- 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 […]
- 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 […]
- Maziar Bahari on Solitary Confinement, Freedom of Expression, and the Future of (Citizen) Journalism Maziar Bahari speaks to WITNESS about the new film "Rosewater" which tells the story of his solitary confinement and torture in an Iranian prison.
- Music Monday – Crimes Against Journalists Edition This Music Monday - Crimes Against Journalists Edition is a song list about journalism that ranges from a day in the life of journalists to questioning their bravery to the love/hate relationship with their sources.
- The Ethics of Curating Citizen Video When professionals are not the ones behind the cameras, how can we apply ethical standards to using video documenting human rights abuse? Our Human Rights Channel Curator weighs in on the current debate on the ethics of utilizing citizen media.
- WITNESS at SXSW 2014: Talking Media, Mobile, Technology and Human Rights Details for the two panels WITNESS is participating in and our suggestions a few more to check out at this year's conference.
- Reporting on Sexual Violence: Personal and Professional Challenges for Journalists Covering sexual assault, including rape, can bring swift and unpredictable repercussions, leaving many journalists and others torn over how best to navigate the risks. A guest post from the Committee to Protect Journalists.
- Citizen Video for Journalists: A New Blog Series Citizen video takes journalists to inaccesible corners of the world, putting viewers on the scene long before news crews. In this bi-weekly series, news innovators explore tools, strategies, and ethics of using citizen video to report the news.
- Video Advocacy at a Crossroads: 2012’s Dangers & 2013’s Solutions Video is increasingly at the nexus of opportunity and danger for human rights activists. Video helps activists to document, confront, circumvent, and lobby against oppressive authorities—but it also allows those authorities to stalk them. Here's what we think will happen in 2013.
- Whose Media Is It?: How Police Requests for Unreleased Footage Blur the Line Between News and Evidence A near 6-month battle between British news broadcasters and the police has recently concluded: last December’s court decision that ordered television companies including BBC, ITN, and Sky News to surrender to police hours of unaired footage from the violent October 19th Dale Farm eviction, was thrown out. Journalists are now hailing the decision as a landmark victory in the fight for news neutrality and confidentiality.
- 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.
- An Archivist’s Perspective on Access and Privacy The New York Times reports that earlier this month, a US District Court granted a petition by Chevron to subpoena 600 hours of footage from Crude: The Real Price of Oil. The film, by director Joe Berlinger, documents a landmark lawsuit filed by 30,000 Ecuadorean Amazon residents against the oil company for allegedly contaminating the jungle and creating a “death zone” the size of Rhode Island.
- Kenya in crisis: a search for citizen cameras… The crisis in Kenya may ultimately stem from a democratic failure, corruption and tribalism, or poverty and inequality, but either way, evidence of brutal violence continues to emerge, both in terms of killings and of violence against women and girls, and there’s news of an impending health crisis. For a quick tour d’horizon, including ways […]
- Wael Abbas’ YouTube channel suspended [UPDATED – 29 Nov 07] News just in from Hossam El-Hamalawy…: I’ve just received the following message from blogger and friend Wael Abbas… disaster: youtube disables my account claiming there were complaints about my police torture videos!!! This is un-bloody-believable. YouTube has just disabled probably the most important channel for the Egyptian blogosphere. Wael’s videos have been central in the […]
- Free To Speak (on BBC World Service) [Slight changes below, after a second look at the project…] For me, the 2002 series I Have A Right To… still represents a good benchmark for how the BBC’s World Service can knit together human rights resources of real and lasting value – and that others can use and build on. Now, the World Service […]
