Mission
Solving the democratic crisis in the information spaceThe International Observatory on Information and Democracy is the missing part of an international architecture meant to solve the current information chaos.
Democratic principles and public debate are suffering from threats caused by structuring tech corporations. The lack of a clear and shared understanding and the complexity of challenges hampers the ability of democratic states to tackle them.
The IOID aims to aggregate and synthesize existing research and offer policymakers a periodic global assessment of the information and communication space and how it impacts democracy.
The observatory at a glance
Science / policy interface
Bridge the gap between knowledge producers and policymakers by creating a permanent process of interaction between knowledge producers and policymakers through a methodology that ensures that the information produced is relevant to decision-makers at the right scale and time. The Observatory will answer policymakers’ needs by both defining the issues to be studied by the Observatory’s researchers and including these scientific topics in a legislative and political context.
Research synthesis producer
Produce periodic evaluation reports based on an aggregation and synthesis of all available research and data (meta-analysis).
This will be done by producing a periodic report evaluating the means, standards and architectures of the information and communication space. And writing reports based on a meta-analysis of the information space and an aggregation and synthesis of all available research and data, which can be cross-referenced with data on democratic evolutions.
Rating Agency
Assess the impact of each tech corporation on public debate.
The agency would analyze tech corporations’ algorithms and their compliance with democratic principles, and could produce a barometer for policymakers. At this stage, building this rating agency is an ambition of the Observatory and will be launched when all conditions are met.
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Timeline
September 2022
Feasibility study published
January 2023
Fundraising
Recruitment
March 2023
Strategy and Governance set up plan
May 2023
Mobilization of the research community and call of 100 researchers worldwide to support the Observatory
Multisectorial Consultation on the Observatory’s roadmap
June 2023
Creation of a Stakeholders Advisory Group (SAG)
July 2023
Nomination of the OID’s Steering Committee (SC)
Announcement of the inaugural report’s themes
September 2023
Launch of the first research labs
January 2024
Revision of the first version of the report
Revision of the second version of the report
December 2024
Publication of the final version of the report during the Summit for Information and Democracy
Get Involved
ACADEMIA
You can express your support by signing the call to contribute to the IPCC on Information and/or by joining the Observatory’s Steering Committee (editorial oversight body) and/or Stakeholders Advisory Group (multisectorial consultative body).
You can express your interest in chairing or joining one of the Observatory’s research labs (thematic working group)
You can contribute to the consultation to define the themes of the Observatory’s inaugural report.
CIVIL SOCIETY
You can express your interest in chairing or joining one of the Observatory’s research labs (thematic working group)
You can contribute to the consultation to define the themes of the Observatory’s inaugural report.
You can express your support in joining the Observatory’s Stakeholders Advisory Group (multisectorial consultative body).
MEMBER STATES OF THE PARTERNSHIP & TECH COMPANIES
You can contribute to the consultation to define the themes of the Observatory’s inaugural report.
You can express your support in joining the Observatory’s Stakeholders Advisory Group (multisectorial consultative body).
DONORS
You can get in touch to hear more about our ambitious roadmap and fundraising needs.
For more information
observatory@informationdemocracy.org