Open Information Partnership
UK government-funded counter-disinformation network hub
The Open Information Partnership (OIP) is a UK government-funded initiative serving as the public-facing hub for the EXPOSE Network, a counter-disinformation project operated under the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO, formerly FCO) Counter Disinformation and Media Development (CDMD) programme.[1][2]
History
The OIP was established in 2018–2019 as part of a £10 million, three-year FCO contract (2018–2021) to counter "disinformation", primarily framed as Kremlin-linked influence operations.[3] It emerged from the FCO CDMD scoping report Upskilling and Upscale: Unleashing the Capacity of Civil Society To Counter Disinformation (June 2018). The project was publicly referenced by UK Minister Alan Duncan in April 2019.[4]
The OIP operates as the network hub in London, coordinating civil society organisations (CSOs), NGOs, fact-checkers, journalists, and think tanks across Europe, the Balkans, Caucasus, and beyond (with plans for expansion into Africa and the Middle East).[5]
Funding
The core funding is £10 million (later reported as £12.75 million) from the UK Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) via the FCDO CDMD programme for the initial three-year period. Additional donor support has been sought from governments, NGOs, philanthropic foundations, and corporations.[6][7]
Partners
- Network Facilitator: Zinc Network (formerly Breakthrough Media)[2]
- Resource Partners: Bellingcat, Atlantic Council Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), Media Diversity Institute (MDI)[2]
- Other consortium links include the Institute of Statecraft, Toro Risk Solutions, and Ecorys (grant management).[5]
The OIP provides grants, training, and operational support to a network of European CSOs, fact-checkers, and media organisations.[3]
Activities
The OIP trains partners in investigative journalism, data journalism, debunking hate speech, content sharing, ethical reporting, and response campaigns. It conducts social media monitoring, network analysis, media literacy programmes, and rapid-response coordination against alleged disinformation.[2][4] Activities align with the EU Action Plan Against Disinformation and include data reporting to the FCDO.[7]
Criticism
Critics, including investigative journalist Iain Davis, argue the OIP functions as a state-backed propaganda network that equates criticism of EU/NATO policies with "Kremlin disinformation". It is accused of enabling surveillance, psychological targeting of audiences, and suppression of dissent under the guise of counter-disinformation, with close ties to intelligence-linked entities and limited transparency.[1][7]
People
- Ross Burley
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/nino-zedelashvili-7a8a44b1
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/roman-shutov-a9b58354/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/urve-eslas-86643145/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/olha-virsta/
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danielaburciu_read-my-analysis-on-the-far-right-actors-activity-7163185844126785537-dSJP/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/karolorzel/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastazjawisniewska/
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 EXPOSE Network and the Open Information Partnership – Part 1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Open Information Partnership. Media Diversity Institute.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 EXPOSE Network and the Open Information Partnership – Part 2.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 EXPOSE Network and the Open Information Partnership – Part 3.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 EXPOSE Network and the Open Information Partnership – Part 4.
- ↑ EXPOSE Network and the Open Information Partnership – Part 5.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 EXPOSE Network and the Open Information Partnership – Part 6.