Sustainable Finance Newsletter: Harvard doxing and content moderation

By Ross Kerber

Nov 8 (Reuters) - U.S. university students increasingly report being "doxed" over social media posts and statements issued by pro-Palestinian groups in the heated campus debates over the Middle East.

Doxing is the public release of sensitive information like an individual's home address or phone number, which can lead to harassment. Google confirmed to me it restricted access to online spreadsheets it said violated its anti-harassment policies but declined to provide details around how often this kind of thing occurs. The actions point to a long-running effort by socially-minded investors for details about how technology companies have responded to pressure for content removals, known as "takedowns." To date these efforts have focused on learning more about demands from governments and not from private actors like the students.

I've tried to capture the context in this week's main story below. This week's newsletter also has links to stories about how a restructuring at X has become a problem for research on disinformation, and some tea leaves about the timing of a long awaited U.S. rulemaking on corporate climate disclosures.

I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn where I welcome comments and feedback. If you have a news tip, potential content, or general thoughts feel free to email me at ross.kerber@thomsonreuters.com.

This week's most read * Elon Musk's X restructuring curtails disinformation research, spurs legal fears * Portuguese PM steps down amid lithium, hydrogen corruption probe * Starbucks pays little mind to unions’ pay push Doxing at Harvard points to a debate on content removal Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, said it restricted access to online spreadsheets used to target Harvard students following statements about the war between Israel and Hamas, providing a rare window into how the company applies its content-moderation policies in a non-governmental situation.

Under pressure from corporate governance activists, various tech firms provide details about "takedown" requests from authorities. (You can see Google's "Transparency Report" here) Details about complaints from private parties are scarcer.

U.S. universities have become flashpoints in debates about the conflict. After Hamas' massacres of Israeli civilians on Oct 7, Harvard student organizations said in a joint statement they "hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence." That prompted calls for companies not to hire members of the signing groups. Amid the back-and-forth have been cases of "doxing" where Palestinian or Arab-American students and others were named publicly along with their photos or other information, seen as retaliation for the statement or social media posts. Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said Google took down at last three online spreadsheets from its "Sheets" software app after he relayed complaints from Harvard students who were listed on them. He said the lists included people who weren't members of the groups in question. Ayoub said it wasn't clear where the lists had originated, but that they were circulated in text chains and included details like students' home addresses. "It was intended to intimate them and put them in danger," Ayoub said.

Google said it restricted access to sheets that violated policies it aims to apply consistently and without bias. "In this case, we restricted these broadly shared spreadsheets because they exposed private information that could be used to carry out harassment, bullying or threats," Google Workspace Trust & Safety Manager Nelson Bradley said in an e-mailed statement.

A Google representative said such a restricted file cannot be shared, but that the owner maintains access. Google declined to discuss other details such as how often it takes such action. Its policies state among other things that users may not expose "private information of someone that could be used to carry out threats." American Civil Liberties Union attorney Brian Hauss said the group condemns the use of blacklists. "It creates a culture of suspicion and an atmosphere of guilt by association. That's not a society you want to live in," he said. But Hauss said he was also concerned by Google's move, which in theory could infringe on protections like the right of individuals to tell companies not to hire someone, and said Google should more fully explain takedown decisions. "It's not Google's role to decide what private individuals can communicate to each other," he said. Tech firms began reporting details about government interactions a decade ago, under pressure from investors. Takedown demands from private parties - as in the Harvard case - can put companies in the awkward position of choosing sides, said Michael Connor, executive director of Open Mic, which has successfully pressed companies for details about government requests. Connor said of Google that like other tech companies, "They don't like being in the position of being content moderators, and they'd rather they didn't have to."

Company News * Top U.S. investors including BlackRock and JPMorgan voted against shareholder resolutions from activist group Follow This, voting data showed, contributing to a decline in support for the measures.

* PricewaterhouseCoopers has joined other "Big Four" accounting firms in planning job cuts in the UK, amid low attrition rates and subdued growth in parts of its business.

* UBS resolved another legal legacy issue after its emergency takeover of Credit Suisse through a settlement with Emirati-Lebanese shipbuilder Privinvest in a decade-old dispute over maritime funding.

On my radar * It has been roughly 20 months since the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed requiring companies disclose climate-related details. But the timetable for a final rulemaking still seems unclear, based on this back-and-forth among commissioners.

* Rich and poor nations made concessions for structuring a new climate disaster fund ahead of the U.N.'s climate summit starting Nov. 30, but hard questions remain about where the money will come from.

* Staff for the top U.S. public pension fund CalPERS are due to brief their board investment committee on Nov. 13 about its plan to boost climate-focused investments but stopping short of a full divestment of fossil fuel stocks, as some activists seek. (Reporting by Ross Kerber. Additional reporting by Greg Bensinger; Editing by David Gregorio)