Two US human rights groups have said they were working with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Vodafone to protect civil liberties online, reports the AFP.

The technology giants will help craft rules-of-engagement that Internet companies can use when faced with “laws, regulations and policies that interfere with the achievement of human rights,” according to the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington.

Investors, academics, and groups such as Paris-based Reporters Without Borders; Human Rights China, and the Electronic Freedom Foundation in San Francisco will take part in the project, which is to be completed this year. And a representative of the United Nations will be part of the group as an observer.