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KF5JRV > TECHNI 23.10.25 13:02z 142 Lines 10244 Bytes #180 (0) @ WW
BID : 14387_KF5JRV
Subj: Updated ETI Contact Protocal -Sept 2025
Path: SR1BSZ<OK0NBR<OK2PEN<VE2JOS<VE3CGR<PA8F<K5DAT<KF5JRV
Sent: 251023/1114Z 14387@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.24
Declaration of Principles Concerning the Conduct of the Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence (SETI) – 2026 Update
(version: 25 September 2025)
Preamble
The International Academy of Astronautics SETI Committee has adopted these Principles to guide individuals,
institutions, organizations, and other entities participating in the scientific Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI),
that is, the search based on astronomy and related disciplines for ‘techno-signaturesâ€Ö or evidence of past or present intelligent
life and technology beyond Earth.
The purpose of this Declaration is to affirm our commitment to conduct the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in
a scientifically and academically rigorous manner; to establish best practices, principles and guidelines for scientists
to confirm putative evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial beings; to provide guidance to the scientific community for
the announcement of a confirmed SETI detection which balances the community imperative of providing timely and accurate
information to a wide-ranging audience, with appropriate consideration for the safety and exposure of individual
scientists involved; and to proactively inform the global public of these procedures and guidelines.
The commitments in this Declaration are made with the recognition that the scientific and communications landscapes
are ever-changing, and this Declaration will be supplemented with Best Practices Guidelines, including guidance
concerning safety for researchers, and a Code of Conduct that will be periodically re-examined and updated. This
Declaration and any supplemental Guidelines and Codes will be placed on file with the International Academy of
Astronautics (IAA) and made available on the IAA website.
Principles
1. Handling Candidate Evidence:
• In the event of a putative detection of extraterrestrial intelligence, the discoverer should endeavor to make
all efforts to authenticate and substantiate the detection, using the resources available to the discoverer and
in collaboration with other investigators. Such efforts should ideally include, but not be limited to,
independent observations or other examinations by multiple facilities and by more than one organization
utilizing different instrumentation and methods.
• Information about candidate signals or other potential detection should be handled with extreme care,
recognizing that initial findings may be incomplete or ambiguous, requiring thorough analysis and
confirmation, which could be a lengthy process, and that follow-up study may not yield definitive
conclusions. It is crucial to uphold the highest standards of scientific responsibility and integrity throughout
this process, including recognition of the interests of humanity in the discovery. Best practices and tools in
science communication should be employed to clearly convey the importance and significance of candidate
discoveries to non-specialist audiences.
2. Communicating and Sharing Information:
• SETI practitioners and their institutions and organizations should be free to present
reports on activities and results in public and professional fora. Individual practitioners shall have the right
to decline from engaging directly or continually with the media, including social media, but shall use their
best efforts to ensure that their organization or institution provides updates on their science. Institutions and
organizations should take appropriate steps for the safety of their researchers, and to protect them from
negative professional repercussions.
• Institutions and organizations should be responsive to reasonable requests from news organizations, social
media platforms, and other public communications media. Responses to inquiries should be prompt, accurate
and honest.
• There is no obligation to disclose verification efforts until a discovery is confirmed. If a candidate
techno-signature is discovered, communication about ongoing observations and analyses may be necessary to
dispel rumors and provide accurate and reliable information. Similarly, if analysis determines that a
previously reported candidate techno-signature is not extraterrestrial in origin, this should be promptly
disclosed and clearly communicated.
• Speculative or unconfirmed statements and conclusions should be clearly identified as such.
• In their engagements with news and other media, institutions and organizations should provide accurate and
timely information.
3. Communicating Verification:
• If the verification process satisfies Principle 1 and confirms – by the consensus of the other investigators
involved and to a degree of certainty judged by the discoverers to be credible – that a signal or other evidence
is due to extraterrestrial intelligence, the discoverers or their organizations or institutions should promptly
report this conclusion in a full, complete and open manner to the public, the scientific community, and the
Secretary General of the United Nations. The discoverers or their organization or institution should have the
privilege but not the obligation to make the first public announcement.
• The verification report should be peer-reviewed, and include the underlying data, the data analysis process
and results of the verification efforts, any conclusions and interpretations, and any detected information
content. This report should follow best practices in risk communication. The formal report should also be
made to relevant organizations, including the International Academy of Astronautics, the International
Astronomical Union, the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) of the International Science Council, the
International Institute of Space Law, the International Telecommunications Union, and the United Nations
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the Office of Outer Space Affairs, and other relevant U.N.
bodies. Open access publication of verification data is encouraged.
4. Monitoring, Archiving and Data Accessibility:
• All data bearing on the evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, together with the data analysis methods and
code, should be preserved and disseminated to the international scientific community through refereed
journal publications, meetings, conferences, websites appropriate for long-term archiving, and other
appropriate means.
• The discovery should be continuously monitored, and best practices for the safe, reliable, and resilient
handling of data should be employed. All data bearing on the evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence,
including derived data products, should be recorded, and securely stored and archived to the greatest extent
feasible and practicable, in at least two repositories in different geographic locations, and in a form that will
make it accessible to observers and to the scientific community for replication of results and further analysis.
The use of recognized international repositories and open standard formats is encouraged.
5. Data and Frequency Protection:
• Evidence of detection should be protected utilizing best scientific practices, including tamper-proof records,
and precautionary protocols. If the evidence of detection is in the form of electromagnetic signals,
international agreement should be sought to protect the appropriate frequencies by exercising the
extraordinary procedures established within the International Telecommunication Union.
6. Post-Detection Protocol:
• The IAA SETI Committee will maintain a Post-Detection Sub-Committee to assist and advise in matters that
may arise in the event of a confirmed detection, and to support the scientific and public analysis by offering
guidance, interpretation, and discussion of the wider implications of the discovery. This sub-committee
should include international representation with science, ethics, law, social sciences, and communications
professionals, as well as communications researchers with expertise in science and risk communication.
• The SETI Committee Executive Officers will support and assist the Post-Detection Sub-Committee with
engagements with social media platforms and news organizations to responsively and effectively aid in the
dissemination of accurate and reliable information.
• The IAA SETI Committee will collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers and working groups dedicated
to Post-Detection issues and focus on subjects such as best practices for public communication about
techno-signature science.
7. Communications with ETI following a confirmed detection:
• SETI practitioners should cooperate with appropriate international consultations to consider whether a
potential response to a confirmed detection of extraterrestrial intelligence should be made, and if so, its
contents. Pending the outcome of such consultations, no reply should be sent. These consultations should be
conducted through the United Nations and other broadly representative international bodies. The specific
procedures for such consultations are to be outlined in a separate agreement, declaration, or arrangement to
ensure a coordinated and responsible approach.2
8. Ethical and Legal Considerations:
• SETI practitioners shall adhere to the highest ethical standards, ensuring cooperation, honesty, and integrity
in all aspects of their work. They will collaborate with international legal authorities to establish clear
frameworks for managing the dissemination of information about potential extraterrestrial detection and
comply with relevant laws and regulations. SETI practitioners shall cooperate in establishing and following
ethical standards for the handling of any putative and/or confirmed detected evidence of extraterrestrial
intelligence, including transparency and responsibility towards the global community.
This Updated Declaration replaces the previous Declaration of Principles Concerning the Conduct of the Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) adopted by the International Academy of Astronautics SETI Committee in 2010.
This Declaration does not address the separate and distinct subject of messaging to extraterrestrial intelligence
73 de Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
Email KF5JRV@gmail.com
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