The UN’s new Global Principles for Information Integrity represent an important step in highlighting the importance of access to quality information, both as a goal in itself and an enabler of wider progress. Building on the Principles’ strengths, an explicit engagement of libraries will make them stronger and more effective.

As previously highlighted on our website, one of the pieces of work coming out of the UN’s 75th anniversary and Our Common Agenda project was the initiative to work on information integrity.

This responded to concerns about governments themselves sharing misinformation, the ‘infodemic’ experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, wider worries about how the way internet platforms themselves risked accelerating the spread of fake news, and growing awareness to the real-world impacts of online hate speech.

Over more than a year, the UN has been gathering information and ideas on how it can contribute to resolving some of these issues. Unfortunately, there is little evidence of effort to reach out to libraries (despite IFLA and others actively engaging in every opportunity and contacting the UN directly).

Nonetheless, the Principles (available here) do represent some useful progress, and provide a starting point for further work. In particular, they have become broader and more holistic with time, an point that we can certainly welcome.

What do the Principles contain?

We strongly recommend that libraries consult the Principles directly, which are set out clearly, and including many sentences that will resonate strongly with the field.

To give a taste of what you will find there, the document starts with an explanation of why action is needed to make sure that we can benefit from the positives and avoid the negatives of technology. This matters if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as other objectives.

It then sets out five key principles:

  • Societal trust and resilience, emphasizing in particular the role of platforms in acting in trustworthy ways, and suggests that information spaces need to work for the public interest.
  • Healthy incentives, which looks at business models that favour clickbait. The main focus here is on models for advertising and greater transparency here.
  • Public empowerment, where recommendations centre on enabling people to exercise choice when using platforms, with some reference to digital literacy.
  • Independent, Free and Pluralistic Media, which discuses the need to resist restrictions to press freedom, support independent journalism, and the need for ethical conduct within the press.
  • Transparency and Research, with the greatest stress on pushing platforms to share more about how they work, but with some hint that they should make more data available.

There are then a set of recommendations for different stakeholders, with the longest list for digital platforms (echoing the emphasis in previous work on these). Other groups addressed are AI actors, advertisers, other businesses, news media, researchers and civil society, fact-checking organisations, states, political actors in general, and the UN itself.

Finally, it calls for the building of coalitions at all levels, as well as setting out a plan to build the UN’s own capacity to work here.

Putting information on the agenda

While we have already made this point in previous stories, probably the single most important advance with the Global Principles is the fact that there is now a formal UN document that highlights these issues.

The introduction to the Principles contains some excellent definitions, for example of information integrity as existing ‘where freedom of expression is fully enjoyed and where accurate, reliable information, free from discrimination and hate, is available to all in an open, inclusive, safe and secure information environment’. The concept of a healthy information ecosystem is one that will matter for librarians too.

Looking at improvements over time, the Principles take a stronger position than in previous texts on ensuring that measures to enhance information integrity need to support freedom of expression. They are also very strong on the need to consider marginalized groups, both within society, but also those countries where so far there has been little research, and little possibility to stand up to major players.

In line with IFLA’s own requests, in particular, the section on user empowerment is welcome, setting out that information integrity is not a one-way process. It also refers – although arguably not enough – to the role of open access in supporting the ready availability of quality information.

Strengthening the principles through library engagement

Where there are arguably shortcomings in the Principles, these can easily be addressed through stronger work with libraries.

A first step is to ensure that there is investment in building curiosity and confidence among individuals. This is necessary in order to build resilience (for example in emergencies, when scientific understanding may also be evolving), but also allows citizens to participate more actively in scientific and civic life.

This goes beyond simply being able to adjust the settings when using social media platform, and implies a stronger sense of agency when working with information.

A second step is to raise the focus on the proactive generation and sharing of quality information. This is at the heart of what libraries do, and can do online where copyright and other information laws allow them to. Critically, libraries bring an understanding of users’ needs, and so can share information in ways that maximise accessibility, enabling a truly user-centred approach.

Linked to this would be stronger content around open access, recognising that the information environment is about more than journalism alone. More open access indeed supports journalism, as well as citizens’ own engagement.

Finally, a stronger focus on libraries would mean a stronger focus on positively promoting a healthy information environment, and not just addressing information disorders (although this is a key part of the above).

Towards library recommendations

We can take inspiration from health policy, where there is a growing focus on wellbeing, recognising the limitations of only addressing diseases when they happen.

Applying the same logic to a healthy information environment, we need to be investing upstream in making sure that there is the maximum flow of diverse, quality information to a population with an appreciation of this, and the skills to recognise it. Libraries are excellently place to do both.

We are therefore happy to share what we believe a section of library recommendations could cover, and look forward to working with the UN to maximise their uptake:

Libraries represent an essential infrastructure for information integrity, with around 3 million institutions around the world. As non-commercial spaces typically staffed by dedicated personnel, trained in information, they have a unique contribution to make, and represent low-hanging fruit in any effort to promote information integrity. Within many settings – and for much of history – libraries effectively were the information integrity actor.

  • Openly assert a broad role in supporting information integrity, and make it part of initial and continuing learning
  • Continue to share a wide range of information, ensuring high standards in curation and transparency as to how choices are made. In particular in the academic and research space, and other major institutions, facilitate open access, open science, open government, open data and open cultural heritage initiatives, with a view to maximising not just the availability, but also the discoverability and usability of information
  • Advocate for reform to copyright and other laws that hold back libraries’ ability to support access to reliable information (and so people’s information rights)
  • Work actively to build curiosity and critical thinking in users, including media and information literacy, and the ability to appreciate the importance of quality, adapt to uncertainty, and share these reflexes in society
  • Be responsive to the wider world, preparing materials to help people read around key issues in the news and contribute actively to sustainable development as part of engaged, participatory and inclusive communities and societies.
  • Offer training within resources, drawing on their understanding of the specific needs and culture(s) of their communities
  • Actively look to engage in national and regional strategies
  • Actively share insights into violations of information integrity .