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Global declaration on information integrity online

Purpose

The rapid development of digital technologies creates new possibilities and challenges for democratic engagement through the broad and rapid sharing of information. A reliable, safe and diverse information ecosystem online can foster open, free and inclusive public debate on important societal issues that is based on an understanding of reality grounded in shared facts, including by allowing adequate consideration of scientific evidence. It can be the foundation for solving global challenges, creating inclusive policies and supporting the enjoyment of freedom of expression and the right to education and access to information, among other things. These efforts will have a direct and positive impact on individuals’ well-being. At the same time, there is a need to address the erosion of information integrity online, which includes the spread of misinformation and disinformation campaigns by state and non-state actors. We are at a global inflection point where taking action to protect the digital information ecosystem is necessary to preserve safe and productive online environments and continue to enjoy the benefits the digital age provides.

The term “information integrity” is defined in this Declaration as an information ecosystem that produces accurate, trustworthy, and reliable information, meaning that people can rely on the accuracy of the information they access while being exposed to a variety of ideas. By using the term “information integrity,” we wish to offer a positive vision of a broader information ecosystem that respects human rights and supports open, safe, secure, prosperous and democratic societies.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) and other AI systems have offered unprecedented opportunities for development and innovation. Large language models have already shown great potential in facilitating enhanced access to information and understanding of information accuracy. However, the technology also holds the potential to challenge the integrity of the information ecosystem online with generative AI products making it increasingly difficult for public audiences to identify accurate information – as seen with biased AI-generated media, mass produced disinformation narratives in almost every language, and deepfakes. These developments risk making AI an enabling tool to spread disinformation at a far greater speed and scale than ever before. A multi-stakeholder, transparent, and inclusive human rights-based approach to information integrity can help us better understand and respond to generative AI, its future, and related applications. This approach would allow us to strengthen our responses to the opportunities and challenges AI brings to the information ecosystem and to information integrity online. The development and use of AI must fully respect international law, including international human rights law and humanitarian law.

This Declaration establishes a set of high-level international commitments by participating States to protect and promote information integrity online. It is grounded in international law, in particular human rights treaties, as the foundation of good governance that transcends borders, promotes equality and freedom of expression and the media. The Declaration also sets out participant States’ expectations that industry and online platforms adopt a human rights-respecting approach and employ business practices that contribute to a healthy information ecosystem online. It aims to build on the work of the Summit for Democracy Cohort on Information Integrity, the work of civil society, including the Forum on Information & Democracy and its various reports on the reliability of information, and aims to complement existing UN efforts underway such as the Code of Conduct for Information Integrity on Digital Platforms. The Declaration forges a positive pathway forward for the promotion of information integrity online, working together towards a rules-based, democratic, safe, and digitally inclusive world. This focus also enables us to strengthen existing multilateral and multi-stakeholder efforts to protect the information ecosystem. At the heart of this approach is our shared belief in working towards the full and meaningful access to, and use of, the Internet and other digital technologies for all.

We, the participating states, are committed to:

Participating states invite online platforms and the industry to:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uruguay, United States

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