We advance the theory and practice of protecting the social internet, powered by our community of integrity professionals.

Our vision: The social internet should help individuals, societies, and democracies thrive.

We are engineers, product managers, researchers, analysts, data scientists, operations specialists, policy experts and more, with decades of combined experience across numerous platforms.

We understand the systemic causes of problems on the social internet and how to mitigate them. We have seen (and built!) successful and unsuccessful solutions. We bring this experience and expertise directly to the people theorizing, building, and governing the social internet.

We have a lot of work to do. Companies that own social media platforms can use bad design practices or fail to build responsibly, systematically rewarding bad behavior in ways that affect individual well-being, social trust, and the stability of governments and institutions.

“While at Facebook, I had the honor of serving side by side with many of those on the Institute's founding team and they couldn't be better suited to take this mission forward. I encourage all those who work in trust and safety and who take their responsibility to the world seriously to join them.”

— Samidh Chakrabarti

The Integrity Institute Oath

To join, every member of the Integrity Institute needs to do a few things. One of them is to affirm the Integrity Oath.

We want to see a future where this would serve as a hippocratic oath for all integrity workers. It is a lightweight, guiding ethical framework that we hold ourselves to, and we challenge everyone in the industry to do so as well.

Put the public interest first.
Do your work for the right reasons. Do not chase status or glory for its own sake.
Make sure to tell the truth about your work and its implications.
Give credit where it is due. Lead with alternatives and new approaches rather than only pointing out flaws. Work well with others.
Integrity workers have access to immensely powerful systems. We work in the public trust. Use this power responsibly.
Remember that your first job is to protect the public, especially the weakest amongst them.
This is a stressful job. Often, it involves taking a stand for what's right, instead of what's easy. We must look after each other. Protect your fellow integrity people, keep them safe, make sure they have the support they need to thrive.
Do not use your position to favor one group above others. Do not allow any partisanship to affect your work, except for being a partisan for the practice of integrity.
Do not focus on one company when the dynamic you are describing is common to the industry as a whole.
Be a good person. Be nice. Care about others.

Founders’ Letter

It is possible for the social internet to help us thrive: as individuals, as societies, and as democracies. It’s possible, but it’s not happening right now.

Here’s why we started the Integrity Institute.