The Trusted Data Observatory: Combatting Misinformation by Making Reliable Data Accessible for All

Read about this commitment “Feasibility study for an international (meta-)data platform” by Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Swiss Federal Statistics Office here. 

At the 2024 UNWDF, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the Swiss Federal Statistics Office (FSO) committed to a feasibility study on the creation of a global metadata platform to make good, reliable data easily findable and accessible to all users. This platform will not only connect users to the data, but inform them on who made the dataset, how often the data is collected, and how reliable the data is.  It will streamline the process of finding and accessing data through removal of data silos and API access. 

                                                             Ambassador Rothen presents the TDO at the 73rd session of CES at a seminar about misuse of data 

Progress Made: Supporting Accessible, Reliable Data  

This commitment has already been fulfilled, with strong steps taken in the construction of this platform, titled The Trusted Data Observatory (TDO). The feasibility study was completed in late 2024, and the FDFA and FSO plan to have a working prototype ready by the end of 2026.   

The TDO encourages access to data by removing data silos to connect users with trusted data from diverse sources including governments, organizations, and private sector actors. Providing this standardized metadata allows users to know the complete context of the data they are accessing. Furthermore, the TDO will be integrated with AI-enabled search engines, as all the data it hosts will be standardized, machine-readable, and openly accessible. This will increase the likelihood of these engines providing results from the TDO, ensuring that users are given trustworthy and reliable information.  

                                                      Ambassador Rothen presents challenges and solutions for data, including the TDO, at an FfD4 side event 

Presenting the Opportunities Provided by the TDO at on a Global Stage 

• July 2, 2025 - 4th International Conference on Financing for Development: At a side event titled “Data and Statistics: A Key Instrument to Guide Decision Making,” Head of International and National Affairs at the FSO Ambassador Benjamin Rothen spoke about the challenges and solutions for the future of data and statistics. The TDO was a featured solution. 
• June 17, 2025 – 73rd Plenary Session of the Conference of European Statisticians: Ambassador Rothen presented on the opportunities for the TDO to combat misinformation at the seminar on “Dealing with the misuse of data and misinformation.” Read the report of this presentation here. Watch the presentation here (Ambassador Rothen begins speaking around the 45-minute mark). 
• April 3, 2024 – The Geneva Data Community: Trusted Data for a Resilient Future: The Trusted Data Observatory (TDO) and Solutions to Combat Misinformation: At this event hosted by Data For Change (the PARIS21 Foundation), the FSO presented the work done on the TDO and its future aims. This was followed by a panel discussion on combating mis- and disinformation. 
• January 21, 2025 – World Economic Forum: As part of Geneva Day 2025, an event titled “Data for all and everyone – is this the solution to combat misinformation?”  discussed the findings from the TDO’s feasibility study and the TDO’s opportunity to provide reliable data to all users. 

                                                            Representatives at the 73rd session of CES after two days of discussions, presentations, and panels.

Learn more about the TDO and keep up to date with their progress here.