Strengthening trusted information, protecting civic actors and building resilient information ecosystems
In an increasingly digital civic environment, access to reliable information is essential for human rights, civic participation and community protection. At the same time, refugees, human rights defenders (HRDs), journalists, activists and civil society organisations are increasingly exposed to disinformation, coordinated information campaigns, manipulated content, online harassment, digital threats and other forms of information-related harm.
Integrated Refugee Organization (IRO) is developing an Information Integrity, Civic Intelligence and Digital Resilience area of intervention to help communities and civic actors better understand, verify, document and respond to emerging information threats.
Rather than operating only as a conventional fact-checking initiative, IRO’s approach connects information integrity with digital security, human rights protection and civic participation.
Our objective is to strengthen the capacity of civic actors and communities to navigate complex information environments, identify emerging threats, verify information, protect evidence and make informed decisions.
What We Do
- Information Monitoring and Early Warning
IRO monitors emerging information trends, narratives and digital threats that may affect refugees, HRDs, journalists, activists, civil society organisations and vulnerable communities.
This includes:
- Monitoring emerging narratives and disinformation;
- Identifying potentially coordinated information campaigns;
- Tracking information-related threats affecting civic actors;
- Mapping relevant online channels and information ecosystems;
- Identifying emerging risks and developing early-warning outputs;
- Documenting trends that may require digital-security or protection responses.
Where appropriate, monitoring findings can contribute to early-warning alerts and preventive protection measures.
- Verification and Fact-Checking
IRO supports evidence-based verification of information circulating online and within communities.
Our work can include:
- Claim verification;
- Source verification;
- Image and video verification;
- Open-source intelligence (OSINT);
- Digital evidence verification;
- Verification of online content and sources;
- Identification and analysis of manipulated or misleading content;
- Verification of AI-generated or synthetically manipulated content.
The aim is not simply to identify false information, but to strengthen the ability of civic actors and communities to assess information critically and make evidence-based decisions.
- Collaborative Investigations
Complex information threats often require collaboration across organisations and areas of expertise.
IRO works with journalists, researchers, HRDs, civil society organisations and other relevant actors on collaborative investigations and information analysis.
Depending on the issue, this may involve:
- OSINT research;
- Digital investigations;
- Information and narrative mapping;
- Source verification;
- Digital evidence preservation;
- Cross-platform analysis;
- Documentation of emerging information threats.
Collaborative approaches can help organisations identify patterns that may not be visible when information is examined in isolation.
- Research and Policy Analysis
IRO generates research and analysis on information environments affecting civic space, human rights and vulnerable communities.
Potential outputs include:
- Research papers;
- Thematic studies;
- Information-environment assessments;
- Baseline studies;
- Policy briefs;
- Regulatory and policy analysis;
- Technology and platform research;
- Research on AI and civic space;
- Analysis of information-related threats to human rights defenders and journalists;
- Annual or thematic reports on information integrity and civic resilience.
IRO aims to translate technical evidence into practical knowledge for civil society, policymakers, researchers, journalists and communities.
- Evidence, Data and Knowledge Repositories
Reliable information requires responsible documentation and evidence management.
IRO develops approaches for securely documenting and preserving information relevant to human rights, civic protection and information-integrity work.
This may include:
- Secure evidence repositories;
- Research archives;
- Datasets;
- Incident and narrative databases;
- Documentation systems;
- Evidence-verification records;
- Structured information on emerging threats and trends.
Sensitive information is handled with appropriate security, privacy and protection safeguards.
- Media and Information Literacy
IRO works to strengthen the capacity of communities and civic actors to navigate today’s complex information environment.
Our media and information-literacy activities may include:
- Community awareness campaigns;
- Public explainers;
- Verification guides;
- Digital-literacy materials;
- Information-integrity toolkits;
- Training for journalists;
- Training for HRDs and activists;
- Training for refugee and host communities;
- Awareness on manipulated and AI-generated content.
The focus is on practical skills that enable people to question, verify, understand and responsibly share information.
- Training and Capacity Building
IRO provides practical capacity building in areas including:
- OSINT;
- Fact-checking and verification;
- Digital investigations;
- Image and video verification;
- Digital evidence management;
- Information monitoring;
- Information ecosystem analysis;
- Media and information literacy;
- Digital resilience;
- Online safety;
- AI and synthetic-media awareness.
Training can be adapted to the needs of journalists, HRDs, civil society organisations, refugee-led organisations, youth, women and community-based actors.
- Information Ecosystem Analysis
IRO analyses how information moves through digital and community environments.
