Assessing Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s call for fair AI regulations
By: Tech Republic Jan 29, 2020 Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other executives working on artificial intelligence are now calling for limited government regulation as the European Union mulls potential five-year bans of facial recognition software. Pichai called for governments to take a bigger role in regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI), and he published his beliefs in a Financial […]
SSGA chief vows to turn up the heat on ESG underperformers
By: Citywireselector Jan 29, 2020 The chief executive of State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) has echoed the strong sentiments offered by BlackRock by vowing to make stronger use of the firm’s proxy voting rights to push the ESG agenda. In his 2020 outlook letter, Cyrus Taraporevala said the ongoing dialogue the asset manager has with companies will […]
Toothless: Facebook proposes a weak Oversight Board
By: Techcrunch Olanola Jan 29, 2019 Facebook’s internal “Supreme Court” can’t set precedents, can’t make decisions about Facebook Dating or Marketplace, and can’t oversee WhatsApp, Oculus, or any messaging feature, according to the bylaws Facebook proposed today for its Oversight Board. It’s designed to provide an independent appeals process for content moderation rulings. But it will only be […]
Amazon workers defy rules to protest company’s climate failures
By: NewEurope January 28, 2020 Hundreds of Amazon employees criticised the company’s record on climate change despite their jobs being at risk for speaking out. More than 340 employees signed an online protest, organized by an advocacy group founded by Amazon workers called Amazon Employees For Climate Justice. Amazon had sent letters to its members […]
Charity: how effective is giving?
By: The Economist Jan 28, 2020 Today’s super-wealthy are richer than ever. And they’re giving away their billions like never before. Philanthropists are putting record sums into tackling the world’s most pressing problems. And unlike the mega-donors of the past today’s philanthropists want to see the results in their lifetimes. But how altruistic is this […]
£30bn pension fund threatens to sack money managers who ignore climate crisis
By: msn Jan 27, 2020 A £30bn ($39.3bn) pension fund has said it will vote down boards and sack asset managers whose investments fail to meet climate targets. The Brunel Pension Partnership, which represents local government pensions across the South West, said on Monday its money managers must move towards carbon-neutral investments by 2022 or risk being […]
The Met Police will start using live facial recognition across London
By: Wired January 24, 2020 The Met Police has announced that it will start using controversial live facial recognition systems as part of its regular policing in London. The service has been trialling face matching technology on the streets of the capital since 2016 but will now significantly increase its use. “The use of live […]
Ferrero CEO’s £542m dividend under fire over firm’s tax liability
By: The Guardian January 14, 2020 Giovanni Ferrero, scion of the Italian chocolate empire that makes Kinder Surprise, Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, is paying himself and his family a €642m (£542m) dividend in one of Europe’s biggest-ever paydays. The huge annual dividend payment comes as the company paid just £110,000 tax in the UK last […]
The World’s Most-Profitable Hedge Fund Is Now a Climate Radical
By: Bloomberg January 22, 2019 The hedge fund industry has no shortage of aggressive, in-your-face players, but few are as tough as Chris Hohn. The British billionaire takes the typical playbook to new levels—scuttling deals, pushing to remove bosses, and battering companies with litigation and threats. One opponent was so peeved after losing a boardroom […]