- Human rights defenders are not terrorists, and their content is not propaganda Counter-terrorism is not a field that is known for its respect of human rights. The word terrorism, though it does not have any commonly agreed upon legal or societal definition, has often led to the implementation of repressive measures, not only in authoritarian regimes, but also in countries recognized as democracies. The United Nations Office […]
- How to Burn Subtitles into Your YouTube Videos What Does “Burning In” Subtitles Mean? There are basically two ways to display subtitles in your videos. One method is to use a separate text file (e.g. a SRT file) that “plays” along with your video. This “soft subtitle” method is what allows users to turn subtitles on/off, or choose from multiple subtitles for the […]
- European “terrorist content” proposal is dangerous for human rights globally This post was updated at 14:40 CET to note result from 6 December 2018 meeting of the Home Affairs Council. There’s a reason why, when courts function properly, they offer more due process than corporations when it comes to making decisions about free expression. Deciding what speech can take place in public forums in democratic […]
- Alex Jones, Myanmar, and free expression online Imagine ending up in jail with no understanding of what the charges against you are, no idea what legal process you will be facing, and no idea what happens if you appeal your conviction- or even how to appeal. It sounds like a Kafka novel, but that’s how social media platforms operate today. It has […]
- New United Nations Report calls on companies to take a “A Human Rights Approach to Platform Content Regulation” Our Tech+Advocacy Program Manager Dia Kayyali breaks down the Special Rapporteur's newest report to the UN Human Rights Council, a report calling for a "human rights approach to platform content moderation."
- Hope for Justice: 7 years of the Syrian Uprising WITNESS catches up and reflects with our partners working with activists, lawyers, and investigators to secure justice in Syria, 7 years after the uprising began.
- Last Month In Video: 2017, a year of extremes Video had a big role to play in 2017. From YouTube takedowns to fake news, police bodycams to a historic ICC arrest warrant, here's our last year in video review.
- Protect human rights defenders’ identities with the updated YouTube blurring feature YouTube has released an updated blur feature—in under 4 minutes, you can learn how to use this tool as part of the steps you take to protect identity.
- Last Month in Video: August When WITNESS was founded in 1992, we wanted to get cameras in people’s hands. This wasn’t an easy task- at the time, cameras weren’t in every household, they weren’t cheap, and it wasn’t instinctive for people to reach for their camera. Now, video is everywhere, and it’s being made by everyone with a cell phone. […]
- Vital Human Rights Evidence in Syria is Disappearing from YouTube Thousands of videos showing human rights abuses in Syria, as well as the channels that feature these videos, are being removed by YouTube.
- Introducing YouTube’s Updated Blurring Feature Edited to add: Learn how to use this tool in less than 4 minutes with our updated how-to video! From Syria to Charlottesville, it’s not a safe time to be a human rights defender. It’s not a safe time to be associated with the fight for human rights at all. But fighting for human rights […]
- How to Use YouTube’s New Blurring Feature to Protect Identities YouTube's blurring function allows users to blur select items such as faces or identifying information. In this post we will show you how to use the tool.
- Secure Tools for Activists: When to Make Designs and When to Make Demands What tech tools should human rights defenders use when balancing efficacy and safety - open source secure tools or insecure mainstream platforms? Morgan Hargrave unpacks the pros and cons of each and discusses the WITNESS strategy.
- How An Eyewitness Mode Helps Activists (and Others) Be Trusted Individuals and social networks can both benefit from functionality that would allow video uploaders to add metadata, enhancing the trustworthiness of their media.
- The Images of the Syrian War that Were Never Supposed to Be In the two and a half years Syria has been engulfed in war, numerous voices have tried to compel the world to take notice and take action. But the message that caught the world’s attention came not from any political leader or organization. It came by way of YouTube.
