​​As our world becomes increasingly dependent on technology for our day-to-day activities, tech firms must proactively take steps to preserve and enhance the civil rights of their users. Many corporations made public remarks that touted their solidarity with Black people and recognized the need for racial justice following the countless murders of Black Americans by police and extrajudicial vigilantes that continue today. However, remarks without actions to accompany them are meaningless. It is crucial that tech companies across the sector address discrimination in their businesses from noxious white nationalist content on social platforms to targeted and predatory advertising to biased algorithmic decisionmarking to inequitable work environments. The efforts outlined below represent concrete actions technology firms must take, at minimum, to act in alignment with their values and ensure a more humane and less hostile world for Black people.

Tech companies need to live up to the promises they made in their commitments to racial justice and equity. To make a material difference in the lives of Black people tech companies need to conduct a racial equity and act in accordance with the following pillars for racial justice in tech:

Increase Transparency

• Recommendation 1a: Conduct a racial equity audit
• Recommendation 1b: —Exclude discrimination provisions from non-disclosure agreements and implement and enforce a non-retaliation policy 
• Recommendation 1c: Share interfaces, anonymized data, and internal research with academics and independent researchers

Evaluate Policies and Products for Discrimination

• Recommendation 2a: Evaluate policies, product(s), and data used to develop product(s) for discrimination
• Recommendation 2b: Create systems that allow users to share feedback, and ensure that feedback is shared openly and transparently
• Recommendation 2c: Ensure that developers and engineers prioritize civil rights and anti-discrimination when creating products

Recruit, Hire, and Retain a Diverse Workforce

• Recommendation 3a: Alter hiring metrics
• Recommendation 3b: Increase recruitment efforts at HBCUs and state universities
• Recommendation 3c: Create an inclusive company culture to improve the retention of Black employees
• Recommendation 3d: Treat workers essential to business functions as employees

Hire and Empower Internal Civil Rights Staff

• Recommendation 4a: Hire a C-suite level civil rights leader and civil rights staff
• Recommendation 4b: Grant civil rights executives and staff critical decision-making power

Hold Internal Decision Makers Accountable

• Recommendation 5a: Create civil rights-oriented accountability systems tied to performance evaluations
• Recommendation 5b: Routinely measure user product experience and impact by race

Divest from Police and Mass Incarceration

• Recommendation 6a: Terminate partnerships with law enforcement agencies that advance the use of surveillance technology, inclusive of predictive policing
• Recommendation 6b: Implement a business model that divests from police and mass incarceration, especially regarding financial investments and labor
• Recommendation 6c: End support of police foundations and financing of law enforcement nonprofits
• Recommendation 6d: Invest in the safety of Black communities