19 Internationally Renowned Experts Join Steering Committee of the International Observatory on Information and Democracy
Paris, 15 September 2023 – On International Day for Democracy, the International Observatory on Information and Democracy (OID) announces the appointment of 19 prominent leaders in policy, research and academia to its Steering Committee. This dynamic group of thought leaders represents diverse geographies and disciplines, encompassing fields as wide-ranging as political science, ethics, journalism, engineering, anthropology, economics and data science.
This distinguished group will oversee the process of completing an authoritative report evaluating and synthesising 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 relevant working groups and ensuring rigorous scientific standards.
Following a global call for nominations that returned over 100 applications from all over the world, 19 top policy and academic experts have been selected by the Observatory’s prefiguration group, co-chaired by Shoshana Zuboff, Emeritus Professor at the Harvard Business School, and Angel Gurría, former Secretary General of the Organisation for Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Steering Committee composition has been validated by the Board of the Forum on Information and Democracy which oversees the Observatory’s work.
“The Forum on Information and Democracy deeply appreciates the dedication of these renowned global experts for offering their time, skills and expertise to the Observatory’s inaugural research cycle,” said Christophe Deloire, Chair of the Forum on Information and Democracy. “This Steering Committee’s leadership is essential to achieving the Observatory’s mission and executing its mandate – which is to provide a robust scientific foundation for a common understanding of the structure of the information and communication space, its impact on democracy, and to inform more evidence-based policy decisions.”
The Observatory’s work on information and democracy is equivalent to the IPCC for climate change, and just as urgent – as underscored by the generous commitment from this globally eminent group of thought leaders. Their work as Steering Committee members will be critical in establishing a robust, scientific foundation for understanding the impact of new technologies and behaviours on democratic governance and institutions. The Observatory supports the Partnership on Information and Democracy – currently with 51 state signatories – and will influence global policy decisions and the pursuit of solutions to democracy’s pressing challenges in the information ecosystem.
The Steering Committee’s first report is set to be published within 12 months.
The group of 19 renowned experts appointed to the Steering Committee includes (in alphabetical order):
- Luca Belli: Professor of Digital Governance and Regulation at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) Law School, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
- Gustavo Cardoso:Media Sociologist Iscte-IUL and Director of OberCom – Media Observatory (Portugal)
- Niva Elkin-Koren:Professor at Tel-Aviv University Faculty of Law and Faculty Director of the Chief Justice Meir Shamgar Center for Digital Law and Innovation (Israel)
- Helani Galpaya:Chief Executive Officer of LIRNEasia (Sri Lanka)
- Timothy Garton Ash:Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford, Isaiah Berlin Professorial Fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University (United Kingdom)
- Frances Haugen: Co-founder of Beyond the Screen, algorithmic product expert, and advocate for accountability and transparency in social media (United States).
- Jeannette Hofmann:Professor with Freie Universität Berlin for Internet Politics, Research Group Leader at the Berlin Social Science Center and Research Director at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (Germany)
- Jhalak Kakkar: Executive Director, Centre for Communication Governance, National Law University Delhi, and Visiting Professor, National Law University Delhi (India)
- Ansgar Koene:Global AI Ethics and Regulatory Leader at EY (Belgium)
- Admire Mare:Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Media, University of Johannesburg, South Africa (Zimbabwe)
- Nnenna Nwakanma: Digital Policy, Advocacy and Cooperation Strategist (Ivory Coast)
- Pier Luigi Parcu:Director of the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom at the European University Institute and Director of the Centre for a Digital Society at the European University Institute (Italy).
- Courtney Radsch:Director of the Center for Journalism and Liberty at the Open Markets Institute, Fellow at UCLA Institute for Technology, Law and Policy and Fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology (United States)
- Jeremy Rifkin:Economic and Social Theorist, Bestselling Author of 23 books and President of the TIR Consulting Group LLC (United States).
- Ghassan Salamé:Former Minister of Culture of Lebanon, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at Sciences-Po Paris (France and Lebanon)
- Sonja Solomun:Deputy Director of the Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy (Canada)
- Nicol Turner Lee:Senior Fellow in Governance Studies and Director of the Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. (United States)
- Stefaan Verhulst:Research Professor, New York University and Co-Founder of the Governance Lab (NYC) and Co-Founder of the Data Tank (Brussels)
- Natalia Andrea Zuazo:Author of Guerras de internet and Los dueños de Internet, Director of SALTO Agency and UNESCO consultant. (Argentina)