Startups in search of values should “look at human rights” for a framework

As we spend more time on platforms provided by Google, Facebook, and Amazon, questions begin to arise about the policies these companies make to create a healthy and free online space. Not just for innovation, but for communication and the very foundation of our digital lives.

Just look at human rights,” said Riedel, whose full title is Chairwoman of the Society for Liberal Web Policy and VP of European Society for Digital Sovereign. “That’s a good place to start, thinking about what you want for your life. That’s a pretty liberal value: do no harm to everyone else and think about what you want for you, your parents, your children, and look at human rights.”

For Riedel, companies that have to balance the careful line of freedom of expression and safety from harm and abuse should look to pre-existing laws and rights “They give us a great framework for regulation and acting so look for security, look for privacy... especially when it comes to values. There are so many more values we have instead of money, and we have so many goals we need to reach as human beings.”

You can watch the entire exchange in the video above.