Millicom, an international telecommunications and media company headquartered in Luxembourg, has announced the successful completion of its first ever assessment by the Global Network Initiative (GNI).
The GNI assessment reviewed Millicom's efforts to implement the GNI Principles on Freedom of Expression (FoE) and Privacy. The multi-stakeholder GNI Board of Directors determined that Millicom is making good faith efforts to implement the GNI Principles with improvement over time. The Board's determination was based on a report from an expert external assurer which assessed Millicom's processes, policies and governance model to safeguard FoE and Privacy of users. This is the first time that telecommunications companies have been assessed as part of the GNI, marking a milestone for both the GNI and Millicom.
The GNI is the world's leading organisation focusing on FoE and Privacy, with over 60 organisations forming part of a unique multi-stakeholder forum, providing the basis for collaboration and promoting positive change in relation to human rights issues within the ICT sector. As part of the GNI, Millicom works jointly with other member organisations on solutions to complex situations in which people's fundamental rights to FoE and Privacy come into conflict with government measures to censor content, restrict access to communications services or hand over user data.
Rachel Samrén, EVP Chief External Affairs Officer at Millicom, commented: "We are thrilled to have successfully completed our first GNI Assessment and to be among the first telecoms operators in the world to do so. The relevance and importance of the GNI in today's environment, where Freedom of Expression and Privacy issues are at the forefront of human rights and security debates worldwide, cannot be understated. We highly value our participation in the organi[s]ation, where we have gained partners for shared learning and received crucial feedback from expert assessors on the effectiveness of our policies and processes".
Millicom will report more detail on the results in its next Law Enforcement Disclosure (LED) report in 2020, following the release of the formal GNI report on the 2019 assessment process.
The company has expressed its determination to continue to work with GNI to advance and protect human rights principles, FoE and Privacy, and to ensure that as Millicom connects communities and builds digital highways, it continues its dedication to protecting customers and their rights.
