Adobe

The company’s Women-in-Technology Scholarship in the United States and India focuses on supporting women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields through mentoring, financial support and internships. Adobe’s products have features for users with disabilities, and it partners on accessibility initiatives and solicits feedback from this vulnerable group.

The Adobe Digital Academy in the United States provides scholarships, training, mentorship and apprenticeships to ‘career switchers’ who are members of vulnerable or non-traditional groups. Participants attend a three-month boot camp, where they are taught user experience design, data science and software engineering skills to help them gain employment in the tech industry.

Adobe’s oversight and accountability for cybersecurity is best practice among industry peers. It demonstrates high level cybersecurity oversight and clearly documents its processes and practices for handling cybersecurity incidents. Further, it has a security incident response team and international certification for its information security management. The company’s privacy policy is clear about who it shares personal information with, and it publishes a transparency report detailing government requests for personal data.

Adobe promotes open source, supports sustainable development and applies ethical considerations in its research and development (R&D) activities. The company publishes and contributes to a number of open standards. It also supports non-profit organisations, increasing the visibility of sustainable development. Adobe’s support for university research promotes understanding and use of data science in marketing. The company also considers ethics to be a vital component of R&D, and its AI Ethics council – chaired by the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary – guides its activities.

Adobe has a programme to increase digital access for women, but it does not have an initiative to promote affordable access to digital technologies for members of vulnerable groups. The company provides sparse information about its direct and indirect economic effects. Adobe has an opportunity to increase its transparency by reporting how the value it creates is distributed among stakeholders.

The Adobe Digital Academy fosters technical skills, but the company has an opportunity to support other digital skills and school connectivity. Further, metrics for the Digital Academy and a third-party assessment would increase understanding of the programme’s effect.

The company has an opportunity to improve transparency in this area. This includes reporting on the number of data breaches, enhancing its privacy policy to disclose the names of the companies it shares personal information with, and revealing the steps it takes to mitigate digital risks and harms for children. Adobe does not explicitly mention child digital safety in its business codes.

Adobe has a venture capital fund, but it could widen its support for the tech innovation ecosystem by providing incubators, accelerators and other support for start-ups, especially for founders who are members of vulnerable groups. While Adobe has an AI Ethics council is should disclose the guidelines it follows for ethics in artificial intelligence.