Why join a carbon club?: a study of the banks participating in the Brazilian “Business for Climate Platform”

Why do firms that present low levels of (direct) carbon emissions participate in “carbon clubs”, which have the goal of managing and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? In order to answer this question, we collected data from both primary and secondary sources from firms operating in the Brazilian banking sector, which are members of the Businesses for Climate Platform (Plataforma Empresas pelo Clima e EPC). We first looked for answers in the institutional theory and resource based view of the firm (RBV). By confronting the arguments presented by these streams of scientific enquiry with empirical data, we worked on theory testing. In particular, we analyzed the institutional pressures and resources and capabilities of the focus companies, in order to understand the rationales for proactive sustainability management. We found evidences of the arguments presented by both the institutional theory and the RBV. By studying an industry that is not a frequent subject to research on socio-environmental issues e for not being considered of high impact e in an emerging market economy, the research contributes to both the further development of the institutional theory and the advancement of sustainability management in corporations.

Protecting user privacy in the Cloud: an analysis of terms of service

We present the results of a study that collected, compared and analyzed the terms and conditions of a number of cloud services vis-a-vis privacy and data protection. First, we assembled a list of factors that comprehensively capture cloud companies' treatment of user data with regard to privacy and data protection; then, we assessed how various cloud services of different types protect their users in the collection, retention, and use of their data, as well as in the disclosure to law enforcement authorities. This commentary provides comparative and aggregate analysis of the results.

Privacy and surveillance in the digital age: a comparative study of the Brazilian and German legal frameworks

This briefing is an input to the discussions that will take place in the session “Privacy under mass surveillance: a multi-stakeholder international challenge” to be held on November 9th in João Pessoa, Brazil, during the “Day Zero” of the Internet Governance Forum. This document is one of the outputs of the first phase of the project “Privacy in the digital age: fostering the implementation of the bilateral German-Brazilian strategy in response to massive data collection”, jointly developed by the Center for Technology and Society of the Rio de Janeiro Law School of the Getulio Vargas Foundation and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), with the support of FGV. The project Privacy in the Digital Age seeks to identify legal, political, technical, and economic incentives for the implementation of resolution 168/67 on Privacy in the Digital Age, proposed by Germany and Brazil, and approved by the United Nations General Assembly and to identify other potential areas of collaboration between Germany and Brazil in the field of Internet Governance.