Digital Realty - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Digital Realty is Medium Risk.

Digital Realty often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes Digital Realty occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Digital Realty integrates ESG into its business practices. From its 2023 ESG Report: “we formalized our supplier ESG engagement program. This program ensures that our suppliers adhere to our high standards for environmental and social responsibility, amplifying the impact of our sustainability initiatives across our value chain” (1). However, Digital Realty has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (2).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Digital Realty does not discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1)(2).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Digital Realty offers unconscious bias training to its employees (1)(2). Digital Realty does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Digital Realty’s CEO, Andrew P. Power, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace (1)(2). Digital Realty is a member of the Business Ambition for 1.5°C Campaign, which aims to mainstream corporate climate action (3)(4). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Digital Realty using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (5).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Digital Realty is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (1). In 2023, Digital Realty funds Black Minds Matter and SAGE USA (Advocacy for LGBTQ+ Elders) (2)(3)(4). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Digital Realty using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (5)(6).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Digital Realty does not operate a PAC at this time and has not lobbied for ideological purposes (1)(2)(3).