Digital human rights are fast becoming the latest front in the debate around fund managers’ ethical investments efforts

Fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal that engulfed Facebook was a wake-up call for investors such as Boston Common Asset Management, underlining the damaging social effects of digital technology if left unchecked. “These are the red flags coming up for us again and again,” says Lauren Compere, director of shareholder engagement at Boston Common. Fund managers have come under pressure in recent years to divest from companies that can harm human rights — from gun manufacturers or retailers to operators of private prisons. The focus is now switching to the less tangible but equally serious human rights risks lurking in fund managers’ technology holdings. Attention on technology groups began with concerns around data privacy, but emerging focal points are targeted advertising and how companies deal with online extremism.