The New SETI Protocols for Discovery of Alien Life

Imagining the SETI Announcement

If you were a scientist who just happened to discover and verify the existence of extraterrestrial life, how would you proceed to announce it? What would be your proper course of action? This was the question asked by SETI scientists in the 1980s when they began to ponder how a discovery like this might unfold. By 1989 they had drafted what was called Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or, the First SETI Protocol (you can read it here). It was revised and renamed in 2010. 

So, now, in 2026 another revision is on the docket to be voted on by the members of the Permanent SETI Committee which is much more robust than previous versions. With the advent of social media along with more public mistrust in information, the authors have hinted at their reasons for the change: 

 

to prepare an updated version of the 2010 Declaration of Principles Concerning the Conduct of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, with the aim of preserving the enduring values of earlier documents while making them relevant to the realities of twenty-first century science, media, and public engagement. 

Having worked in industry for many years, I understand the need for protocols and processes. However, I’m not convinced that discoveries of extraterrestrials be it from SETI scientists or aliens announcing themselves publicly is going to follow the declaration’s standards. It seems that extraterrestrials and first contact may be a messy social event no matter what kinds of best practices we as humans develop. Take this statement for example:



 

SETI practitioners shall adhere to the highest ethical standards, ensuring cooperation, honesty, and integrity in all aspects of their work. They will collaborate with international legal authorities to establish clear frameworks for managing the dissemination of information about potential extraterrestrial detections and comply with relevant laws and regulations.

When dealing with an event of worldwide importance, adhering to the standards outlined are hard to imagine for something that could be this messy and chaotic. Nevertheless, it’s good to have a set of principles to drive awareness in the scientific community.

You can find the new revision in the proposal paper here.