Sustainable Development Goals

Penlink’s Contribution  

In recent years, the world has faced significant challenges that highlight the need for stronger cooperation and a focus on sustainability. These issues have shown that businesses must take an active role in addressing global concerns. At PenLink, we are committed to conducting business responsibly and contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

As a technology company, we have a unique ability to help tackle these challenges. However, we are mindful that technology must be used responsibly, ensuring human rights are respected and privacy is protected. This year, PenLink earned its first Human Rights Quality Seal from CybeRighTech after a thorough due diligence process, affirming that our policies and practices align with recognized standards of business and human rights. We’ve also introduced a new code of ethics and business conduct.

In addition, we continue to support governments and organizations in their efforts to address critical global issues such as terrorism, illegal arms trafficking, human trafficking, and environmental crimes like illegal fishing and wildlife trafficking. Our technology enables clients to confront these problems and drive meaningful solutions.

The Sustainable Development Goals 

In 2015, all United Nations member states adopted a plan of action titled “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” At the core of the Agenda is a vision for a more equitable and peaceful world to be achieved by 2030, consisting of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 specific targets. The 2030 Agenda makes clear that in order for the SDGs to be met efforts must be taken towards their attainment not only from government and civil society but also from the business sector. 

During the formulation of the SDGs, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stressed the importance of the data revolution achieved through technological development in both attaining and measuring the SDGs. “The data revolution is giving the world powerful tools that can help usher in a more sustainable future,” he stated. 

Penlink and the SDGs 

Penlink is one of the first Cyber companies to take it upon itself to contribute to the UN SDGs. Our technology redefines the collection and analysis of digital web data, including surface, deep, and dark data, and enables data-driven decision-making and solutions. We view the connection of our activities to the SDGs as a business opportunity and as a way to express the values for which we stand. A more sustainable world is in our interest as much as it is that of nations and of individuals. Thus, we seek to do business responsibly while also proactively promoting the SDGs. This year, Penlink has conducted an in-depth analysis process of our activities and internal policies as they relate to the 17 SDGs. We looked at possible positive and negative impacts, both direct and indirect in order to assure full alignment with the SDGs. This process helped us identify and prioritize goals and specific targets where we could make the most impact and achieve the most progress. 

Penlink’s Prioritized SDGs 

Safety Goal 16: Promote Peaceful and Inclusive Societies for Sustainable Development, Provide Access to Justice for All, and Build Effective, Accountable and Inclusive Institutions at All Levels .

Prioritized targets: 

  • 16.1 Reduce all forms of violence and related death rates 
  • 16.2 End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and torture of children 
  • 16.4 Reduce illicit financial and arms flows 
  • 16.a Strengthen relevant national institutions’ capacity to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime 

For Penlink, promoting a peaceful and just world means first and foremost the embedding of human rights in our own practices, under the notion that every person has the right to be treated with dignity. While Penlink’s products are geared at promoting safe societies, we acknowledge the potential threats our products could pose to individual rights, as well as our responsibility to respect and uphold human rights. With that, Penlink underwent a rigorous due diligence process by CybeRighTech and developed a comprehensive human rights policy, relevant to product development, sales, contractual arrangements, and auditing mechanisms. Through this process, we were able to identify and mitigate risks of rights infringement and commit to values of accountability and transparency. Penlink also committed itself to prevent end-user misuse of its technology, both through assuring “Human Rights by Design” and through conducting due diligence of clients. Finally, we appointed a Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer, responsible for ongoing quality assurance in relation to human rights. Following this process, Penlink was granted a Human Rights Quality Seal. With Penlink’s main mission being using intelligence-enhanced security for a safer world, we conduct investigations in the fields of anti-terrorism and terror financing, cybercrime, drug trafficking, money laundering, and more. We engage in pro-bono work with think tanks to advance research on anti-terrorism and combat terror financing, and with media outlets support investigations related to trafficking in persons, including the exploitation of children. Penlink offers free seminars and webinars accessible to investigators and organizations worldwide on issues including how to combat trafficking in persons on the dark web, financial crime investigations, and more. From a national institution’s perspective, Penlink’s products strengthen financial institutions, providing them with automated and enhanced due diligence and anti-money-laundering practices. Furthermore, we conduct webinars targeted towards law enforcement institutions and national security agencies related to operational security and protection from data breaches. 

