Against the backdrop of the erosion of formal verification environments and the decline in treaty-based options, societal verification has attracted renewed interest. Societal verification—a concept that assigns non-state actors, including NGOs, think tanks, and researchers, a role in arms control and non-proliferation monitoring using open-source information—holds promise for practical application. Today, non-state experts with the expertise to analyze satellite imagery produce information on specific proliferation hot spots—largely states perceived as Western adversaries—that is then widely disseminated. Based on interviews with state officials and non-state analysts, this contribution provides an overview of the opportunities societal verification activities offer, as well as the practical limitations faced by those implementing the concept.
Bibliographic record
Möser, R. E. (2026). Societal Verification. In: Göttsche, M., Jakob, U., & Schörnig, N. (Eds.). Verification in an Era of Rapid Technological Change. CNTR Monitor – Technology and Arms Control 2026. PRIF – Peace Research Institute Frankfurt.
Author
Dr. Robin E. Möser
