About us
About The Observatory on information and democracy
Inspired by the IPCC, and shepherded by Shoshana Zuboff and Angel Gurría, the Observatory came from the reflection that systematic assessment of scientific knowledge leads to more impactful, future-proofed public policies and regulations.
Mandate
Why do we need an Observatory on Information and Democracy?
The Observatory's mission
In an era dominated by information flows, digital connectivity and changing at an unprecedented pace with the advent of generative AI, the need for a comprehensive understanding of the global information space has become paramount. There is an urgent need to learn from the evidence that has been produced so far, especially on the ground, and how it impacts different regions around the world.
The International observatory on Information and Democracy seeks to address this gap, by producing a periodic report synthesizing existing state of the art research to policymakers, providing a periodic global assessment of the information and communication space and how it impacts democracy. The objective is to provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop better informed and meaningful policies.
- We produce a regular research state of the art on issues at the intersection of information, democracy and technology
- Our meta-analysis fills knowledge to action gaps, by bringing together academics, experts and activists from different horizons and disciplines
- We build collective evidence and improve both the political and public understanding of priority societal challenges in the digital era
The International Observatory on Information and Democracy is therefore a crucial step towards ensuring a well-informed and inclusive global conversation on technology and information policies.
An initiative of the Forum on Information and Democracy
The International Observatory on Information and Democracy is an initiative of the Forum on Information and Democracy, an organization that strives to bring democratic guarantees to the global communication and information space.
According to its mandate, the Forum evaluates the information space through the Observatory. In parallel to this, the Forum continues providing policy recommendations and international standards to the signatory states of the International Partnership for Information and Democracy.
The Observatory addresses the need for a synthesis of global research, which is abundant but whose mass does not always allow for clear conclusions
Christophe Deloire (1971-2024), President of the Forum on Information and Democracy.
Prefiguration phase
Prefiguration phase
Feasibility study
On the occasion of the second Summit for Information and Democracy held on 22 September 2022, the Forum published the report of the prefiguration group titled “Observatory on Information and Democracy – Feasibility study”. The report was presented to the States of the International Partnership for Information and Democracy during the Summit. Based on the contribution of international experts, it defines the objectives, working methodology and means of the Observatory.
Observatory as the IPCC of the information space
According to the feasibility study, the current information chaos requires a proactive approach by all states, as part of international cooperation. The absence of a legal response and even individual state responses are not enough. The proposed new structure, an observatory, was designed as a tool to promote a common understanding and act as a link between knowledge producers and political decision-makers, in the same way as the IPCC does for climate change.
The Observatory’s main role is to shed scientific light on the debates and provide States and the general public with elements of understanding.
Structure and governance
The Observatory is made up of four units and a support team. These include :
- the Board of Directors of the Forum for Information and Democracy to oversee strategic decisions,
- an advisory group of stakeholders to prepare recommendations on the themes of the reports to be produced,
- a Steering Committee to oversee the production of the reports,
- Research Assessment Panels (formerly called working groups) to select academic resources, synthesise the knowledge gathered and write chapters in the reports,
- a support team for administrative tasks, the organisation of events and meetings and the dissemination of reports.
Working methods
As with the IPCC’s work on climate change, the Information and Democracy Observatory’s mission is to produce reports setting out the state of the art in research and providing answers to questions raised in the context of decision-making by politicians and authorities.
Following this thorough feasibility assessment, this group played a crucial role in the build out of this initiative by becoming a Nomination Committee for the Observatory’s inaugural Steering Committee in 2023.
Observatory on Information and Democracy – Feasibility study
Prefiguration Group
Prefiguration Group
Under the co-chairmanship of Angel Gurría, Former Secretary-General of the OECD and Shoshana Zuboff, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, the prefiguration group played a key role in building the vision and infrastructure of the Observatory and nominating the Observatory’s first steering Committee.
Co-chairs
Mexico
Angel Gurrìa
Former Secretary General of the OECD
United states
Shoshana Zuboff
Author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism and Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Business School
Members
Brazil
Virgilio Almeida
Professor Emeritus, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Canada
Jim Balsillie
Founder of the Center for International Governance Innovation
France
Jean-Marie Guéhenno
Diplomat, former UN Deputy General Secretary
Portugal
Miguel Poiares Maduro
Chair, European Digital Media Observatory, European University Institute
Philippines
Maria Ressa
CEO, Rappler, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2021
Türkiye / UK
Burhan Sönmez
President, PEN International
Monitoring information disruption
Observatory at the 2021 Paris Peace Forum
Watch the session of the Observatory at the 2021 Paris Peace Forum defining the objectives, methodology, and means needed for the Observatory.
