The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), a partnership of 38 governments working together to advance Internet freedom, has announced the establishment of a Task Force on Trustworthy Information Online (TFTIO), which will work to develop and propose policy recommendations for governmental institutions and lawmakers aimed at safeguarding a healthy online information ecosystem.
The new Task Force will be co-chaired by the Government of Denmark and a member of the FOC’s Advisory Network, the Wikimedia Foundation, during its mandated activities in 2023.
According to the FOC, the Task Force will be continuing the work of the Action Coalition on Trustworthy Information Online as established under the Danish Tech for Democracy initiative. Since its outset in 2021, the Action Coalition has worked to identify solutions to support trustworthy information online.
The FOC said in its new role and with the aim of engaging a broader multi-stakeholder community, the Task Force will work to develop and propose policy recommendations for governmental institutions and lawmakers with the goal of safeguarding a healthy online information ecosystem, ensuring people everywhere have the ability to participate in the creation of online information, and access to a broad range of trustworthy information.
It explained that in an effort to foster an information ecosystem that supports access to trustworthy information online for everyone, while promoting open-source technology and open knowledge systems, the Task Force will employ three lines of effort, namely: knowledge-sharing, response, and advocacy.
The Task Force also plans to advocate for strategies and policies that cultivate a thriving digital sphere based on trustworthy information, democratic debate, and open discussions on human rights and democracy online.
