Harnessing the Power of Self-Regulation to Empower Business Accountability

 

The boundaries of corporate social responsibility are rapidly expanding, emboldening forward-thinking business leaders to double down on commitments to transparency, truth, and accountability. And as economic and technological innovations accelerate, businesses can and must find meaningful ways to demonstrate a renewed commitment to an honest, fair, and trustworthy marketplace for all.

 

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Our Mission

 

Getting Self-Regulation Right

 

The Center for Industry Self-Regulation (CISR), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, was created by BBB National Programs to harness the historic power of self-regulation, also called soft law, in the United States in order to empower business accountability. CISR is dedicated to education and research that supports responsible business leaders developing fair, future-proof best practices, and to the education of the general public on the conditions necessary for industry self-regulation.

 

 

 

 

 

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For Funders

Our research explores how to solve collective challenges in the business community, calling on decades of experience operating independent self-regulatory and co-regulatory programs.

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For Businesses

Learn about the challenges facing your industry to help identify opportunities for new best practices that will enhance the trust and respect of consumers, partners, and regulators.


Events

The 2024 Soft Law Summit was held on Tuesday, September 24 in Washington, DC, and brought together industry leaders, academics, and policy makers to dissect and examine how the challenges and opportunities for America's business sectors have been and can be addressed by independent industry self-regulation.

 

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In the Incubator

TeenAge Privacy Program (TAPP)

 

The TAPP Incubator project has brought together a diverse set of industry stakeholders to help solve the challenges of data privacy for teenagers. Participating businesses are designing safeguards for the personal data of this unique group of consumers, building a bridge between privacy protections for children and adults that can serve as a global model. These trailblazers are not waiting for the problem to worsen, they are leading change. 

 

The TAPP Roadmap is a new operational framework designed to help companies develop digital products and services that consider and respond to the heightened potential of risks and harms to teenage consumers and to ensure that businesses collect and manage teen data responsibly. 

 

 

 


 

 

AI in Hiring & Recruiting

 

In the recruiting and hiring process, where algorithms increasingly provide an aid to human decision making, how can we combine important technological innovation with a proactive approach to employment law regulations and future-proof standards? 

 

The Principles and Protocols for Trustworthy AI in Recruiting and Hiring serve as a global baseline standard and framework for the use of AI applications in recruitment and hiring, providing practical and actionable guidance for employers and vendors seeking to leverage AI technology responsibly and equitably.

 

 

 


Emerging Areas of Interest

Among myriad other challenges that could be approached through the lens of the Self-Regulation Incubator, the areas listed below appear ripe for possible future convenings. If you would like to be involved in these or other Incubator initiatives, use the Contact Us form below. 

 

 

Connected Vehicles

As cars become smarter and more interconnected, do the rules of the road need to change? How do we anticipate the new normal of safety, security and data protection, while ensuring that businesses remain on a level playing field and consumers are heard?

 

 The Self-Regulation Incubator can help.

 

The Metaverse

The rules of the road for the metaverse, which is being hailed as the next big technological revolution, are still being written. How can we ensure consumers are protected while encouraging innovation as businesses explore this next digital frontier?

 

The Self-Regulation Incubator can help.

 

 

 

 

 

Investing in Business Accountability

 

As economic and technological innovations accelerate, businesses must continue to work together to enhance consumer trust in a dynamic marketplace.

 

At the Center for Industry Self-Regulation, we believe that independent research and education is critical to incubating the solutions that will help us solve industry challenges and protect consumers. Your contribution helps make this important work possible.

 

The Center for Industry Self-Regulation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. 

 

 

 

 

News

Press Release

John Templeton Foundation Grant Awarded to Center for Industry Self-Regulation to Develop Industry Self-Regulation Curriculum for Law, Business & Public Policy Schools

McLean, VA – September 10, 2024 - BBB National Programs’ Center for Industry Self-Regulation today announced that it will develop a curriculum on industry self-regulation for law, business, and public policy school programs, filling a significant gap in current...

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Press Release

BBB National Programs’ Center for Industry Self-Regulation Publishes Principles and Protocols for Trustworthy AI in Recruiting and Hiring

McLean, VA – June 8, 2023 – The Center for Industry Self-Regulation released self-regulatory Principles for Trustworthy AI in Recruiting and Hiring, as a global baseline standard for the use of AI applications in recruitment and hiring, and

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Press Release

Justin Connor Named Executive Director for The Center for Industry Self-Regulation, a Foundation Created by BBB National Programs

McLean, VA – May 17, 2022 – Recognizing a timely opportunity to promote and grow the next generation of independent industry self-regulation programs, The Center for Industry Self-Regulation today named Justin Connor as its inaugural Executive Director. The announcement was made by Eric D. Reicin,...

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Press Release

To Help U.S. Companies Responsibly Collect and Manage Teenager Data, Center for Industry Self-Regulation Publishes TeenAge Privacy Program Roadmap

McLean, VA – April 19, 2022 – BBB National Programs’ Center for Industry Self-Regulation today announced the launch of the TeenAge Privacy Program (TAPP) Roadmap, a new operational framework designed to help companies develop digital products and services that consider and respond to the heightened...
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Thought Leadership

Blog

Soft Law Summit Recap: Industry Self-Regulation Fills the Regulatory Gap

The Center for Industry Self-Regulation (CISR) recently brought together a diverse group of experts for the second annual Soft Law Summit to explore one key theme: As technology advances, how self-regulation has emerged as a vital tool to complement and support formal regulatory and legal frameworks.
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Blog

World Standards Day: Celebrating Voluntary Industry Standards

World Standards Day was created to increase understanding of the importance of standardization and acknowledge the collaborative efforts of thousands of experts worldwide who develop them. Behind the scenes, every day, standards help make our lives safer and more enjoyable.
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Blog

The Demise of “Chevron Deference”: Who Will Fill the Regulatory Gaps?

Regardless of one’s views on whether the Supreme Court was correct to overturn Chevron deference, the ruling presents businesses with the opportunity to fill regulatory gaps themselves in a responsible manner that increases transparency and trust, without waiting for court decisions.
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Blog

Soft Law in 2024: Activating Industry Self-Regulation

At the Soft Law Summit, business leaders, policymakers, and leading academic thinkers discussed and evaluated scenarios in which co-regulation and soft law can help solve industry-wide challenges, including the governance of AI, healthcare, autonomous vehicles and drones, highly regulated industries, and more.
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