World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

Roundtable on Information Integrity in an Evolving AI Landscape : Applying the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity in support of the Global Digital Compact, taking place on the occasion of the WSIS+20 Overall Review. Watch the WSIS+20 Side Event: Roundtable on Information Integrity in an Evolving AI Landscape: Applying the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity in support of the Global Digital Compact! Meetings & Events

 The aim of the following recommendations is to operationalize the five principles into actionable steps for stakeholders across the information ecosystem. Intended as a holistic blueprint, these recommendations range from the legal obligations of States to the responsibilities of the technology sector to best practices for media and civil society. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STAKEHOLDERS  RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES  RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) ACTORS  RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADVERTISERS   RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OTHER PRIVATE SECTOR ACTORS  RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEWS MEDIA, RESEARCHERS AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS  RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STATES AND POLITICAL ACTORS  RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE UNITED NATIONS

  Large technology companies, many headquartered in locations where technology regulation is limited, wield immense power. They profit from vast troves of data harvested on user behaviour, allowing them to shape transnational information flows and control digital experiences on a global scale. To redress this power imbalance, a framework is needed that prioritizes both transparency and independent oversight. Users deserve control over their data and online experiences, with clear avenues for complaint and redress. Accountability mechanisms are needed to address the responsibility of technology companies for the consequences of the design and use of their products and services on human rights and social cohesion, including in crisis and conflict situations. This will require a critical and transparent assessment of platform architecture to identify features that erode information integrity and undermine human rights. Strategies to prevent and mitigate such erosion should be impleme...

  Government, private and public sector actors involved in at least one stage of the artificial intelligence system life cycle. As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies rapidly evolve, these capabilities are poised to reshape our world. From automating everyday tasks to aiding scientific discovery, the potential benefits are vast. However, alongside this progress lies a critical need to ensure safe, secure and trustworthy AI design , development, deployment and decommission. Bias and lack of diversity in training data can lead AI systems to generate misleading information and perpetuate unfairness. This ability to generate realistic content can be misused at scale to create risks to the integrity of the information ecosystem. Emerging risks can be mitigated by prioritizing transparency and fairness in the life cycle of AI technologies. A collaborative effort across government, technology companies and academic and research institutions is needed to ensure that AI is designe...

  Recommendations  Advertisers can exert singular influence on the integrity of the information ecosystem by helping to cut off financial incentives for those seeking to profit from disinformation and hate. In doing so, advertisers can better protect their brands and address material risk, boosting their bottom line while conducting business in line with their corporate values.  a. Establish human rights-responsible advertising . Establish safeguards to ensure that advertising does not drive risks to information spaces and upholds human rights, including the rights of children. Avoid discriminatory targeting practices based on sensitive data and perceived user traits. Advertise with media outlets and platforms that bolster information integrity, including public interest journalism, through methods such as inclusion and exclusion lists, ad verification tools and manual vetting. Require ad tech companies to publish criteria that a website or channel must adhere to before t...

  The actions of a broader range of private sector entities not directly involved in the technology sector can impact information spaces, serving to both weaken and support information integrity. Businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights, including the right to freedom of expression and to information, and can form collaborative partnerships with other stakeholders to help achieve a healthier information ecosystem. Recommendations  Other Private Sector Actors  The actions of a broader range of private sector entities not directly involved in the technology sector can impact information spaces, serving to both weaken and support information integrity. Businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights, including the right to freedom of expression and to information, and can form collaborative partnerships with other stakeholders to help achieve a healthier information ecosystem.  a. Uphold integrity . Uphold human rights, including the right to f...

  Independent, free and pluralistic media serve a critical role in informing the public on matters of public interest, fostering civic engagement and promoting accountability of those in power. Direct and indirect threats to media independence, freedom and diversity, and the decline of local and public interest journalism, however, can undermine these vital functions. Where professional standards are not rigorously maintained, news media can erode information integrity. Through ethical reporting and editorial practices and a commitment to transparency, bolstered by quality training and working conditions, journalists offer an indispensable service and can help restore balance in the face of risks to the integrity of the information ecosystem. Recommendations  News Media Independent, free and pluralistic media serve a critical role in informing the public on matters of public interest, fostering civic engagement and promoting accountability of those in power. Direct and indirec...

Recommendations  Researchers and civil society organizations are pivotal to efforts to understand and address the multifaceted impacts of risks to the integrity of the information ecosystem. Their efforts can help expose risks to information spaces, strengthen the evidence base for advocacy and foster resilience, in particular for groups in situations of vulnerability and marginalization. Collaborative partnerships and knowledge exchange are essential for bridging the gap between research insights and effective solutions.  a. Collaborate . Partner with stakeholders across geographies and contexts to share effective and ethical approaches to strengthening the integrity of the information ecosystem.  b . Uphold integrity and ethical standards . Uphold human rights and refrain from wilfully spreading or sponsoring risks to information integrity. Conduct all research in an ethical, transparent and privacy-conscious manner. c. Promote open access. Undertake open access initiat...

States shoulder an indispensable responsibility for fortifying the Global Principles for Information Integrity . This begins with State obligations to respect, protect and promote human rights, in particular the right to freedom of expression, including the right to seek, receive and impart information. States play a central role in shaping information spaces owing to their legal and regulatory authority, control over public resources and ability to build domestic and international coalitions, among other factors. As part of their human rights obligations, States must protect against human rights abuses within their territory and/or jurisdiction by businesses, taking appropriate steps to prevent, investigate, punish and redress such abuse through effective policies, legislation, regulations and adjudication. States have different technical and financial capacities when engaging with the information ecosystem. Gaps in infrastructure and in access to technology and financial resources ha...

