The Council on Ethics – together with a group of international investors in the Big Tech & Human Rights investor collaboration – has updated and refined the engagement framework for dialogue with major Big Tech companies on human rights.
Based on the experience and learnings from the collaboration, the revised framework places a more distinct emphasis on embedding human rights into business models and strategic decision‑making, strengthening governance and culture, and ensuring robust human rights due diligence.
Since the launch of the collaboration in 2023, the dialogues have explored the companies’ ambition, approach and competence. Investors in the collaboration note some progress but generally see significant room for improvement in establishing appropriate oversight of human rights and demonstrating meaningful implementation. The updated framework aims to support the development of human rights systems that deliver tangible, rights‑based outcomes, rather than policies alone. As such, the framework also highlights what good looks like for each of the relevant criteria. The framework is available on the dedicated Big Tech & Human Rights webpage.
Big Tech and human rights impacts
Big Tech companies shape how people communicate, access information, and participate in society, and can contribute positively to connectivity and economic opportunity. Yet many of the most material human rights risks in the sector are driven by core incentives in the business model, including engagement-based revenue models and rapid product deployment.
A substantial body of research and reporting has connected major technology companies and platforms to harms including harassment, exploitation, privacy violations, discrimination, disinformation, misinformation and erosion of information integrity, often amplified by addictive design features and biased algorithms. Children and other vulnerable groups face elevated risks of mental health impacts and physical harm, while the broader population and social cohesion can also be adversely affected by digital technologies that are not designed with respect for human rights in mind.
About the initiative
The Big Tech & Human Rights investor collaboration was launched in March 2023, supported by more than 30 investors with over EUR 7 trillion in combined assets under management. The collaboration has grown to more than 35 participating investors from eight different countries. The collaboration targets engagement with Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Tencent on their management of human rights impacts.
The initiative builds on investor expectations issued by the Council on Ethics and the Danish Institute of Human Rights in 2020. Activities and progress in the investor collaboration are reported on annually, with progress reports also available on the dedicated Big Tech & Human Rights webpage.
Published 26 June 2026
