06/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - Online data protection not up to scratch. The main telecommunications companies and internet giants are not managing adequately to protect the privacy, data or freedom of expression of their users. According to the “Corporate Accountability Index” compiled over two years by the Ranking Digital Rights organisation, it is Google that best protects citizens online, scoring 65% compared with 58% for Yahoo!, 56% for Microsoft and 50% for Twitter. Among telecoms operators, Vodaphone (UK) comes out on top, though it scores only a mediocre 54%, followed by AT&T (US) with 50%. The worst scores are recorded by Etisalat Group, based in the United Arab Emirates (14%) and Axiata of Malaysia (16%). Of the 16 companies evaluated, only six are above average and seven scored less than 25%. (SPJ)