The Originator Profile Charter

Preamble

The spread of the internet has transformed the information sphere. Nowadays, individuals, organizations and private companies outside the mass media can freely transmit information and participate in matters of public significance. We strongly hope that this will increase individual autonomy and further develop democracy.

However, if we go in the wrong direction, this hope will turn to despair. We are now standing at a crossroads. In the infosphere, where democratization was demanded with the spread of the internet, many people have emerged who impersonate entities such as news organizations and government offices to transmit information in order to mislead others, or who irresponsibly disseminate falsehoods and misinformation at times of elections and disasters, endangering democracy and our lives. The influence of such people is increasing day by day.

In addition, in the “attention economy,” an economic model that relies on people’s interest and attention as a source of income, excessive emphasis is placed on indicators such as the number of views or number of displays. Information created without any responsibility for its truthfulness is often circulated and spread, brazenly appearing right next to information reported by legitimate news media and other organizations.

Furthermore, in recent years, with the development and spread of generative AI, we are seeing a trend in which information that is difficult to distinguish from the truth is easily generated and spread in large quantities.

In these ways, we are now being put in a situation where we passively consume information subject to unknown external controls, without being able to rationally recognize and judge its authenticity or reliability. This distortion in our perception of the authenticity of information will not only hinder the independent exercise of our right to know, but will also endanger the lives, bodies and property of individuals, and even democracy itself.

At such a turning point in the infosphere, concrete actions are essential to maintain our expectations for the potential of the internet and to pass on a healthy information sphere to future generations. As long as we seek freedom and democracy, we must never allow ourselves to be bystanders in the face of a chaotic infosphere where we can sense the approaching footsteps of despair.

Of course, there are various actions we can take to maintain our expectations of the internet, but at the very least, we need to be able to authenticate that the information provided is actually from the claimed source and that the content has not been falsified, and to disseminate an indicator that enables us to objectively judge the reliability of information. The Originator Profile (OP) was developed with these goals in mind.

In other words, OP is intended to serve as an indicator through which we can reasonably infer and judge the authenticity and reliability of information, making it possible to select and consume information autonomously and independently, and thus contributing to the concrete realization of the right to know. OP is also expected to function as an objective indicator for organizations such as platform operators, advertisers and advertising agencies when evaluating information, thereby promoting the efforts of each organization to improve the soundness of the infosphere.

We hereby establish this Charter as a guarantee that OP will be properly operated in accordance with these principles. We hope that everyone involved in OP will comply with the provisions of this Charter, thereby realizing a future of the internet in which individual autonomy is respected and democracy is more vigorously developed.

Article 1: Basic Principles of OP

1. Through its dissemination, OP shall serve as an indicator for judging the authenticity and reliability of information and the entities that transmit it, thereby encouraging responsible behavior by businesses and others involved in information distribution and contributing to the realization of information recipients’ right to know. In addition, its purpose is to support the construction of a healthy infosphere, contributing to the sound development of democracy, the maintenance of each person’s life and health, and the protection of their bodies and property.
2. The term “authenticity” as used in this Charter means that the entity transmitting information under a certain distinguished name is the actual entity that bears that name, and that there has been no falsification of the content of the transmission.
3. The term “reliability” as used in this Charter means that the relevant entity transmitting information, as a responsible transmitter of information to a democratic society, follows the information transmission policy it has established according to the basic stance set forth in Article 2 below, and that it has governance sufficient to realize such policy.

Article 2: Basic Stance of Entities Transmitting Information Using OP

1. Entities transmitting information using OP must develop and publish a policy for information transmission based on the following items:

   1. Respecting fundamental human rights.
   2. Contributing to a just society based on democracy.
   3. Emphasizing truthfulness and promptly correcting misinformation when it becomes clear that it has been transmitted.
   4. Transmitting information with integrity so as not to manipulate or mislead consumers.
   5. Ensuring transparency in the use of generative AI.

2. Entities transmitting information using OP must strive to develop the governance necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the information transmission policy described in the preceding paragraph, in accordance with the actual conditions of their industry and type of business.

3. Mass media using OP must develop governance based on the fact that they have a great social responsibility for the transmission and distribution of information.

Article 3: Basic Concept of OP Operation

In granting IDs to entities that transmit information using OP, the OP Collaborative Innovation Partnership shall examine whether or not it is reasonably demonstrated that this Charter will be complied with, taking into consideration each of the following items:

1. The existence of an information transmission policy as referred to in Article 2.

2. The availability of governance in accordance with the actual conditions of their industry and type of business.

3. The nature of the trade association to which the entity belongs (if it is certified, the nature of its certification), or whether the entity is an organization that disseminates information in accordance with the basic principles referred to in Article 1 to the same extent as would an entity which belongs to a trade association for which its eligibility has been approved.

Article 4: Basic Stance of the OP Collaborative Innovation Partnership

The OP Collaborative Innovation Partnership (including the Ethics Committee referred to in Article 5 and the Charter Committee referred to in Article 6) shall comply with the following items in order to maintain trust in OP:

1. Guarantee of freedom of expression
   It shall not unreasonably infringe on the freedom of expression of entities transmitting information. In particular, it shall not discriminate against entities transmitting information based on their political beliefs.

2. Guarantee of the right to know It shall protect the cognitive liberty of information recipients and ensure that they have the opportunity to select or consume information autonomously and independently.

3. Ensuring fairness and independence
   It shall maintain independence from government and specific organizations and ensure operational or procedural fairness. In particular, it shall not allow members of the OP Collaborative Innovation Partnership or others to operate OP for the purpose of restricting or inhibiting competition in the market.

4. Transparency and accountability
   It shall ensure transparency and accountability with respect to the operation of OP.

Article 5: Ethics Committee

1. The Ethics Committee shall be established by the president of the OP Collaborative Innovation Partnership to ensure that OP is operated with high ethical standards. The members of the Ethics Committee shall be appointed by the president from among legal experts, technical specialists, and others of good character and with a certain amount of insight into the state of the digital society.

2. The Ethics Committee may conduct necessary investigations when a member of the public reports a problem in the transmission of information using OP, when a member of an entity that transmits information using OP reports a problem, or when a problem is reported by a news organization or other entity.

3. The Ethics Committee may, having conducted the necessary investigation, determine whether the information transmission policy of the entity concerned is being complied with, and in light of the situation, request the president to take any of the following measures against the entity concerned:

   1. Opinion
      Call for it to respect the opinion of the Ethics Committee.

   2. Advisory
      Call more strongly for specific improvements.

   3. Suspension of ID or refusal to renew
      Restrict the use, etc. of OP in the event that the advisory in the preceding item is not followed.

Article 6: Review of the Charter

1. After it comes into effect, this Charter shall be reviewed flexibly as necessary in light of changes in the social environment and advances in digital technology.

2. If it is necessary to review this Charter, the president of the OP Collaborative Innovation Partnership shall convene a Charter Committee after appointing members from among legal experts, technical specialists and others of good character and with a certain amount of insight into the state of the digital society. The Charter Committee shall develop and submit the proposed amendments to the Charter to the president. The president shall refer the proposed amendments to the board of directors for approval of the amendments to the Charter.