Milestones
Scientific community support (Milestones)
On World Telecommunications and Information Society Day, 100 researchers from across disciplines and geographies signed a collective call in support of the Observatory.
September 2022
Feasibility study published
The feasibility study was presented to the States of the International Partnership for Information and Democracy during the Summit. Based on the contribution of international experts, it defines the objectives, working methodology and means of the Observatory.
May 2023
Scientific Community Support (Call of 100)
January - September 2023
Consultation and building the Observatory governance
The Observatory on Information and Democracy initiated its first multi-sectoral consultation by convening its Stakeholder Advisory Group, with the objective of gathering valuable insights on priority topics for the inaugural research cycle. Concurrently, the Prefiguration Group selected 19 members to form the Observatory’s inaugural Steering Committee.
October 2023
Launch of Inaugural Research Cycle
October 2023 - December 2025
1st Research Cycle
January 2025
Launch of First Global Assessment Report
Governance
OID governance
Steering committee
The role of the Steering Committee of the Observatory is to oversee the process of completing an authoritative report evaluating and synthesizing scientific contributions related to the challenges we face in the information ecosystem. This includes selecting initial priority themes for the first cycle of thematic evaluation reports, guiding the Research Assessment Panels and ensuring rigorous scientific standards.
USA
Courtney Radsch
Chair of the OID Streering Committee
Director, Center for Journalism & Liberty
Portugal
Gustavo Cardoso
Professor of Media and Sociology, Vice-Chair of the Observatory's Steering Committee
ISCTE-IUL
UK
Timothy Garton Ash
Professor
Oxford University
Brazil
Luca Belli
Professor & Researcher
Fundação Getulio Vargas Law School, Rio de Janeiro, Center for Technology and Society
Israel
Niva Elkin-koren
Professor and Faculty Director
Chief Justice Meir Shamgar Center for Digital Law and Innovation, Faculty of Law, Tel-Aviv University
Sri Lanka
Helani Galpaya
CEO
LIRNEasia
USA
Frances Haugen
Algorithmic product expert, and advocate for accountability and transparency in social media
Co-founder, Beyond the Screen
Germany
Jeanette Hofmann
Director and Founder
Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society
USA
Nicol Turner Lee
Senior Fellow
Center for Technology Innovation, The Brookings Institution
India
Jhalak Mrignayani Kakkar
Executive Director
Center for Communication Governance (CCG), National Law University Delhi
UK
Ansgar Koene
Global AI Ethics and Regulatory Leader
EY, and Senior Research Fellow, Horizon Digital Economy Research institute, University of Notthingham
Ivory Coast
Nnenna Nwakanma
Former Policy Director of the Web Foundation. Board Member of I-DAIR
Web Foundation, I-DAIR
Italy
Pier Luigi Parcu
Director
Center for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom and Centre for a Digital Society, European University Institute
South Africa
Admire Mare
Associate Professor and Head of Department: Communication and Media Studies
University of Johannesburg
USA
Jeremy Rifkin
Economist
Canada
Sonja Solomun
Deputy Director
Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, Mc Gill University
Lebanon
Ghassan Salamé
Former Minister of Culture of Lebanon, Emeritus Professor of International Relations
Sciences-Po Paris
USA
Stefaan Verhulst
Co-Founder and Chief Research and Development Officer as well as Director of GovLab's Data Program
The Governance Laboratory, New York University.
Argentina
Natalia Andrea Zuazo
Consultant, Communication and Information Sector,
UNESCO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
We want to provide policymakers with comprehensive assessments based on research evidence so that they can develop more effective and proportionate interventions. We need a common understanding of what we know, but also importantly, of what we don’t.
Courtney C. Radsch,
Chair of the Observatory Steering committee
Board of the Forum
France
Alessandro Bellantoni
Director Policy & Partnerships, Open Government Partnership
USA
Alexa Koenig
Executive Director of the Human Rights Center at Berkeley School of Law
Canada
Bob Fay
Managing Director of digital economy of the Center for International Governance Innovation
Uruguay
Bruce Girard
Senior Researcher at Observacom
Norway
Henrik Urdal
Executive Director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo
Netherlands
Leon Willems
Director of Free Press Unlimited
Pakistan
Nighat Dad
Executive Director of the Digital Rights Foundation
UK
Sasha Havlicek
Founding CEO of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue
South Africa
Susan Wilding
Head of Geneva Office at Civicus
France
Thibaut Bruttin
Chair of the Board, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders
Team
OID staff
France
Camille Grenier
Executive Director
Forum on Information and Democracy
France
Iris Boyer
Head of the Observatory
Observatory on Information and Democracy
France
Emma Gruden
Project Officer
Observatory on Information and Democracy
France
Giovanni Maggi
Data Officer
Observatory on Information and Democracy