The NEC Corporation has established a set of human rights principles to guide its business decisions when using biometrics and artificial intelligence. The newly published “NEC Group AI and Human Rights Principles” reflect a commitment to privacy at every stage of development, and are also intended to ensure compliance with international rules and regulations.

With that in mind, NEC has articulated three goals for the future. The company will continue to develop and promote new AI technologies as a solution to modern challenges, and will seek out new collaborative partnerships in order to do so. However, NEC will also take steps to ensure that its solutions are used appropriately by employees, customers, and partners alike.    

The principles were developed by NEC’s Digital Trust Business Strategy Division in conjunction with several internal business divisions. The Digital Trust Business Strategy Division was established at the tail end of 2018 to advance a “Human Rights by Design” strategy and policy recommendations that guarantee privacy and fairness at every level of its business. 

NEC has previously stated that it would be open to ethical discussions concerning AI and facial recognition, and is not the only company to make human rights a priority at the corporate level. MasterCard recently laid out a set of consumer-oriented principles for digital identities, while representatives from 40 companies signed the GSMA’s Digital Declaration back in January.