The Investor Alliance for Human Rights sent letters to 26 companies—including Facebook, Google, Alibaba and Microsoft—urging them to publicly disclose their human rights commitments, give users control over their data and account for harms from algorithms and targeted advertising. The group of 77 investors includes Canada’s Vancity, NEI Investments and BMO Global Asset Management, and manages nearly US$6 trillion in combined assets. (The Logic)

Talking point: The investors claimed companies’ “unchecked power” has eroded digital rights, helped spread misinformation and hate speech and fostered illegal surveillance, “including that which enables immigration policing, attacks on democracy, the censorship of dissident voices, and discrimination against marginalized communities.” Many companies targeted in the campaign faced recent shareholder votes pressing for better human rights practices. Firms aren’t required to adopt shareholder proposals, even those with majority support. However, the investor alliance warned of increasing ​​”reputational, regulatory, financial, and possibly legal risks” for firms that ignore mounting human rights concerns.