IBME Team Members Lead the Development of Just-Released WHO Guidance on Ethical Social Listening in Public Health Emergencies
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a new guidance document titled "Social Listening in Infodemic Management for Public Health Emergencies: Guidance on Ethical Considerations" (read here), released on April 8, 2025. This publication aims to assist governments, organizations, and individuals in ethically engaging in social listening as part of infodemic assessment and mitigation strategies, ensuring the protection and respect of human rights before, during, and after public health emergencies.
Social listening involves capturing and analyzing data from diverse sources to understand conversations, feelings, attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, and intentions of populations regarding health risks, scientific evidence, and government policies. The guidance emphasizes the importance of ethically conducting social listening to generate insights that can inform appropriate and effective interventions.
The document was developed with significant contributions from Giovanni Spitale and Federico Germani, postdoctoral researchers at the IBME, and Nikola Biller-Andorno, director of the Institute, who have been rapporteurs of the expert group and lead writers.
This guidance serves as a crucial resource for integrating ethical considerations into social listening practices, aiming to enhance public health responses during emergencies.