America’s largest corporations score low in freedom

America’s largest corporations are scoring low marks in respect for religious freedom and freedom of speech, according to the Viewpoint Diversity Index results released last week.

The index, a project of Alliance Defending Freedom and Inspire Insight, is an annual report which measures how committed corporations are to respecting a diversity of beliefs. Seventy-five companies were in this year’s index and matched against 42 criteria.

Airbnb, for instance, scored 2% on the Viewpoint Diversity Index, a drop from 3% last year. Factors that contributed to the score include the company’s harmful conduct policies which prohibit “dangerous speech”:

Dangerous speech: No one should be subjected to language that calls for harm, dehumanizes, or claims an individual is a threat or physical danger to others because that individual belongs to a protected class.

In addition, the report notes that as of December, the company’s publicly accessible products and services do not provide a minimum amount of notice to customers before cancellation.

Airbnb also scored low in the public square. Nearly half of the company’s political contributions went to candidates with poor records on free speech and/or religious liberty. The company joined The Business Coalition for Equality Act in support of a bill that would force women to allow men claiming to be women in their locker rooms, dormitories and sports teams. In its policies, Airbnb specifically excludes religious groups from its lists of nonprofits and charitable organizations.

Alphabet, which owns Google and YouTube, scored 4% on the index. The company, which has led the pandemic of online censorship, has made no secret of its political views or efforts to quash opposing ones.

Amazon similarly scored 4%, down from 6% last year. Apple fared better at 8%, as did Bank of America, which in 2021 reported all customers who were in Washington, DC on January 6th to the FBI. The bank has since also closed accounts belonging to conservative customers without explanation.

BlackRock, the world’s largest investment fund which manages $3 trillion in wealth, received a 7% score. Aside from failing to participate in the survey, the corporation remains heavily committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), an ideology which classifies humans according to skin color and genitalia. BlackRock is also committed to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), a form of grading companies and countries — and soon people, experts warn — based on how well they conform to prevailing narratives on environmental and social issues. In 2017, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink vowed to “force” other people to comply with the ESG ideology.

JPMorgan Chase, whose CEO advocated for the seizure of private land to “fight climate change,” scored 9%, a six-point drop from last year. Last year, JPMorgan Chase shut down a conservative nonprofit’s account for holding the wrong political views.

Meta, also known for its strong censorship on Facebook and Instagram, scored 10%, along with Neftlix. PayPal, which last year crafted a policy to fine customers $2,500 for “misinformation,” scored 5%.

M&T Bank, however, scored 25%, a jump from 14% last year. The institution’s policies support a diversity of viewpoints and, in the public square, the bank has not been found to support anti-freedom legislation or political candidates. Fidelity Information Services (FIS) scored 50%, a jump from 18% last year, largely because it participated in the survey.

“Threats to freedom don’t just come from the government, but from major corporations like financial institutions and big tech companies that have concentrated power over essential services and communication channels,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Senior Vice President for Corporate Engagement Jeremy Tedesco. “Too often, these corporations de-bank or de-platform Americans, citing policies that give them unbounded discretion to censor people for their views. That needs to change. Companies need to take seriously the way their policies and practices can chill the exercise of speech and religion and deter individuals from participating in the democratic process.”