Legal and Ethical Framework

Better understanding mis- and disinformation begins by looking at where it is created and how it is disseminated. Working in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary network of academics and expert practitioners, the uOttawa Information Integrity Lab analyzes a variety of open sources of mis- and disinformation to better understand the phenomenon.

Our method relies on publicly-available data, gathered mostly from social media platforms and mainstream media, which is then subjected to scientific inquiry by researchers with whom we collaborate and analysts from various specialty areas. Findings from those analyses are peer-reviewed before conclusions are shared with stakeholders.

The Information Integrity Lab performs these analyses in full transparency, respecting Canadian privacy laws and guarantees of freedom of expression. Our work is done exclusively on publicly available information and data. The Information Integrity Lab subscribes to the Government of Canada’s “Ethical and methodological framework for Open Source Data Monitoring and Analysis” for all its activities related to the study of mis- and disinformation.