In advancing the Human Institute’s mission to support a safe and sovereign human response to contact with non-human intelligence (NHI), ethical integrity must be foundational to all research and engagement practices.

This document outlines the principles and safeguards necessary to uphold the dignity, privacy, and trust of experiencers and witnesses, while ensuring that research efforts remain credible, respectful, and aligned with the public interest.

Ethical Research Standards

It is essential that the process for collecting and analyzing NHI contact experiences adhere to established ethical standards. These standards are designed to protect the integrity of all parties involved, including the experiencer, witness and the researcher. Maintaining these standards ensures that the research remains credible, reliable and ensures the experiencer’s right to support and privacy.

To protect the privacy of experiencers and witnesses, the exchange of research information should exclude personally identifying information. A unique code should be assigned as the designator for anyone identified as reporting contact with NHI. Years of disbelief and antagonism have levied emotional burdens on experiencers. This research effort seeks to remedy failures of information security and poor ethical standards of treatment and care for experiencers.

Ensuring Confidentiality

Confidentiality must be prioritized in all research activities. Personal identifying information should be protected and only disclosed when absolutely necessary and with the experiencer’s documented consent. This commitment to confidentiality encourages participation and protects the privacy of those involved.

Building Researcher-Experiencer Trust

Establishing trust between researchers and experiencers is vital. Researchers are expected to follow the outlined procedures for data collection and analysis, consistently demonstrating ethical conduct and concern for the ethical considerations and commitments outlined in this document.

Encouraging Willingness to Testify

The willingness of experiencers to testify is an important element in raising awareness of NHI contact. However, due to the lack of widespread confirmation and support (family, friends, employers, government and community) many experiencers may be reluctant to share their experiences. By creating a trustworthy research environment, the aim is to support experiencers in coming forward with their testimony.

Managing Public Image

When an experiencer chooses to come forward, it is important to ensure that their experience is presented accurately and respectfully. Efforts will focus on displaying research data with fidelity to the original account, maintaining the credibility of witnesses in a way that encourages experiencers to share details of their experience. 

Validating Sources and Data

To ensure the credibility of the research, strict standards for data curation will be applied. Factors such as date, time, location, descriptions, and independent corroboration will be carefully evaluated to determine the suitability of data for further analysis. To ensure confidentiality, no personal identifying information such as name, date of birth, address, or other individualized information will be collected for this research without the consent of the experiencer/witness. This rigorous approach strengthens the validity of the findings.