ethics Archives - Page 4 of 7

The (Virtual) Bystander Effect: Witnessing Human Rights Abuse Online When a video goes viral, millions of people become witnesses. Whether it is a clumsy kitten, an adorable child, or a gruesome protest, we as viewers are transported to that moment. We see everything. We hear everything. But we change nothing. WITNESS July 20, 2012
Tactical and Technological Defences For Facial Recognition Technology In my last post I looked at how facial recognition technology (FRT) works, how it's now in our phones, social networks and media management, and how legislators and regulators are reacting to this. But it's also increasingly used by law enforcement and for surveillance of "public" spaces. WITNESS May 18, 2012
Are News Photography Standards Out of Touch With the Cameras Everywhere World We Inhabit? A growing global trend of employing facial recognition technologies (FRTs) has increased risks of compromising the privacy and safety of anyone filmed or photographed, especially in countries with repressive governments. WITNESS May 2, 2012
Kony 2012: Juggling Advocacy, Audience and Agency When Using #Video4Change "Kony 2012" is now the most rapidly disseminated human rights video ever. In six days it reached an aggregate 100 million views – faster than other pop culture phenomena like Susan Boyle (9 days), Rebecca Black (45 days) and ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ (445 days). Sam Gregory March 17, 2012
The Face of a Revolution: Debating Privacy in the Digital Age You probably know a 26-year-old woman. Is she your sister? Friend, or daughter? Perhaps she’s fiery and stubborn. Perhaps she takes singing lessons. Perhaps she’s engaged to be married. WITNESS March 11, 2012
WITNESS, Technology and #Video4Change at #SXSW WITNESS is at #SXSWInteractive, one of the world's largest conferences focused on interactive technologies and online innovation. Sam Gregory March 10, 2012
The Ethics of Face Recognition Technology At SXSW next week, WITNESS is running a workshop on the ethics of facial recognition. It’s an issue we've talked about before – most recently in the Cameras Everywhere report, and with the ObscuraCam Android app. WITNESS March 7, 2012
Linking Women’s Personal Stories of Abuse to Policy Education in Nepal In commemoration of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign, we are highlighting activists and organizations who are using the power of video in their campaigns to address gender-based violence through a series of guest posts. Read previous posts in this series. WITNESS November 30, 2011
U.S. Needs Strong Privacy Protections for Digital Communications One of the most cherished rights in the United States is the Constitution's Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable government searches, which has long protected the privacy of Americans’ homes and communications. But as technology has rapidly advanced, this right—long a crown jewel of U.S. civil liberties—has not been fully applied to protect digital communications. WITNESS November 7, 2011
How Funders Can Support Technology for Human Rights and the Activists Using It Sameer Padania, the lead author/researcher of our "Cameras Everywhere" report spoke recently at "The Power of Information" conference in London, organized by the Indigo Trust, the Institute for Philanthropy and the Omidyar Network. Sam Gregory September 27, 2011
The ICC’s Lubanga Trial Nears Close: Will Child Soldiers Receive Justice? The Lubanga trial is coming to an end as the prosecutors, victims' representatives and the defense counsel make their closing statements in the submission of evidence phase before the trial chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC). WITNESS August 30, 2011
Crowd-Sourcing Surveillance: When Does Little Brother Get Too Big? On June 16, riots swept downtown Vancouver after the Vancouver Canucks lost the Final of the NHL’s Stanley Cup. The online response to the riots—a public campaign to name and shame rioters followed by a heated discussion regarding whether naming and shaming constitutes vigilantism or community policing—still rages. WITNESS July 5, 2011
Cameras Everywhere: Our New Leadership Initiative Here at WITNESS we're in the midst of exciting development on all our new programmatic initiatives. One of these is our 'Cameras Everywhere' Leadership initiative, which we'd like to introduce in this blog. Sam Gregory January 19, 2011
The Ethical Engagements of Human Rights Social Media The explosion of digital media on human rights pushes us all to rethink how documentary film ethics apply in a more networked, social media-driven era. Sam Gregory November 22, 2010
Your Ideas on Human Rights and Free Expression on YouTube This is the fourth in an occasional blog series about human rights video, written by Steve Grove, Head of News & Politics at YouTube, and Sameer Padania, former Hub Manager at WITNESS, cross-posted from YouTube’s blog. As always, we welcome your comments and feedback. WITNESS September 21, 2010