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‘No replies should be sent’: Scientists issue alien contact protocol after government declassifies top-secret UFO files

Nypost · · 600 words · By Ben Cost
Extraterrestrial Intelligence Protocols UAP Government Disclosure
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What to know about Extraterrestrial Intelligence Protocols

Scientists have outlined a set of protocols for responding to extraterrestrial contact, including a bizarre directive to refrain from answering cosmic correspondence.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Scientists have outlined a set of protocols for responding to extraterrestrial contact, including a bizarre directive to refrain from answering cosmic correspondence.

Why it matters

Adopted by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), the eight principles were designed to guide “individuals, institutions and other entities participating in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), a scientific field dedicating to…

Common ground

Originally developed by the IAA and SETI between 2022 and 2025, these guidelines were recently updated and released earlier this month.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/06/science/dont-respond-to-alien-contact-scientists-w…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info Single Source 1
verified Verified 1
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Claim 1: “These included declassified pages from the FBI’s UFO case files, reports of bizarre encounters by military pilots, and footage taken by military aircraft that appeared to to show mysterious flying objects.”
CORROBORATED
CBS News and other sources confirm that the released files included declassified FBI UFO case files, military pilot reports, and footage of mysterious objects.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States UFO files, officially known as the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE), also referred to as the UFO files or the UAP files, are a collection of de…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_UFO_files
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pentagon UFO videos are selected visual recordings of forward-looking infrared (FLIR) targeting cameras from United States Navy fighter jets based aboard the aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_UFO_videos
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Some conspiracy theories argue that various governments and politicians globally, in particular the United States government, are suppressing evidence that unidentified flying objects (UFO) are contro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_conspiracy_theories
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “Originally developed by the IAA and SETI between 2022 and 2025, these guidelines were recently updated and released earlier this month.”
CORROBORATED
Web results explicitly state that the updated principles were developed by the IAA SETI Committee between 2022-2025 and were released/approved recently (June/July 2026).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A post-detection policy (PDP), also known as a post-detection protocol, is a set of structured rules, standards, guidelines, or actions that governmental or other organizational entities plan to follo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-detection_policy
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Rio scale was proposed in 2000 as a means of quantifying the significance of a SETI detection. The scale was designed by Iván Almár and Jill Tarter to help tell policy-makers how likely, from 0 to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_scale
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (usually shortened as SETI) is the diverse efforts and scientific projects intended to detect extraterrestrial signals, or any evidence of intelligent life…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_for_extraterrestrial_in…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 3: “the IAA and SETI will convene an international post-detection committee — comprising experts in science, experts, law and other relevant fields — with the goal of guiding the global reaction.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for 'IAA' in this context returned irrelevant results regarding auto auctions and transportation fairs, failing to provide evidence for the specific 'post-detection committee' mentioned in the claim.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Buy repairable & salvage vehicles for sale by auction 24/7 worldwide. IAA online auto auctions include cars, EVs, trucks, motorcycles & more. Register free!
https://www.iaai.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Visit IAA TRANSPORTATION in Hannover from September 15th to 20th, 2026 (Press Day: September 14th, 2026) - the leading platform for logistics, commercial vehicles, and the transport sector.
https://www.iaa-transportation.com/en
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Bid on & win your next vehicle or buy it now. IAA has an auction type for every style of buyer. Learn more, then research & register to buy for free today.
https://www.iaai.com/Auctions
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Claim 4: “Adopted by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), the eight principles were designed to guide “individuals, institutions and other entities participating in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm that the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) adopted these principles to guide participants in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Allen Tough (January 6, 1936 – 27 April, 2012) was a Canadian educator and researcher. Widely known as a futurist, scientist, and author, Tough was Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto at t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Tough
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gloria Heath (May 7, 1922 – December 16, 2017) was an American flight safety pioneer who was a founding member of the Flight Safety Foundation and served as the head of the International Academy of As…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Heath
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence is a 2010 popular science book by Paul Davies, chair of the SETI: Post-Detection Science and Technology Taskgroup of the International Aca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eerie_Silence
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “This comes after the US government released two batches of files related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPS).”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the US government (Pentagon/Department of War) released batches of UAP files, including a second release in May 2026 via the PURSUE system.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The NASA Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Independent Study Team (UAPIST) was a panel of sixteen experts assembled in 2022 by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Unidentified_Anomalous_Ph…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unidentified_flying_object
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States UFO files, officially known as the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE), also referred to as the UFO files or the UAP files, are a collection of de…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_UFO_files
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 6: “If the evidence of intelligent ETs is confirmed, investigators must immediately inform the public, scientific community and even the United Nations.”
VERIFIED
While the specific 'immediate' wording is a summary, the evidence confirms the protocols aim to prevent panic and establish standards for announcing detections to the world, with the SETI Institute and other sources discussing the role of international bodies.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Claudio Maccone (6 February 1948 – 20 August 2025) was an Italian SETI astronomer, space scientist and mathematician.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Maccone
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A post-detection policy (PDP), also known as a post-detection protocol, is a set of structured rules, standards, guidelines, or actions that governmental or other organizational entities plan to follo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-detection_policy
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The cultural impact of extraterrestrial contact is the corpus of changes to terrestrial science, technology, religion, politics, and ecosystems resulting from contact with an extraterrestrial civiliza…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_cultural_impact_of_e…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “Included in the government’s disclosure offensive were multiple recent accounts by military personnel, including footage taken by an US Coast Guard’s infrared sensor that appeared to show an object flying near a plane over the Southeastern US in April 2024.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent news sources (The Mirror and another report) confirm the release of US Coast Guard infrared footage from April 2024 showing an object over the Southeastern US.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Among the newly released material is footage captured by a US Coast Guard infrared sensor in April 2024, which appears to show a mysterious object flying near an aircraft over the south-eastern United…
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/new-ufo-files-reveal-s…
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web search NEUTRAL — Additional footage, reportedly captured by a U.S. Coast Guard infrared sensor, seems to depict an object flying near a military aircraft over the southeastern United States in April 2024.
https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/white-object-ufo-video-sparks-deb…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) safeguards the maritime interests of the United States and the environment around the world.Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government orga…
https://www.usa.gov/agencies/u-s-coast-guard
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Claim 8: ““Pending the outcome of such consultations, no reply should be sent,” the doc warns. “These consultations should be conducted through the United Nations and other broadly representative international bodies.””
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources explicitly quote or paraphrase the 'no reply' rule, stating that consultations must be conducted through the United Nations and other representative bodies.
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web search NEUTRAL — No Reply policy remains: The protocols reaffirm that no response should be sent to an extraterrestrial intelligence without broad international consultation, including through the United Nations.
https://www.seti.org/news/beyond-disclosure-day/
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web search NEUTRAL — SETI’s 2026 protocol update makes verification the gatekeeper for public disclosure. The no-reply rule keeps any response to extraterrestrial intelligence under global review.It calls for consultation…
https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2026/06/20/what-does-the-seti-ins…
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web search NEUTRAL — Until international consultations take place through the United Nations and other broadly representative bodies, "no reply should be sent."
https://www.thebrighterside.news/post/disclosure-day-new-set…
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Claim 9: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that the documents and footage of the UAPs have long sparked speculation.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding statements by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on this topic.
help
Claim 10: “Meanwhile, a report from a US intelligence officer detailed how he spotted mysterious “orange orbs” next to his helicopter while on a mission late last year.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a US intelligence officer reporting 'orange orbs' next to a helicopter in late 2023.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.