Runbox Solutions AS is an independent, Norwegian company which is owned primarily by its employees. This is important to us because the autonomy means that we decide for ourselves how to best implement our beliefs and values.
At our core, we believe that communication is a fundamental principle of Nature and therefore inherently good, and that communicating ultimately leads to a more united and better world. We therefore do our best to facilitate and conduct efficient communication with empathy and respect in an ecological manner that harmonizes with nature.
Our values and our actions spring forth from this core belief.
Values
Ethically responsible
We take our ethical responsibility seriously and will always make our best moral judgments with regards to our customers, our employees, our partners, and our shareholders.
We will act ethically with regards to the principles that govern Norwegian legislation, such as human rights, freedom of speech, and environmental rights. We comply with Norwegian laws and regulations, and we will never intentionally compromise them.
We will treat our customers fairly and with respect. We will practice honesty throughout our communications with our customers and other stakeholders.
We will always do our best to find solutions that are the most valuable for the individual customer.
Environmentally responsible
We believe that both the planet, our ecosystems and societies, and the lives of the people living in them are better if we act sustainably.
We believe that an email service is among the most environmentally friendly services we can provide, and that it helps minimizing the ecological impact of human intercommunication.
We believe that using renewable energy as much as possible, and being environmentally conscious at all levels of our company, contributes to a more sustainable and ultimately a safer world.
Committed to privacy
We believe that people’s lives are better when their private sphere is protected.
We believe that privacy and secrecy of correspondence is a prerequisite for democracy. We therefore work to make communication as simple and secure as possible, and our Privacy Policy is written and implemented in that respect.
Runbox Solutions resides in Norway, among the countries with the world’s strongest legislation protecting personal data, and which also provides strong safeguards against surveillance.
Transparency
We believe that transparency is essential to honesty and responsibility.
We will strive to maintain corporate transparency, which means openness about how we run our business.
We will be clear, accurate, and thorough in our communication, and will gladly share the knowledge and experience we acquire with other stakeholders.
Implementation
Our company and email services are located in Norway under Norwegian jurisdiction, which means that our customers’ data is protected by Norway’s strong privacy regulations. It is therefore protected against national or foreign surveillance through strong legislation, and by a multi-level governmental organization established to ensure that the police and intelligence services abide by the laws.
We are dedicated to protecting our customers’ privacy as stated in our Privacy Policy. We will never disclose customer data unless Norwegian prosecuting authorities present us with an order, and we promptly reject inquiries from foreign authorities. If we become aware of data on our servers which violates our Terms of Service or Norwegian law we may close the account, and possibly report it to Norwegian police authorities.
We will never use customer data for advertising, we do not utilize any tracking facility, and we respect the confidentiality of customer communication. Our trial and refund policy ensure that no one must pay for a service that they don’t want or need, and we do not try to “lock in” our customers in any way. We respect our customers’ right to “be forgotten”, and we are not subject to any law, in Norway or the EU, that demand retention of traffic data. The Runbox email servers are hosted in a top security facility in Norway, with several built-in layers of security and redundancy. We enforce secure and encrypted connections on all our web-based services.
Our business operates entirely online, without producing or distributing any physical goods, and is inherently environmentally friendly because 98% of the electricity powering our servers is hydroelectric. We work to minimize our impact on the environment throughout our organization, we select “green” servers and hardware whenever possible, we have implemented a recycling policy, and we telecommute extensively.
Projects supporting our values
Runbox collaborates with organizations and prioritizes projects that contribute to sustaining and protecting our planet.
Since 2008 we have volunteered for Concerned Scientists Norway, an interdisciplinary, non-profit organization contributing to a more sustainable society.
Runbox worked closely with cChange in developing their original website. cChange Norway is a Norwegian organization focused on addressing climate change through research, education, and strategic initiatives.
Runbox supports Karen O’Brien for Quantum Social Change. Karen O’Brien is a climate scientist and professor at the University of Oslo, known for her research on climate change, social resilience, and climate justice.
We also support The Spaceguard Centre, the official National Near Earth Objects Information Centre in the UK. The Spaceguard Centre is the only organization in the UK dedicated to addressing the hazard of nearby asteroids and comets that may collide with the Earth.
Additionally, our team members independently support a variety of projects that reflect their commitment to sustainability, privacy, and social responsibility:
- World Wildlife Fund, Norway
- Trustees of Reservations, US
- The Woodland Trust, UK
- The Institute of Physics, UK
- The Future In Our Hands, Norway
- The Norwegian Society for Protection of Animals, Norway