A/HRC/50/56 include a section on digital technologies in national action plans on business and human rights, and some States are starting to do so.60 For that purpose, the Danish Institute for Human Rights and Global Partners Digital have produced a guidance document on addressing digital technologies in national action plans on business and human rights.61 B. The potential for leverage through rights-respecting investment in the technology sector 67. Investors have the potential to play a key role in persuading technology companies to embed human rights in their operations.62 68. The Guiding Principles are an important tool for rights-respecting investments, including in technology companies. They set the expectations that investors at every stage of a company’s life cycle – from start-up to maturity – have a responsibility to ensure that their investments in the technology sector avoid negative human rights impacts, thereby contributing to the development and use of digital technologies grounded in respect for human rights.63 Investors, alone or in collaboration, have the potential to play a transformative role in shaping the business models, policies and practices of technology companies. 69. There has been growing momentum for and pressure upon investors to use their leverage over technology companies to promote the responsible development and use of technology. A still small but growing number of investors are adopting human rights policies, disclosing their due diligence, and exercising their leverage to promote respect for human rights among technology companies.64 70. A recent wave of investor action has sought to promote respect for human rights among digital technology companies, including by making public statements on the corporate responsibility to respect digital rights,65 engaging in human rights dialogues with companies, filing shareholder resolutions66 and joining peer-to-peer and multi-stakeholders initiatives. In relation to the latter, the Investor Alliance for Human Rights launched an information and communication technology and human rights working group aimed at supporting investor engagement with technology companies. 67 The Principles for Responsible Investment process, which works with investor signatories on incorporating environmental, social and governance issues in investment and ownership decisions, has also launched a “human rights and big tech” working group. Meanwhile, several investors have become members of the Global Network Initiative.68 71. To support investor efforts to implement the Guiding Principles in their activities, a growing number of key guidance documents have been developed, such as the Investor 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 See, e.g., https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/Denmark_0.pdf. See https://www.humanrights.dk/news/new-guidance-document-addressing-digital-technologiesnational-action-plans-business-human. See A/HRC/47/39/Add.1. See https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Business/B-Tech/B-Tech-BriefingInvestment.pdf. Areas of investor engagement have covered a wide range of issues, including data privacy, freedom of expression, hate speech, non-discrimination, civil rights, labour rights, child sexual exploitation online, conflict-affected areas and whistle-blower protections. For example, https://investorsforhumanrights.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2019-01/IAHR Statement on Digital Rights_Final %283%29.pdf. See Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, “ICCR’s 2020 Proxy Resolutions and Voting Guide”, available at https://www.iccr.org/iccrs-2020-proxy-resolutions-and-voting-guide. See, for example, https://investorsforhumanrights.org/news/new-slate-esg-proposals-amazon-signalongoing-shareholder-concerns and https://investorsforhumanrights.org/investors-engaging-palantiron-human-rights-risks. See https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/Global-Network-Initiative.pdf#page=8. 13