SETI Post-Detection Protocols: Progress Towards A New Version
The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) SETI Committee has long provided guiding principles for responding to a potential detection of a SETI signal.
The foundational Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence, first formulated in 1989, has been widely recognised by the international scientific community.
A supplemental set of draft protocols addressing the possibility of a reply to an extraterrestrial signal was prepared in 1995 by the IAA SETI Permanent Committee, with both documents presented in a position paper to the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in 2000.
In keeping with the evolving landscape of SETI research, the IAA Declaration of Principles was streamlined and updated in 2010. Recognising the need for continued adaptation, the IAA SETI Committee established a Task Group in 2022 to re-examine the protocols in light of recent advances in search methodologies, the expansion of international participation in SETI, and the increasing complexity of the global information environment.
The Group recognises the living document nature of the protocols, which will require ongoing refinement to remain relevant and effective in a rapidly changing world. A draft revised Declaration of Principles was presented at the IAC 2024 in Milan, and initial feedback was received from the community, particularly members of the IAA SETI Committee.
Since then, we have continued to seek broader community input in a structured process, refining the proposed updates based on further discussions and consultations. A Revised Declaration of Principles, is presented here.
Michael A. Garrett (University of Manchester, JBCA, UK and Leiden Observatory, NL), Kathryn Denning (Dept of Anthropology, York University, Toronto, Canada), Leslie I. Tennen (Law Offices of Sterns and Tennen, Phoenix, Arizona, USA), Carol Oliver (Australian Centre for Astrobiology, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia)
Comments: 9 pages, 1 figure. Manuscript presented at the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Sydney, Australia, 29 September – 3 October 2025, IAC 2025 congress proceedings, Paper ID 99704
Subjects: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM); Popular Physics (physics.pop-ph)
Cite as: arXiv:2510.14506 [astro-ph.IM] (or arXiv:2510.14506v1 [astro-ph.IM] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2510.14506
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Submission history
From: Mike Garrett
[v1] Thu, 16 Oct 2025 09:52:17 UTC (383 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.14506
Astrobiology, SETI, Technosignature,
