The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Princeton University have announced the launch of the Institute for Research on the Information Environment (IRIE), an international resource that will study information ecosystems that can spur evidence-based policy solutions. 

With support from Microsoft, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and the Knight and Hewlett foundations, IRIE will maintain data and technical resources that counter threats to the information environment and support a wide range of analyses; speed academic research by building accessible data pipelines; advance policy debates around managing online commons; develop international multi-sectoral capacity for evidence-based stewardship of the information environment; and improve policy making by enabling a richer understanding of the information environment and its impact on society.

“This is a very important and ambitious initiative,” said Princeton University dean for research Pablo Debenedetti. “Its goals are to apply state-of-the-art, scientifically rigorous methods rooted in data science to study the information ecosystem, and to propose evidence-based solutions to address the crisis of disinformation.”

“The recent pandemic has only underscored the challenges policy makers face in addressing complex issues within a polluted information environment. Unfortunately, little is known about the effects of threats like disinformation or countermeasures to them,” said Alicia Wanless, director of the Partnership for Countering Influence Operations at the Carnegie Endowment. “Now more than ever, the international community needs the support and resources to fully understand today’s information environment and craft sound policy solutions—that’s why we’re developing IRIE.” 

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