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Fortifying the Truth in the Age of Synthetic Media and Generative AI
Written by Raquel Vazquez Llorente, Jacobo Castellanos, and Nkem Agunwa. In March 2023, WITNESS hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, over 20 journalists, fact-checkers, technologists, policy advocates, creators, human rights defenders and community activists from six African countries: Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia. In our two-day workshop, we discussed threats and opportunities that generative AI […]
WITNESS
May 17, 2023
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Sudan in the Dark: Lessons from the Frontlines
It has been more than a year since the Sudanese armed forces arrested a number of civilian officials in the government and the Transitional Council, including Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok and his wife in September 2021 before realizing him after a month. Demonstrations erupted soon after, demanding a return to the democratic path and the […]
Mahmoud Elmasry
March 13, 2023
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Building Human Rights Oriented Guidelines for Synthetic Media
Takeaways/TLDR: Partnership on AI, in collaboration with WITNESS and other key allies, has published the Responsible Practices for Synthetic Media Framework, which offers guidelines for developing, creating, sharing, and publishing synthetic media ethically and responsibly. The Framework is directed towards those building technology and infrastructure for synthetic media, those creating synthetic media, and those distributing […]
Jacobo Castellanos
February 28, 2023
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Video Mitigation: How Public Defenders Are Finding New Ways to Advocate
Update June 2023: Our project was featured in the New York Times! Read here: “Lights, Camera, Criminal Defense: Lawyers Pick Up Cameras to Aid Clients” “Before the video, we had no opportunity. We had no guidance. We had no way of telling our story. Neil had no way of telling his story. All he had […]
Jackie Zammuto
November 2, 2022
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Fact from Fiction: Curbing Mis/disinformation in African Elections
Co-authored by Temiloluwa Alalade During election season, voters are inundated with campaign materials intended to sway their votes. To engage with information meaningfully voters should have a basic understanding of digital and media literacy as well as critical thinking skills. Experts in Kenya warn that disinformation in elections may increase electoral violence globally. Election–related misinformation […]
Nkemakonam Agunwa
July 29, 2022
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The rubber hits the road: From niche to potentially systematic use of provenance and authenticity infrastructure
TLDR: The C2PA specifications have been published, making it possible for any tool or device to add features that track the source and history of digital media. If widely adopted, the specifications could lead towards a systematic use of provenance and authenticity infrastructure that is meant to tackle mis/disinformation and generate trust online. WITNESS has […]
Jacobo Castellanos
January 31, 2022
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How Gendered Disinformation in Nigeria Precludes Justice for Survivors of SGBV
This blogpost is part two of a two part series. Part one here. Co-authored by Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi The rise of technology, currently in its fourth revolution, has precipitated image-based abuse and online violence against women and girls. When misinformation and disinformation infiltrate the digital space, it spreads with horrifying speed in the absence of […]
Nkemakonam Agunwa
December 20, 2021
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The Role of Disinformation in Perpetuating Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Africa
This blog post is part one of a two-part series. Co-authored by Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi Media responses to SGBV The proliferation of misinformation and disinformation has introduced new forms of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) such as online bullying, sexual harassment, image based sexual violence among others. This amplifies the problem and further impedes access […]
Nkemakonam Agunwa
December 6, 2021
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WITNESS and the C2PA Harms and Misuse Assessment Process
Lee el artículo en español aquí. Co-authored by Sam Gregory. TLDR: Building on WITNESS’ focus on developing an authenticity infrastructure that works globally and supports civic journalism and human rights uses and values, we have been part of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity specifications development effort. Right now we’re focused on identifying and […]
Jacobo Castellanos
December 2, 2021
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Response Tactics to Internet Shutdowns in Latin America
Read the original post in Spanish by Indira Cornelio. Translated by Natalia Guerrero. This blog is part of WITNESS’ global campaign ‘Eyes on Internet Shutdowns: Documenting for Human Rights’. As we face a rising number of internet shutdowns across the globe, this post highlights tactics employed by our friends and allies across Latin America. Internet […]
Indira Cornelio
November 23, 2021
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Prioritize Non-Technological Methods for Combating Misinformation and Disinformation
Detecting mis/disinfo Technology platforms are facing their biggest hurdle yet as they race to beat the fast-evolving forms of misinformation and disinformation perpetuated online. More pressing is the sophisticated technology deployed by mis/disinformation actors that make it increasingly difficult to detect and counter. To address this, tech platforms have introduced a number of technological solutions […]
Nkemakonam Agunwa
October 14, 2021
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Could There Be an Internet Shutdown in the United States?
What would an internet shutdown look like in the U.S.? In what ways is internet access already being limited? As countries around the world face internet shutdowns, U.S. activists can learn from the strategies being employed within movements to denounce these actions and continue to mobilize in creative ways.
Jackie Zammuto
September 27, 2021
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Eyes on Internet Shutdowns: Documenting for Human Rights
This is the first of a series of posts to mark the official launch of WITNESS’s global campaign on internet shutdowns, that highlights community strategies for documenting human rights abuses during a shutdown. Visit the campaign homepage to stay updated about new resources. This blog post is available in Spanish, Arabic and Farsi. In an impassioned […]
Meghana Bahar
September 1, 2021
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How Biases Fuel Misinformation and Disinformation
Misinformation and disinformation are arguably as old as humanity. The popular myth that bats are blind is scientifically inaccurate, and thus a misinformation. Research has proven that bats are anything but blind. They see in black and white and at night they have the potential to see even better than humans. The introduction of information […]
Nkemakonam Agunwa
July 22, 2021
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Pre-Empting a Crisis: Deepfake Detection Skills + Global Access to Media Forensics Tools
In a recent WIRED Op-ed I share the story of a recent deepfake panic in Myanmar. Spoiler: It probably wasn’t a deepfake… but it has important implications for how we think about access to deepfake detection technology and what skills, capacities and escalation options are needed. You can read more about the story here. “RECENTLY […]
Sam Gregory
July 14, 2021