This archive report was first published on 21 November 2019.
Amnesty International has sounded the alarm on the data-collection business models used by Google and Facebook, warning that they pose a significant threat to human rights worldwide.
According to a report released by the London-based human rights group on November 20, 2019, the business models used by the two tech giants imperil a range of rights, including freedom of opinion and expression.
"Despite the real value of the services they provide, Google and Facebook's platforms come at a systemic cost," the report stated.
The report, titled "Surveillance Giants," argued that the companies' surveillance-based business model forces people to make a Faustian bargain, where they must submit to a system that predates on human rights abuse in order to enjoy their online rights.
"The companies' surveillance-based business model forces people to make a Faustian bargain, whereby they are only able to enjoy their human rights online by submitting to a system predicated on human rights abuse," the report said.
Amnesty International's secretary general, Kumi Naidoo, weighed in on the issue, stating that Google and Facebook dominate modern lives by harvesting and monetizing the personal data of billions of people.
"Google and Facebook dominate our modern lives -- amassing unparalleled power over the digital world by harvesting and monetizing the personal data of billions of people," Naidoo said.
The report called for governments to implement policies that ensure access to online services while protecting user privacy.
"Governments have an obligation to protect people from human rights abuses by corporations," the report stated.
Facebook responded to the report, pushing back against what it called inaccuracies in the report's characterization of its business model.
"Our business model is what allows us to offer an important service where people can exercise foundational human rights -- to have a voice (freedom of expression) and be able to connect (freedom of association and assembly)," said a letter from Facebook privacy and public policy director Steve Satterfield.
Google did not offer a specific written response to the report, but did announce that it would limit data shared with advertisers through its ad auction platform.