  The Global Principles for Information Integrity apply to the United Nations and its international civil servants. By adhering to the Global Principles, the Organization sets a compelling example for responsible stewardship of information integrity within the global community. Scaling up its work to strengthen the integrity of the information ecosystem will contribute to advancing the Organization’s mission of securing peace, fostering sustainable development and promoting and protecting human rights for all. a. Scale up efforts. Intensify efforts to strengthen information integrity, including through context-specific research, monitoring, risk assessment, community engagement and coalition building across diverse contexts and languages. Integrate information integrity into programmes and operations to enhance prevention, mitigation and response and identify emerging opportunities and challenges.  b. Support capacity-building initiatives. Assist with capacity-building in Sta...

The urgency of strengthening information integrity cannot be overstated in the face of escalating risks to the integrity of the information ecosystem and the emergence of readily available advancements in AI technologies. The Global Principles offer a holistic and unified framework for action to protect and promote information integrity as the world navigates the complexities of the digital age and looks to find multilateral solutions at the Summit of the Future . By embracing the United Nations Global Principles for Information Integrity , stakeholders from all sectors can demonstrate solidarity and collaboratively forge a path towards a reinvigorated information ecosystem that fosters trust, knowledge and individual choice for all.   To this end, stakeholders are urged to:  Publicly commit to, adopt and actively publicize the United Nations Global Principles forInformation Integrity as a framework for immediate action.  Harness the Global Principles to form and acti...

  The 5 principles for Information Integrity are: Societal trust and resilience Healthy incentives  Public empowerment  Independent,free and pluralistic media  Transparency and research  Learn more about the  United Nations Global Principles on Information Integrity .

Trust , in this context, refers to  The confidence that people have in the sources and reliability of the information that they access , including official sources and information, and in the mechanisms that allow information to flow throughout the ecosystem. Resilience refers to   The ability of societies to handle disruptions or manipulative actions within the information ecosystem . Trust and resilience are vulnerable to actions driven by State and non-State actors who seek to exploit the information ecosystem for strategic, political or financial gain. These actions, at times widely coordinated, can result in a range of harms and jeopardize people’s ability to critically assess science and facts. Large technology companies hold significant power in the information ecosystem and exercise inordinate influence over the manner in which stakeholders, including other businesses, advertisers, news media and individual users, interact with and access information. Advances in ar...

  Empowerment for individuals navigating the information ecosystem demands that people have control over their online experience, can make informed decisions as to the media that they choose to consume and can express themselves freely. Public empowerment requires consistent access to diverse and reliable sources of information.   Digital spaces have in many ways served as catalysts for inclusive participation in public life, connecting people across geographical boundaries with shared aspirations for progress. When harnessed for good, these spaces can help empower individuals and give agency to those who are often excluded and marginalized . At the same. time, digital technologies can hinder genuine empowerment. Individuals frequently have little control over how their personal data are used , or over algorithmic content personalized by large technologycompanies , and face obstacles from information providers to understanding and accessing the criteria and mechanisms us...

The United Nations conducted wide-ranging and diverse consultations on information integrity across all regions with its Member States , civil society, including youth-led organizations, media, academia and private sector representatives. Stakeholders spoke through country-level discussions, virtual sessions, bilateral meetings and via a globally disseminated public online form. These consultations highlighted a demand for unifying recommendations that are applicable across all geographies and contexts and that address the requirements of all individuals, in particular attending to the needs of groups in situations of vulnerability and marginalization. In response, the United Nations Global Principles forInformation Integrity offer a holistic framework to guide multi-stakeholder action for a healthier information ecosystem. This framework consists of five principles for strengthening information integrity , each of which include recommendations for key stakeholder groups. The princi...

   A free press underpins the rule of law and serves as a cornerstone of democratic societies, enabling an informed civic discourse, holding power to account and protecting human rights. The press can be considered free wherever journalists and media workers—including women and those in vulnerable and marginalized situations—are consistently at liberty to report and operate safely and openly, and all individuals have consistent access to pluralistic and reliable sources of news. The media have a particular role and responsibility in providing reliable and accurate information and mitigating risks to information spaces. However, press freedom faces significant and sustained threats around the world despite the right to freedom of expression, including free, uncensored and unhindered press or other media. Media workers face online and offline harassment, threats and violence, leading at times to self-censorship and heightening professional risk. At the same time, the news ...

  Efforts to strengthen information integrity are crucial to preserve and further advance the Sustainable Development Goals . Erosion of the integrity of the information ecosystem can worsen existing vulnerabilities in achieving the Goals, in particular for countries in the global South. Groups in situations of vulnerability and marginalization are disproportionately affected. The participation of greater numbers of women in the global workforce, for instance, is vital to achieve the Goals . However, in addition to discriminatory laws and policies that exist in many countries, gender-based hate speech, disinformation and violence are used to systematically subjugate women by silencing and pushing them out of the public sphere. This can have devastating and long-lasting consequences for women’s participation, suppressing women’s voices and fuelling self-censorship, causing professional and reputational damage and jeopardizing hard-won progress in gender equality. Efforts to expl...