Health 

Goal 3: Ensure Healthy Lives and Promote Well-Being for All in All Ages 

Prioritized targets: 

  • 3.3 Prevent the spread of epidemics and communicable diseases. 
  • 3.d Strengthen capacity to handle national and global health risks 

Penlink’s commitment to making the world a safer place through technology includes assuring the health and well-being of all people. Through its products, Penlink seeks to protect society at large from health threats using web data collection and analysis. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Penlink saw an opportunity to utilize its advanced investigative artificial intelligence-based technological solutions to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus and its deleterious effects on societies and economies. Penlink developed a smart software tool with predictive abilities and has been collaborating with governmental authorities worldwide to develop models of potential spreads, identify hotspots, and support policymaking to curb the pandemic – all while using non-intrusive and privacy-respecting holistic solutions. Penlink has also put measures in place to ensure the health and safety of her employees worldwide, including the appointment of an officer responsible for following local laws and regulations at all of our facilities, increasing teleworking capabilities, and implementing a strict office hygiene policy. 

Equality 

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 

Prioritized targets: 

  • 5.1 End discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. 
  • 5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. 
  • 5.5 Ensure women’s participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making. 

Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 

Prioritized targets: 

  • 8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value. 

The field of cybersecurity suffers from underrepresentation of women and minorities, with the share of women in the sector being approximately 20%. Penlink stands in support of gender equality and recognizes the importance of women’s inclusion in mitigating cybersecurity risks. Women at Penlink represent 33% of our workforce, including in head of department roles. We offer career development opportunities to all of our employees, including by helping fund employees’ continuing higher education and enhancing their leadership skills. Employment opportunities at Penlink are available regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, political affiliation, disability, or another legally protected status. This principle applies to all aspects of the employment relationship, including recruiting, hiring, training, work assignment, promotion, transfer, termination, and wage and salary administration. Our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct emphasizes our commitment to a work environment free of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment, and employees can report incidents to a designated person in the company. Penlink is also committed to the principle of equal pay for equal work, with workers of similar positions and experience earning equally. Our wage ratio between top and bottom salary is 4:1, and 90% of our employees are direct hires. 

Environment 

Goal 13: Take Urgent Action to Combat Climate Change and Its Impacts 

Prioritized targets: 

  • 13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning. 

Penlink is committed to complying with environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations. We are committed to minimizing the environmental impact of our business through selecting technological solutions that reduce energy consumption and environmental footprint, promoting efficient energy use in all areas of business activity, considering alternatives to business travel, and ensuring staff is aware of their impact on the environment. We have undertaken several efforts to minimize our own negative environmental impact. Moving our software solutions to secure cloud operations, for instance, has minimized our carbon footprint drastically while also providing our clients with cybersecurity peace of mind and ease of use and access. 

The field of cybersecurity suffers from underrepresentation of women and minorities, with the share of women in the sector being approximately 20%. Penlink stands in support of gender equality and recognizes the importance of women’s inclusion in mitigating cybersecurity risks. Women at Penlink represent 33% of our workforce, including in head of department roles. We offer career development opportunities to all of our employees, including by helping fund employees’ continuing higher education and enhancing their leadership skills. Employment opportunities at Penlink are available regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, political affiliation, disability, or another legally protected status. This principle applies to all aspects of the employment relationship, including recruiting, hiring, training, work assignment, promotion, transfer, termination, and wage and salary administration. Our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct emphasizes our commitment to a work environment free of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment, and employees can report incidents to a designated person in the company. Penlink is also committed to the principle of equal pay for equal work, with workers of similar positions and experience earning equally. Our wage ratio between top and bottom salary is 4:1, and 90% of our employees are direct hires.