• What’s needed in deepfakes detection? April 2020 Misinformation and disinformation are a critical problem for societies worldwide. In response, WITNESS’s work addressing new forms of media manipulation such as deepfakes and synthetic media is focused on preparing better, and advancina a more global, human rights-lead approach to these emerging threats. Learning from previous and current mis/disinformation challenges, where critical impacted […] Sam Gregory April 27, 2020
  • Making Your Metadata Matter, Part 2 We’re pleased to welcome guest bloggers Wendy Betts and Raquel Vazquez Llorente here to share their insights on documentation apps and metadata for legal purposes. Wendy Betts is the Director of eyeWitness to Atrocities, an organization that combines legal and technological expertise to aid investigations and promote accountability for international crimes. Raquel Vazquez Llorente is […] WITNESS April 7, 2020
  • Making Your Metadata Matter Metadata plays a crucial role in authenticating and verifying human rights footage for external audiences. When you are assessing which documentation app to use, it is important you fully understand the metadata collected by the app. This blog outlines the questions we recommend you ask. WITNESS March 31, 2020
  • Setting Up a Phone for Offline Documentation This post is part of a series on Documenting During Internet Shutdowns.  Also available in Arabic, Spanish and Bahasa Indonesia. With contributions by Arul Prakkash. Last reviewed: 31 January 2020 Embed from Getty Images Despite an internet shutdown, documenters can still capture important video evidence that can be shared offline or when they are able to […] Yvonne Ng February 3, 2020
  • Should I Use This Documentation App? This post is part of a series on Documenting During Internet Shutdowns. Also available in Arabic, Spanish and Bahasa Indonesia. With contributions by Arul Prakkash. Last reviewed: 31 January 2020 There are many apps that documenters can use to capture video, ranging from your phone’s native camera app, to more specialized documentation apps like ProofMode, Tella, […] Yvonne Ng February 3, 2020
  • Juan’s Story Part 2: Using Video as Evidence in Immigration Proceedings This post is part of the WITNESS US Program and Media Lab’s series,“Eyes On ICE: Documenting Abuses Against Immigrant Communities.” The following is a case study for the consideration of immigration attorneys, advocates, and community members nationwide thinking through the creative use of video in defending individuals against deportation. The case at hand was filed […] WITNESS July 16, 2019
  • How You Can Help the Humanitarian Crisis at the US-Mexico Border… and Beyond When images of Oscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his daughter, Valeria were published recently, we were outraged. We were heartbroken. The situation at the US-Mexico border is a crisis: a humanitarian crisis. Because of the government’s stronghold on the narrative — coupled with a militarized lack of transparency — without stories and images from brave whistleblowers, activists and community […] WITNESS June 28, 2019
  • Deepfakes and Synthetic Media: Updated Survey of Solutions against Malicious Usages Last updated: June 2019 (NOTE: please send feedback on areas/examples we are missing to sam [at} witness.org: this is not a comprehensive list!) This is a survey of solutions around the emerging and potential malicious uses of so-called “deepfakes” and other forms of AI-generated “synthetic media” and how we push back to defend evidence, the truth […] Sam Gregory June 7, 2019
  • Western Sahara—Africa’s Last Colony Western Sahara, with a population of over half a million people and 200,000km land mass – the size of South Dakota – is the world’s largest non self-governing territory. It is also Africa’s last colony, left under Moroccan occupation following the retreat of Spanish colonial power in the 1960s. The human rights situation is still […] WITNESS April 11, 2019
  • Combating Gender-Based Tech Violence: Groundviews, Sri Lanka Part 1 of 2 Exactly a year ago, on 5th March 2018, we watched as flames engulfed Digana, in the heart of Kandy. We saw quiet, multi-ethnic suburban localities swept up by a wave of anti-Muslim wrath. On 6th March 2018, the Sri Lankan government responded by blocking access to Facebook, Whatsapp and Viber, on […] Meghana Bahar March 8, 2019
  • Harm Reduction for WhatsApp Thanks to WITNESS’ Mozilla Fellow Gabriela Ivens for contributing the section on cloud backups and to all WITNESS partners and human rights defenders who have shared experiences of using WhatsApp that informed this article As we noted in our other WhatsApp focused blog post today, “Whats Up, WhatsApp?”, activists and journalists all over the world […] WITNESS November 13, 2018
  • Suicide or Escape? Fact Checking Reporting on Migrant Abuse in MENA How media misreported a Snapchat video of migrant worker abuse, and how we can do better Raja Althaibani October 26, 2018
  • Occupying Dhaka Inspiring widespread activism on social media, a nation-wide youth-led movement for road safety emerged across Bangladesh and in cyberspace, as students in Dhaka drove the city to a standstill. Meghana Bahar October 22, 2018
  • No Means No: the Yaquis Uphold the Right to Their Lands Despite the unequivocal rejection by Loma de Bácum authorities of Sempra Energy’s proposed pipeline project, as well as a federal judicial decision barring pipeline construction on Yaqui territory in Bácum, Sempra Energy continued to build its pipeline through 9 miles of their farmland. WITNESS September 24, 2018
  • The Right to Record Recognized at the United Nations Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Council promoted the right to record explicitly in resolution A/HRC/38/L.16 — WITNESS explains what this means for activists and human rights defenders around the world. WITNESS August 2, 2018