report makes a series of recommendations to reform federal procurement from four high-risk sectors to ensure the human and labor rights of workers are protected when they make goods for the U.S. government.
Making Mining Safe and Fair: Artisanal Cobalt Extraction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
We published a white paper in collaboration with the World Economic Forum which assesses recent approaches to formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining of cobalt. The learnings from the cobalt context in the DRC can help guide companies on how to address human rights issues in their global mineral supply chains and improve working conditions of more than 40 million people in artisanal mining worldwide.
Regulating Social Media: The Fight Over Section 230 — And Beyond
Our report on Section 230 and regulation of social media companies, recommends amending the foundational law of the commercial internet and creating a Digital Regulatory Agency.
Who Moderates The Social Media Giants? A Call To End Outsourcing
We shifted our focus to content moderation publishing a report that recommends Facebook and its rivals stop outsourcing responsibility for what gets removed from their platforms and instead embrace this vital function themselves.
Disinformation And The 2020 Election: How The Social Media Industry Should Prepare
This report looks at the types and sources of false content likely to surface during the next presidential campaign. It also provides recommendations to the major social media companies for responding to disinformation.
Made In Ethiopia: Challenges In The Garment Industry’S New Frontier
We published a report examining how the global apparel industry operates in Ethiopia. The report features a set of nine recommendations for how the industry and the Ethiopian government, foreign manufacturers, and Western brands can address the human rights challenges created by the lowest wages in the entire global supply chain for clothing.
Tackling Domestic Disinformation: What Social Media Companies Need To Do
We released a report that takes a detailed look at false content generated in the U.S. that undermines democracy.
Combating Russian Disinformation: The Case For Stepping Up The Fight Online
The report provides a detailed examination of Russian disinformation campaigns and recommends a series of steps that industry and governments can take to overcome this and future digital threats to democracy.
Five Years After Rana Plaza: The Way Forward
The Center’s report on factory safety in Bangladesh, finds that efforts by Western brands and retailers have resulted in safer factories but thousands of additional facilities still require remediation.
Harmful Content: The Role Of Internet Platform Companies In Fighting Terrorist Incitement And Politically Motivated Disinformation
The report grew out of discussion at the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Human Rights. It focused on how Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft could more effectively fight terrorist incitement and politically motivated disinformation on their platforms.
Putting The ‘S’ In ESG: Measuring Human Rights Performance For Investors
The Center published an in-depth study of 12 leading frameworks for assessing companies’ social practices and impacts. It found that current measurement focuses on what is most convenient rather than most meaningful. Ninety-two percent of measures looked at company governance structures without any attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of those structures.