Engagement with parent company IPG focused on policies for protecting reproductive health data.
Open MIC has successfully withdrawn a shareholder proposal this month after extensive engagement with the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) regarding its data broker subsidiary Acxiom, and specifically the company’s policies and practices regarding reproductive health data. The proposal was an attempt by shareholders to press IPG to release a report regarding Acxiom’s data privacy policies. In response to shareholder and Open MIC efforts, IPG has released a public statement that meets shareholder demands for greater public transparency.
IPG released a public statement with assurances that both it and Acxiom consider data ethics and privacy to be core principles. The statement also asserted that Acxiom collects no data that could reasonably be used by law enforcement to identify or prosecute individuals seeking reproductive health services. In particular, the company asserted that:
The data Acxiom collects excludes information regarding sensitive locations such as reproductive health clinics;
The geolocation data Acxiom collects does not include data that could be used to track or locate individuals;
The commercial transaction data Acxiom collects excludes granular purchase information and instead reflects retail purchase information at category levels.
In consideration of these representations and improved public transparency, Open MIC agreed to withdraw the proposal.
The proposal called for a report regarding Acxiom’s data privacy policies in light of the risks posed by the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and the ensuing state laws criminalizing reproductive health procedures. The proposal noted that companies with significant customer data are likely to face warrants from law enforcement in states that have criminalized abortion and other reproductive health services. These sorts of police requests can expose companies to serious financial, legal, and reputational risks by implicating businesses in the invasion of privacy and curtailment of fundamental reproductive rights.
“As a leading global data broker, Acxiom has the power to set an industry standard for the protection of sensitive reproductive health data,” said Michael Connor, Executive Director of Open MIC. “We’re pleased to see IPG sharing its commitments publicly.”
For more information:
Michael Connor
Executive Director, Open MIC
mconnor@openmic.org