Bowyer Research, on behalf of Alliance Defending Freedom, has submitted a shareholder proposal, Item 8, urging Verizon Communications Inc. to evaluate potential discrimination against customers based on religious or political views. The proposal, titled 'Civil Liberties in Digital Services,' aims to assess the risks such discrimination poses to the company. Bowyer Research argues that digital service providers like Verizon have adopted policies that could lead to viewpoint-based deplatforming, which may be legally suspect under state public accommodation laws and pose significant financial and reputational risks. The proposal highlights the systemic risk of political and religious bias in the digital services industry and cites examples of companies acknowledging these risks in their annual reports. It also references cases of deplatforming and...Show More

Bowyer Research, on behalf of Alliance Defending Freedom, has submitted a shareholder proposal, Item 8, urging Verizon Communications Inc. to evaluate potential discrimination against customers based on religious or political views. The proposal, titled 'Civil Liberties in Digital Services,' aims to assess the risks such discrimination poses to the company. Bowyer Research argues that digital service providers like Verizon have adopted policies that could lead to viewpoint-based deplatforming, which may be legally suspect under state public accommodation laws and pose significant financial and reputational risks. The proposal highlights the systemic risk of political and religious bias in the digital services industry and cites examples of companies acknowledging these risks in their annual reports. It also references cases of deplatforming and the growing trend of government actors pressuring companies to censor content. The proposal suggests that Verizon's adoption of subjective 'hate speech' and 'misinformation' policies could lead to censorship, chilling speech, and legal challenges. It calls for a report to identify and mitigate these risks, arguing that such an evaluation would benefit both the company and its shareholders by ensuring that services are not politicized and that civil liberties are respected.