At the 8th Freedom Online Conference held in Accra, Ghana in February 2020, members called for strengthening Silicon Valley private sector links with the FOC. Finland, the 2021 FOC Chair, identified the establishment of a FOC network in Silicon Valley as a priority in its Program for Action 2021.
Subsequently, the Silicon Valley Working Group was launched in March with the aim to build new forms of cooperation between the FOC and the global technology sector whose products or services potentially impact human rights, many of which are headquartered in Silicon Valley and the US West. By providing an avenue for continuous private sector engagement with FOC governments, the working group strengthens opportunities for collaboration on the protection of internet freedom and enables tangible outcomes.
Together, and in close coordination with the FOC Chair, the Friends of the Chair (FotC), the Support Unit (SU), and the FOC Advisory Network (AN), the Silicon Valley Working Group will engage in the following activities and work towards the following goals and activities:
- Ensure that diplomats, consulates, and the private sector in Silicon Valley have a solid understanding of the FOC, FOC objectives, language, and positions.
- Bring a geopolitical perspective to the global technology sector and raise awareness of the rising threat of digital authoritarianism on human rights.
- Raise awareness about the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
- Learn about frontier digital technologies and the opportunities and challenges they may pose for human rights online.
- Look also at the positive impact some frontier technologies can have on human rights.
- Improve literacy for Silicon Valley and FOC governments on human rights-centered tech policy issues and highlight activities in the human rights field.
- Improve information flows and transparency between the global tech sector in Silicon Valley and home governments as well as the multilateral community.
- Share best practices on how to effectively engage with the global technology sector on FOC issues.
- Mobilize experts in the field for learning or preparatory calls to increase the network’s knowledge on specific technology issues as they related to human rights.
- Report on developments in Silicon Valley that may impact human rights to FOC Members from the global South, FOC-AN members, and civil society.
- Utilize the advisory capacity of either Stanford University or UC Berkeley as well as other leading intellectual powerhouses globally.
- Identify notable networks in Silicon Valley for FOC engagement.
- Provide updates to and solicit advice from the FotC and FOC-AN ahead of relevant meetings.
