Mission

Solving the democratic crisis in the information space

The 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