The Next Internet Observatory, a project launched by the MJRC as part of its 2025-2028 strategy, is aimed at monitoring the global development of next-generation communication technologies, with a special focus on quantum-secure networks, post-quantum cryptography, and the broader transition toward a more secure, resilient and trustworthy internet.
These technologies are already being deployed by governments, research networks and major infrastructure providers. They are expected to fundamentally reshape how societies communicate and, by extension, how journalism operates.
Full outputs of the Observatory (Monthly Briefs, Quarterly Reports, Flash Notes, and the Annual State of the Next Internet Report) are published on the Media and Journalism Exchange. Our center’s website provides summaries and project information.
Why This Matters Now
A new phase of the internet is emerging: an internet designed to remain secure even against future quantum computers, and built to protect the authenticity and integrity of information.
This shift carries major consequences for both society and media ecosystems.
1. Protecting information in a high-risk world
As quantum computers progress, today’s encryption may no longer be sufficient. Next-generation networks ensure that the confidentiality of communications, whether for private citizens, public institutions or journalists, remains safeguarded in the future.
2. Strengthening trust and reducing disinformation
Quantum-safe signatures and verification tools help confirm that documents, images and videos are genuine. This makes it significantly harder to manipulate content at scale and provides a long-term defence against coordinated disinformation.
3. Safeguarding democratic processes
A resilient, tamper-proof communication infrastructure protects elections, public administrations and civic institutions. Societies that adopt secure, quantum-ready networks will be less vulnerable to cyberattacks or foreign interference.
4. Securing journalism and media freedom
For reporters, newsrooms and investigators, the new internet may enable safer communication with sources, protection against interception, secure long-term storage of sensitive material, and more reliable verification of information.
This is not about technology for its own sake, but about maintaining the conditions for a free, independent and trustworthy public sphere.
What the Observatory Tracks
1. How the Next Internet Will Affect Society
(Public communication, trust, access, disinformation resilience)
Public Access to Secure Communication
- Who will have access to safe communication channels: citizens, public services, journalists, civil society?
- Will secure communication become a public good, or a privilege limited to governments and major corporations?
Trust and Authenticity of Information
- How new verification tools (quantum-safe signatures and provenance markers) help confirm authenticity.
- How their adoption can reduce manipulation and strengthen societal resilience.
Exposure to Vulnerability and Inequality
- Are some regions becoming “communication-secure” while others remain vulnerable?
- What does this imply for public services, elections and citizen–state communication?
- Are marginalised populations included or excluded?
Shifts in Power Over Communications
- Which governments, corporations or alliances are building and controlling next-generation networks?
- How this may shape public access to trustworthy information.
2. How the Next Internet Will Reshape Media and Journalism
(Workflows, source protection, verification, independence)
Source Protection and Reporter Safety
- Whether journalists can communicate safely as encryption methods evolve.
- Which new secure-communication systems are becoming available.
- Risks related to “harvest-now, decrypt-later” attacks on archived communications.
Verifying Content and Preventing Manipulation
- How emerging authentication tools can confirm whether images, videos or documents are genuine.
- Which newsrooms begin adopting these tools and with what impact.
- Examples where quantum-safe verification prevents or exposes disinformation.
Secure Newsroom Infrastructure
- How media organisations are upgrading internal systems (file transfer, archives, cross-border communication).
- The practical and financial challenges of moving from legacy encryption to quantum-ready systems.
- Risks of dependence on private vendors.
Access to New Infrastructure
- Whether media organisations will have access to next-generation secure networks, or whether capacity will concentrate within governments and critical infrastructure.
- Implications for high-risk reporting, foreign correspondents and investigative teams.
3. Decisions, Standards & Governance That Shape the Public Information Space
(Regulation, sovereignty, rights and freedoms)
National Strategies and Public Policy
- Policy documents determining how secure communications will be deployed.
- Whether media and civil society are included, ignored or restricted.
- Implications for press freedom, access to information and privacy.
Standards That Affect the Whole Information Ecosystem
- Which security and authentication standards become mandatory or widely adopted.
- How they affect platforms, cloud providers and news organisations.
- Whether standards remain open and accessible, or become proprietary.
Global Power Dynamics
- How geopolitical competition over secure infrastructure will affect cross-border information flows.
- What happens to journalism when communication systems are not interoperable.
- Long-term effects on diaspora media, foreign correspondents and transnational investigations.
4. Signals and Early Indicators the Observatory Monitors
(Practical, media-relevant indicators of change)
- New tools designed for journalists, NGOs or public information actors.
- First deployments of secure communication services in public administration, elections or public services.
- Evidence that disinformation declines (or increases) as verification tools are adopted.
- Pilot projects involving media organisations in secure communications networks.
- Shifts in market concentration for secure communication infrastructure.
- Early signs of inequality: regions or sectors being left behind.
- Policy or regulatory developments affecting freedom of information or communication rights.
What to Expect
Monthly Signal Briefs
Short, accessible updates on the most important developments affecting public communication, trust and journalism safety. Published monthly.
Quarterly Insight Reports
Analyses of medium-term trends shaping society’s information environment and newsroom security. Published quarterly.
Annual “State of the Next Internet” Report
A comprehensive review of how emerging communication infrastructures are transforming society, information integrity and journalism. Published annually.
Flash Notes
Rapid responses to major events with immediate implications for civic information rights or journalism safety. Released as needed.
Photo: Pexels
Invest in independent media research and join a community of practice.
Your contribution supports MJRC’s investigations and global analysis. As a supporter, you can receive early access to new findings, invitations to small-group briefings, inclusion in our Supporters Circle updates, and the option to be listed on our Supporters Page.
Contribute to MJRC