The Digital Standard is a framework to measure consumer values like privacy, security, and ownership.
Learn how to use the Digital Standard
Security
Products should be built to be secure. Electronics and software should have features that reduce the risk of attack, malware, and other threats.
Documentation
Privacy
Products should preserve consumer privacy. Consumer information that is collected by any product or service should be safeguarded and kept private.
Documentation
Ownership
Products should protect the idea of ownership. When consumers buy products, they should be able to alter, fix, or resell them.
Documentation
Governance
Companies should act ethically. Their products should be designed to help protect freedom of expression, address accessibility, and combat harassment.
DocumentationHow to use The Digital Standard
The Digital Standard is built upon guiding values that are essential to building consumer confidence in technology. Each principle within The Digital Standard is presented with supporting criteria, indicators and methodologies to guide product teams, researchers and testers with evaluations.
The Digital Standard encourages manufacturers to:
Apply principles as fundamental features of building and designing products and services
Test and evaluate products with the appropriate methodologies outlined in the documentation prior to release
Immediately resolve any potential conflicts that products might have with the criteria and indicators outlined
How the Digital Standard shapes the marketplace
Technology brings greater convenience to our lives, but it doesn’t always reflect consumers’ best interests. The Digital Standard addresses consumers’ evolving needs and expectations of digital products. By defining an industry baseline, the Digital Standard helps manufacturers know what it looks like to prioritize for consumer safety.
How we are working towards our vision:
Define.
The Digital Standard is created by a broad community of product developers, researchers and technologists that continually iterate on the criteria. We use indicators and methodologies that are built into the Digital Standard to better define how a product represents people’s needs and interests.
Use.
Our coalition of independent testing partners uses The Digital Standard to openly test, evaluate and report on how connected tech manufacturers address digital rights in product development and design, empowering people to make smarter choices about the products they purchase.
Influence.
The Digital Standard is an opportunity for manufacturers, entrepreneurs and investors to prioritize these principles as a competitive advantage in product design and positioning to build consumer confidence. CR engages with manufacturers before publishing results, so they have an opportunity to respond quickly to consumer needs.
Report: Privacy Front and Center
Consumer Reports and Omidyar Network teamed up to examine evolving consumer attitudes toward privacy and quantify privacy’s market impact.
Download Report