Phil Howard Co-authors Article for the Boston Globe Calling for an International Panel on the Information Environment

Writing for the Boston Globe, Sheldon Himelfarb and CMDS Fellow Phil Howard argue that misinformation cannot be eliminated but its global spread must be stemmed.

In the opinion piece entitled, “Global information wars are a threat to the planet. This is how we could broker peace,” they argue for “the creation of a neutral, independent scientific body that would foster global cooperation to safeguard the online information environment.” This organization would be named the International Panel for the Information Environment (IPIE), modelled after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

In their vision, this organization, consisting of leading scientists and researchers from the world, would “empirically monitor, verify, and inspect the actions of technology firms and government agencies.” This global scientific effort would benefit public life around the world, they argue.

Referring to misinformation, they say, “Only international cooperation can combat a threat this large.”

Image by John Iglar from Pixabay