This include examining:
- Key narratives;
- Information sources;
- Digital channels and platforms;
- Amplification patterns;
- Emerging campaigns;
- Target audiences;
- Information vulnerabilities;
- Potential impacts on civic participation and human rights.
This analysis helps organisations move beyond individual pieces of content and understand the broader information environment in which civic actors and communities operate.
- Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Information Threats
The rapid development of artificial intelligence is transforming how information is created, distributed and manipulated.
IRO is therefore exploring the intersection between AI, information integrity, digital security and civic space.
This includes:
- AI-generated-content awareness;
- Synthetic-media verification;
- AI-assisted research and verification;
- Analysis of emerging information technologies;
- Digital resilience against technology-enabled information threats;
- Research on the implications of AI for human rights and civic participation.
IRO’s approach is focused on responsible use of technology while strengthening the ability of communities and civic actors to recognise and respond to emerging risks.
Connecting Information Threats to Civic Protection
A distinctive feature of IRO’s approach is the connection between information threats and the people affected by them.
An emerging information threat may not remain an information problem. It can contribute to harassment, targeting, account compromise, intimidation, reputational attacks, exclusion or other risks to civic actors and communities.
IRO therefore seeks to connect information analysis with its existing digital-security and protection mechanisms.
Our integrated approach
Emerging information narrative
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Monitor and document
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Verify and investigate
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Analyse the information ecosystem
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Identify affected communities and civic actors
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Assess digital-security and protection implications
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Issue appropriate early-warning or information outputs
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Strengthen media and information literacy
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Provide or connect affected actors to digital-security and protection support
This creates a continuous information-to-protection pathway, allowing IRO to combine information integrity with practical digital resilience.
Building on IRO’s Digital Security Experience
IRO’s Information Integrity, Civic Intelligence and Digital Resilience work builds on its existing experience supporting human rights defenders, journalists, activists and other civic actors through digital-security assistance.
Through its digital-security work, IRO encounters real-world threats including phishing, account compromise, malware, compromised social-media accounts, weak authentication, unsafe digital practices and other technology-related risks.
With appropriate privacy and protection safeguards, patterns emerging from this experience can help inform research, training, early-warning mechanisms and broader analysis of the digital environment affecting civic actors.
This creates an important connection between incident response and preventive resilience.
Rather than responding only after harm occurs, IRO seeks to use evidence and analysis to help organisations and communities identify risks earlier, understand emerging threats and strengthen their preparedness.
IRO Information Integrity & Civic Intelligence Hub
IRO is developing this area as part of a broader Information Integrity & Civic Intelligence Hub, bringing together four interconnected functions:
Information Monitoring & Early Warning
Monitoring narratives, emerging information threats, digital channels and information ecosystems.
Verification & Investigations
Fact-checking, OSINT, digital investigations, evidence verification and collaborative research.
Research & Policy
Research papers, policy briefs, information-environment assessments and analysis of technology, platforms, AI and civic space.
Media & Information Literacy
Training, public awareness, verification resources and practical digital-literacy programmes for communities and civic actors.
Together, these functions contribute to IRO’s broader vision of secure, informed and resilient civic participation.
Who We Work With
IRO’s Information Integrity, Civic Intelligence and Digital Resilience work is designed to support and collaborate with:
- Human rights defenders;
- Journalists and independent media;
- Refugee-led organisations;
- Civil society organisations;
- Community-based organisations;
- Women and youth civic actors;
- Researchers and investigative practitioners;
- Digital-rights organisations;
- Media and information-literacy practitioners;
- Communities affected by information-related threats.
Our Approach
IRO promotes an approach based on:
Evidence — grounding analysis and public outputs in verifiable information.
Security — protecting people, sources, evidence and sensitive information.
Human rights — placing the rights and safety of affected communities at the centre of our work.
Collaboration — connecting civil society, journalists, researchers, technologists and communities.
Inclusion — ensuring that refugees, displaced communities and other frequently underrepresented groups are included in information-integrity efforts.
Practical resilience — translating research and analysis into practical skills, tools and protection measures.
Our Vision
IRO envisions an information environment in which refugees, human rights defenders, journalists, civil society organisations and communities can access reliable information, verify what they encounter, protect their evidence and participate safely in civic life.
Through Information Integrity, Civic Intelligence and Digital Resilience, IRO seeks to move from reactive responses to a more integrated model of monitoring, verification, research, early warning, digital resilience and civic protection.
This work forms part of IRO’s broader commitment to building safer digital and civic spaces for communities and actors working for human rights, accountability and social justice.