In The News

Not Disclosing ESG Data: Wall Street Journal

Maitane Sardon September 29, 2019
Investors prefer hearing about environmental, social and governance impacts from companies rather than surprise announcements from the media or government investigations. The term ESG investments was coined in 2005. “[W}hile companies that don’t disclose environmental and social data may not always lose investors, they are more often being passed over by new investors, in favor of firms with...

China's Social Credit System: DW

August 29, 2019
China already ranks its companies and citizens on social reputation, and plans to extend rankings to individuals and firms with China operations by 2020. Large firms can expect to be ranked on about 30 categories and as many as 300 requirements including licensing, tax payments, environmental protections, billing, logistics and more. China’s government regards the system as a prerequisite for...

Global Pollution Observatory: Wired

Zak Jason July 8, 2019
Diseases caused by pollution kill more than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Known pollutants reduce individual intelligence and contribute to $5 trillion annually in productivity losses and healthcare, explains Zak Jason for Wired. Few choose or want to live near sources of pollution that foul air, waterways and land for homes and food, but avoiding toxins can be difficult because more...

BBC: Mass Data Attack on German Politicians

January 4, 2019
The most sensitive data is not secure online. A cyberattack targeted hundreds of Germany politicians, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, along with celebrities and journalists. “Contacts, private chats and financial details were put out on Twitter which belong to figures from every political party except the far-right AfD,” reports BBC News. Twitter suspended the account with 17,000 followers,...

Visual Capitalist: 8 Forces Shaping the Global Economy

Jeff Desjardins October 23, 2018
Globalization, while less popular in some countries, still contributes to rapid change throughout the world. Global networks allow for immediate spread of new ideas, and Jeff Desjardins of Visual Capitalist identifies eight forces of global change with striking information graphics: Technology, data analysis and artificial intelligence contribute to efficiency; tech companies now represent the...

New Scientist: People Across World Share Cancer Data

Andy Coghlan June 29, 2018
The Universal Cancer Databank allows people with cancer to donate their medical data to a global online database with the aim of finding treatments. “Unlike previous attempts to collect and share patient data, the UCD is a 100% philanthropic, 100% anonymised, and 100% global,” the database's site explains. “Its goal is to overcome rare and difficult cancers that have proven too difficult for...

Reuters: Facebook Confirms Data Sharing With Chinese Firms

David Shepardson June 5, 2018
Facebook confirmed data-sharing partnerships with about 60 companies including Huawei, Lenovo Group, OPPO and TCL in China. Once again, the agreements may have allowed the firms to access data of users’ friends without explicit consent, reports David Shepardson for Reuters. Many of the partnerships had already ended, and Facebook is taking steps to end agreements with the Chinese firms. “Chinese...