The international scientific community has completed work on an updated version of the protocol regulating the procedure to be followed in the event of detecting signals believed to be emanating from extraterrestrial civilizations.
The document was prepared and adapted by members of the SETI project to the realities of the digital age, with special attention to the speed of information dissemination and the role of social networks. Its presentation takes place in October 2025.
The first version of such an agreement was adopted by the International Academy of Astronautics in 1989 and has since been revised several times. The new edition is the result of three years of work by experts from the UK, USA, Canada, the Netherlands and Australia. It is based on the principles of openness, scientific integrity and ethical responsibility of researchers, Naked Science reported.
The developers emphasize that any reports of possible extraterrestrial signals must be accompanied by a clear explanation, including the level of reliability and uncertainty of the data. Such information must be peer-reviewed before publication. Particular attention is paid to combating misinformation and exaggeration that often appear on the Internet. One example is the story of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, which caused a storm of speculation about “alien visits”.
The authors remind us that even on Earth, contact between cultures sometimes gives rise to legends. Historians point to an incident in 1786, when the meeting of the La Perouse expedition with the Tlingit people in Alaska formed the basis for the myth of “the coming of the gods.”
The new statement is advisory in nature and is considered a code of ethics for scientists. The document sets standards to protect researchers, ensure open access to data and prohibit sending independent signals into space. Decisions on such communications should only be taken after international consultations under the auspices of the United Nations.
The Board of Directors of the International Academy of Astronautics plans to approve the final document in 2026.
