Freedom of expression
Telecommunications enable access to information and the exchange of ideas in a way that supports openness and transparency. We aim to respect freedom of expression and surveillance privacy.
| Ambitions | 2022 goals |
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Know our impacts and enable, respect and support freedom of expression and privacy in the context of surveillance Promote transparency related to surveillance legislation as well as conventional and unconventional requests
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Law enforcement disclosure reporting with regard to number of conventional authority requests, information on local surveillance legislation on direct access and on data retention Implemented processes to assess impact on and promote, to the extent possible, freedom of expression and privacy in the context of surveillance in potentially unconventional requests Good faith efforts, including continuous improvement over time, to implement the GNI principles Actively contribute to the work of the GNI |
Challenges
Issues related to freedom of expression and surveillance privacy pose a high risk to users of telecom services globally. Risks include mass surveillance, network shutdowns, localization of mobile devices and blocking or restriction of certain content. Respecting and promoting freedom of expression and surveillance privacy is becoming increasingly important as legislators seek additional surveillance measures to fight crime, terrorism, hate speech and more.
Our approach
This focus area is governed by the Group Policy – Freedom of Expression and Surveillance Privacy, the GNI Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy and the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.
Our duty to respect and promote human rights is focused on the risks to our customers. We aim to limit potential harm to individuals by seeking active measures to support the rights of our customers where we believe that these are at risk. The Group Policy addresses our commitments in relation to requests or demands with potentially serious impacts on freedom of expression and surveillance privacy in telecommunications (“unconventional requests”). A group instruction sets out practical steps regarding assessments and escalation whenever a local company receives a potentially serious request or demand. Guidance is provided in a form for assessments and escalation.
We publish periodically a Law Enforcement Disclosure Report which covers statistics on requests from the police and other authorities (‘transparency reporting’), links to national laws that provide governments with direct access to information about our customers and their communication without having to request information from Telia Company, as well as further information on ‘unconventional requests’.
More information can be found in our Annual and Sustainability Report, pages 46-47.