Technology Transfer, Technology Dumping Computer Freedom and Privacy Conference,

Berkeley, April 20-23, 2004

Jagdish Parikh

Human Rights Watch, New York

http://www.hrw.org/

Technology Transfer, Technology Dumping

Summary:• Technology transfers don’t take place in

a social vacuum • Information and communications

technology export• "We are just following laws of land“• Corporate social responsibility for

Internet industry

CFP 2004, Berkeley Jagdish Parikh, Human Rights Watch

Technology transfers don’t take place in a social vacuum

• Companies are expected to follow local laws• Factors shaping technology transfer (bi-lateral,

multi-lateral agreements and voluntary code of conduct)

• Selected examples - Access to essential Medicine, national health emergency and

threats to public health (WTO shaping technology transfer)– Arms export and human rights violations– Systemic failure to protect workers' human rights as an

"unreasonable" trade practice

• Code of Conduct and UN Global compact

CFP 2004, Berkeley Jagdish Parikh, Human Rights Watch

Information and Communication Technology export

• Industrialized countries invariably set the rules for the rest of the world

• Export to countries known for their human rights violations

• Few barriers to the trade in surveillance technologies

CFP 2004, Berkeley,Jagdish Parikh, Human Rights Watch

"We are just following laws of land"

Such argument means that:

• Losing an opportunity to play a proactive role in opening space for citizens to express themselves freely.

• Possible risk making them partners / complicit in violations of human rights.

• Undermining the power and reputation of their products.

CFP 2004, Berkeley Jagdish Parikh, Human Rights Watch

Corporate social responsibility for Internet industry

To Start with:

• Need to recognize and practice standards that are increasingly commonplace in old industries such as apparel, footwear, and even oil and gas.

• Coordinated efforts required to combat abusive laws and proposals.

CFP 2004, Berkeley Jagdish Parikh, Human Rights Watch

Corporate social responsibility for Internet industry

An attempts to:• Include meaningful, enforceable protections of

human rights when trading arrangements exist;• Define their own voluntary codes of corporate

conduct upholding human rights standards when there are no enforceable protections of human rights;

• Engage in the international trade responsibly and not provide technology support to regimes that commit gross violations of international human rights or humanitarian law;

CFP 2004, Berkeley Jagdish Parikh, Human Rights Watch