Telia Company AB — Ethics Grade D+

Telia Company AB receives an overall ethics grade of D+ (38/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Telecommunications. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 70
• privacy: 30
• consumer: 50
• environment: 65
• humanRights: 20

Documented incidents (3)

• Uzbekistan Bribery Case (high, 2017) — Telia entered a deferred prosecution agreement and paid massive fines to settle charges of paying $330 million in bribes to the daughter of the Uzbek president for telecommunications licenses. This remains one of the largest FCPA settlements in history.
• Surveillance in Belarus (high, 2021) — Human rights groups criticized the company for its subsidiary's role in providing the Belarusian government with access to subscriber metadata during democratic protests. This facilitated the tracking and arrest of political activists.
• Danish Merger Collapse (medium, 2015) — The European Commission blocked a proposed joint venture with Telenor in Denmark due to concerns it would eliminate competition and lead to higher prices for consumers. Telia eventually withdrew the proposal after failing to offer sufficient remedies.

Documented good deeds

• Digital Inclusion Program — Launched 'Digital in Sweden' to help elderly and vulnerable populations gain essential digital skills to navigate modern services.

Ethical alternatives

• Bahnhof — Swedish ISP known for extreme commitment to user privacy and resistance to government surveillance.