Thomson Reuters shareholders will consider a resolution at the company’s annual meeting on Wednesday that requests a formal review of the human rights implications related to some of its U.S. government contracts. The proposal, submitted by a British Columbia government workers union, specifically calls for examination of agreements with U.S. agencies, among them Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The resolution highlights concerns among certain investors and employees who say that some Reuters products and data may be used to support immigration enforcement actions. Thomson Reuters, a Toronto-based content and technology company, offers a range of products and services that are sold to law enforcement and government agencies.
Federal procurement records on usaspending.gov show a contract worth $22.8 million that was scheduled to end in May with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Portions of that contract, the records indicate, provided ICE with access to license plate reader data. The site also lists additional contracts with DHS that remain active: one of up to $4.6 million through 2028 described as for "risk mitigation services" and another of up to $3.6 million through 2027 described as a "maritime analysis tool."
The federal spending records identify Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS), a unit of Thomson Reuters based in McLean, Virginia, as the recipient of those contracts. According to TRSS’s own website, the unit’s offerings are designed to prevent financial crimes, identify foreign influence and assist law enforcement and national security officials in synthesizing fragmented data.
A company spokesperson declined to discuss the specifics of individual contracts. The spokesperson said Thomson Reuters takes seriously both the legality and legitimacy of its products and emphasized the company’s contractual and usage controls.
"They are provided under strict contractual terms, subject to applicable law, and governed by strong safeguards that limit and monitor how our products and services are used. We are confident in these controls," the spokesperson said. "Where potential misuse is identified, we act promptly and decisively, including suspending and/or cancelling access when warranted."
The company also noted that its news organization operates independently from its other businesses.
The shareholder proposal asserts that Thomson Reuters’ products and datasets "are integral to ICE’s ability to track, detain and carry out the largest deportation in U.S. history." The company has publicly rejected that characterization. "We wholly dispute that claim. These allegations are without factual basis," the spokesperson said.
Thomson Reuters is opposing the resolution. In its defense, the company says it already performs human rights assessments intended to ensure compliance with United Nations standards for business conduct. In a securities filing, the company further described how its products are used by authorities to investigate national security and public safety matters, including child exploitation, human trafficking, narcotics and weapons trafficking, and financial crime.
The proposal has drawn support from a group of Thomson Reuters employees calling themselves the "Committee to Restore Trust." Separately, the case of Billie Little, an Oregon resident and former Thomson Reuters legal publishing employee, is pending in U.S. District Court in Portland. Little filed a wrongful termination complaint in April, saying she was dismissed after questioning the company’s work with immigration authorities and identifying herself as a leader of the Committee to Restore Trust.
Responding to that lawsuit, the company said it "strongly dispute[s] the allegations and intend[s] to robustly defend the case," adding that it takes employee concerns seriously and provides channels for raising issues consistent with its Code of Conduct.
Major proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis have recommended votes against the shareholder proposal. ISS stated that it was not clear whether additional disclosure would offer incremental benefits to shareholders.
This vote places scrutiny on how a major information company balances contract obligations to government clients with investor and employee concerns about human rights and public policy. The outcome may influence conversations about disclosure and oversight of products sold to law enforcement and national security customers.