Experts on media and human rights who speak the local language use their knowledge to search on the internet for groups, sites, forums, and blogs that contain relevant information. We then build web crawlers that collect all information from the websites that experts specified. The information is stored in a project database. Project databases can contain between a few thousand and millions of posts at the initial stage and, if transformed into a regular service, will grow over time. Experts deploy the text structuring and clustering capabilities of social@risk™ to identify posts about grievances and rights violations, record detailed information on malpractices, correlate risk factors, and evaluate trends.
Experts can use advanced keyword filtering and trace topics with timeline graphs of posts and visuals for word frequency rankings. Social media posts are analysed and pieced together based on what workers write. We also use quantitative methods to support risk identification, mitigation, and remedy. Clients use our analyses for human rights due diligence and stakeholder engagement.
Globalworks receives R&D funding for a third time from Vinnova under the framework “Social innovations” and from the Horizon 2020 (European Commission) under the framework “SME instruments”. During 2018 social@risk™ generated social risk assessments for the Chinese electronics sector, the Thai food sector, and the Vietnamese textile sector.
Globalworks receives again R&D funding from Vinnova; this time under the framework “Innovative start-ups”. The aim of this project was to adapt the prototype of social@risk™ to partner needs. Globalworks together with Vaude Sport GmbH and Stockholm County Council conducted the first grievance based social risk assessments in the Chinese electronics and textile sector.
Globalworks received R&D funding from Vinnova under the framework of “Innovative enterprises” and developed the first prototype of social@risk™.
The concept of social@risk™ emerged out of Globalworks’ social media monitoring service. We provided regular updates about online grievances related to land use rights and land evictions. Based on these experiences and insights, we developed the theoretical foundations of social@risk™ in 2015 and applied for R&D funding from Vinnova – the Swedish Government agency for promoting innovation.