***This event is public and free to attend. Entry will be granted on a first come, first served basis. If this event is sold out, please email media.policyproject@lse.ac.uk to be added to the waiting list.***

On 3 November 2015, the Ranking Digital Rights project will launch its first annual Corporate Accountability Index. A first for the ICT sector, the index ranks the world’s largest internet and telecommunications companies on their disclosed policies and commitments affecting users’ freedom of expression and privacy.

Project director Rebecca MacKinnon will present on “Ranking Digital Rights: How do companies respect freedom of expression and privacy?” reviewing RDR findings on sixteen companies, exploring the interplay between corporate decision making and protection of user rights, and addressing challenges of designing a universal ranking system.

After her presentation, Rebecca will be joined by representatives from civil society and industry commenting upon how to effectively shape ICT companies’ human rights practices in a global context. These include Owen Larter, UK Government Affairs Manager, Microsoft; Lucy Purdon, ICT Project Manager, Institute for Human Rights and Business; Gabrielle Guillemin, Senior Legal Officer, ARTICLE 19; Damiano de Felice, Deputy Director Strategy, Access to Medicine Foundation; Co-director of Measuring Business & Human Rights; and Brittany Smith, EU Public Policy and Government Relations Analyst, Google UK. The panel will be chaired by Seeta Peña Gangadharan, Assistant Professor, London School of Economics.