Note on OECD Draft Recommendation on Information Integrity

The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) has made a submission to a public consultation by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on their Draft Recommendation of the Council on Information Integrity (draft Recommendation). CLD’s Note provides analysis of and recommendations on key parts of the draft Recommendation, with a view to align the document better with international standards, with a particular focus on freedom of expression and the right to information.

“The draft Recommendation represents an important early official attempt to elaborate standards regarding information integrity and, as such, we very much welcome it,” said Toby Mendel, Executive Director of CLD. “But our view is that it is too focused on misinformation and disinformation to the detriment of other threats to information integrity and we hope that revisions will be made to expand it.”

Some of CLD’s key recommendations are that the draft Recommendation should:

• Include clarifying language to the recommendation targeting foreign influence operations to ensure that it is not weaponised against international civil society organisations or local civil society groups which receive foreign grants.
• Include more binding language vis-à-vis Internet platforms, as opposed to mere encouragement, including in respect of their content recommender systems and meeting their human rights responsibilities.
• Include stronger and clearer language on the need to improve, in the area of access to information, both the legal frameworks in most countries and implementation.

CLD’s Note is available here.

For further information, please contact:

Toby Mendel
Executive Director
Centre for Law and Democracy
Email: toby@law-democracy.org
+1 902 431-3686
www.law-democracy.org
X: @law_democracy