UN Secretary-General Calls for Tech Companies to Take Responsibility

António Guterres, the United Nations’ Secretary-General, is urging tech companies to acknowledge the impact of their systems on information integrity. Guterres emphasized the need for companies to take responsibility for the consequences of their products.

Global Principles for Information Integrity

Guterres introduced the UN’s Global Principles for Information Integrity, a framework comprising five pillars: societal trust and resilience, independent media, healthy incentives, transparency, and public empowerment. These principles aim to create a more humane information system worldwide.

Recommendations for Tech and AI Companies

The framework includes 26 recommendations for tech and AI companies, such as re-evaluating business models to move away from online advertising systems that profit from disinformation, providing transparency in data storage practices, and offering users more control over their data.

Transparency and Accountability

Guterres stressed the importance of transparency, urging tech companies to disclose information about advertisers, data storage practices, and data usage controls for users. Companies are encouraged to train AI models on reliable sources and conduct third-party audits to mitigate biases and misinformation.

“No one should be at the mercy of an algorithm they don’t control, which was not designed to safeguard their interests, and which tracks their behaviour to collect personal data and keep them hooked,” Guterres emphasized.