THE RED DOT

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THE RED DOT

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We got tired of watching lies win. So we started building something.

We started RED DOT because we watched a false narrative spread, and discovered there was no credible, permanent place to fight it. Not because the truth wasn't there. Because there was nowhere to make it stick.

So we started building one.

RED DOT is a nonprofit registered in Vienna. We investigate false information in media and publish structured, evidence-based findings. We're building toward cryptographic verification of every published report, permanent, publicly auditable, impossible to quietly alter. That infrastructure is in development. The work is happening now.

100% Nonprofit

No advertising. No commercial influence. No exceptions.

EU Registered

Vienna, Austria. Operating under European law and the Digital Services Act.

SHA-256

Our target standard for every published investigation. Being built now.

Why We Started

A false narrative can reach millions before anyone has the chance to document the truth. We know what that looks like up close. We looked for infrastructure that could fight it, something permanent, verifiable, impossible to quietly undo.

It didn't exist the way it needed to.

We're building RED DOT for the people who need it most, journalists, researchers, ordinary citizens who saw something wrong and had nowhere permanent to point. You shouldn't have to fight without a record behind you.

The Problem

Lies travel fast. Corrections travel slow, and even when they arrive, they can be edited, removed, or buried. The public has no reliable way to know if what they're reading today is the same as what was published yesterday.

This isn't just a media problem. It's an infrastructure problem.

The decisions that shape how we live, who gets elected, what policies pass, who gets trusted, are being made on information that nobody can permanently verify. That has consequences.

We're not here to complain about it. We're building the part we can actually fix.

How We Work

Same process. Every case. No exceptions.

Structured Investigation

Every case follows the same documented process. Source verification, cross-referencing, evidence review - in the same order, to the same standard, regardless of who or what we're investigating.

Institutional Governance

Editorial decisions and financial operations are kept separate. We don't take advertising. We don't take money from anyone with an interest in what we publish. The organization exists to investigate.

III

Proof of Integrity

We're building toward cryptographic publication, where every report is assigned a SHA-256 hash at the moment it goes live, and any subsequent change breaks the seal. This layer is being built now. When it's live, anyone will be able to verify any report, independently, at any time. Until then, we document changes manually and transparently.

Why It Matters Now

AI generates false content at scale. Anonymous accounts amplify it in minutes. Coordinated campaigns push narratives with serious resources behind them. And when corrections do get published, they're vulnerable to the same system that spread the lie in the first place.

The infrastructure to fight this doesn't fully exist yet. We're building it.

You can wait until it's finished, or you can be part of building it.

Initiatives we support

Red Dot will work with journalism networks, legal advisors, fact-checking organizations, technology partners, media monitoring services, academic institutions, and independent researchers, who understand that accountability needs more than good intentions.

If your organization is serious about information integrity, not as a talking point, but as a practice, write to us.

partners@thereddot.org

When a journalist is silenced, Forbidden Stories makes sure the work gets published anyway. We support what they stand for, the story doesn't die with the reporter.
One of Europe's most rigorous nonprofit newsrooms. They investigate what others ignore and publish what others won't. We pay attention to what they find.
Bulgaria's leading independent investigative outlet — part of the OCCRP network and ICIJ, known for exposing corruption at the highest levels of Bulgarian government and business. They've been sued, smeared, and pressured for it. They kept publishing.
An independent nonprofit tracking corruption and illegal activity tied to Russian authorities, using leaked documents, public registries, and cross-verification rather than publishing raw dumps. The standard of how sensitive information should be handled.
A pan-European team asking the questions that don't stop at borders. The stories that matter most rarely do.
An independent data journalism project using OSINT and public records to uncover conflicts of interest, corruption, and abuse of power. No advertising. No state subsidies. Reader-funded and fully transparent about it.
A cross-border investigative team that received a special mention at the IJ4EU Impact Awards, known for data-driven investigations into migration, human rights, and power. Active, European, respected, and independent. They've collaborated with Der Spiegel, Le Monde, and others.
Independent journalism covering power, corruption, and democratic accountability. No owners with agendas. No advertisers to protect. That matters.
A new independent Bulgarian journalism platform built by experienced journalists with one goal — quality reporting without political pressure or hidden ownership. Reader-funded from day one. No anonymous bosses. Exactly the kind of thing we want to see more of.

When a journalist is silenced, Forbidden Stories makes sure the work gets published anyway. We support what they stand for, the story doesn't die with the reporter.

Forbidden Stories

When a journalist is silenced, Forbidden Stories makes sure the work gets published anyway. We support what they stand for, the story doesn't die with the reporter.

An independent nonprofit tracking corruption and illegal activity tied to Russian authorities, using leaked documents, public registries, and cross-verification rather than publishing raw dumps. The standard of how sensitive information should be handled.

Dosie

A cross-border investigative team that received a special mention at the IJ4EU Impact Awards, known for data-driven investigations into migration, human rights, and power. Active, European, respected, and independent. They've collaborated with Der Spiegel, Le Monde, and others.

Lighthouse Reports

One of Europe's most rigorous nonprofit newsrooms. They investigate what others ignore and publish what others won't. We pay attention to what they find.

Correctiv

One of Europe's most rigorous nonprofit newsrooms. They investigate what others ignore and publish what others won't. We pay attention to what they find.

A pan-European team asking the questions that don't stop at borders. The stories that matter most rarely do.

Investigate Europe

A pan-European team asking the questions that don't stop at borders. The stories that matter most rarely do.

Independent journalism covering power, corruption, and democratic accountability. No owners with agendas. No advertisers to protect. That matters.

Open Democracy

Independent journalism covering power, corruption, and democratic accountability. No owners with agendas. No advertisers to protect. That matters.

Bulgaria's leading independent investigative outlet — part of the OCCRP network and ICIJ, known for exposing corruption at the highest levels of Bulgarian government and business. They've been sued, smeared, and pressured for it. They kept publishing.

Bivol

An independent data journalism project using OSINT and public records to uncover conflicts of interest, corruption, and abuse of power. No advertising. No state subsidies. Reader-funded and fully transparent about it.

Bird Bg

A new independent Bulgarian journalism platform built by experienced journalists with one goal — quality reporting without political pressure or hidden ownership. Reader-funded from day one. No anonymous bosses. Exactly the kind of thing we want to see more of.

Izvan Efir

FAQ

What is RED DOT?

Does RED DOT remove or censor content?

Who investigates the cases?

Who can submit a report?

Are RED DOT reports legally binding?

Still have questions?

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The truth needs people willing to build for it

You don't need a press credential. You don't need to understand cryptographic hashing. You just need to believe that verified information should exist, and be willing to support the people building it.

Submit what you know. Back what we're building.

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