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Citizen Media Research and Verification: an Analytical Framework for Human Rights Practitioners

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Citizen Media Research and Verification: an Analytical Framework for Human Rights Practitioners Human Rights in the Digital Age: CGHR Practitioner Paper #1 Citizen Media Research and Verification: An Analytical Framework for Human Rights Practitioners Christoph Koettl Senior Analyst, Amnesty International Human Rights in the Digital Age: CGHR Practitioner Papers The Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CGHR), launched in late 2009, draws together experts, practitioners and policymakers from the University of Cambridge and far beyond to think critically and innovatively about pressing governance and human rights issues throughout the world. The Centre aims to be a world-class interdisciplinary hub for fresh thinking, collaborative research and improving practice. This CGHR Practitioner Paper series, by and for practitioners, provides a space to consolidate, reflect upon, and share knowledge of human rights in the digital age. Contributors also present their work to the CGHR community, and prospective contributors are welcome to contact CGHR with submissions. Series Editor: Ella McPherson Publisher: Centre of Governance and Human Rights, University of Cambridge Contact: www.cghr.polis.cam.ac.uk, [email protected], (+44) (0)1223 767 257 About the author Christoph Koettl is a Senior Analyst with Amnesty International, specializing in remote sensing, crisis mapping and open source research and verification. He is the founder and editor of the Citizen Evidence Lab (http://citizenevidence.org/). The views expressed are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Amnesty International. Acknowledgments The majority of this paper was written during a research visit to Yale University, following an invitation by the Yale Visual Law Project—special thanks to Rebecca Wexler for facilitating this visit. My gratitude also goes to Madeleine Bair, Caroline Courtney, Scott Edwards, Melanie Penagos, Sam Dubberley and Hannah Waller for helpful feedback and edits. Cover photo: 27A ParoNacional © Rodrigo Barrera-Sagastume January 2016 Abstract This paper examines the role of open source research in human rights fact-finding and seeks to address a gap in the current literature, which lacks a human rights perspective, is dominated by journalistic approaches, or focuses on specific tools. It focuses on citizen media, the visual subset of open source information, and provides a practitioner’s perspective that is based on several years of analyzing open source materials for a global human rights group. The paper includes case studies on video and image verification, and identifies best and worst practices. The author argues that open source content, specifically citizen media, can play a crucial and increasingly important role in human rights documentation, if analyzed using sound and transparent methodologies based on well-established fact- finding principles. It presents, for the first time, a tool-independent analytical framework that will allow both seasoned and new human rights researchers to review and assess open source content. Specific recommendations are offered for human rights organizations, funders, academics, and technology companies in order to realize the full potential of open source content for human rights documentation. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 CITIZEN MEDIA IN HUMAN RIGHTS FACT-FINDING ........................................................... 3 ADDED VALUE ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 CHALLENGES ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK ......................................................................................................... 8 PREREQUISITE: SELF-CARE PLAN AND POLICIES FOR SECONDARY TRAUMA PREVENTION10 STEP 1: MATERIAL COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION .................................................................... 11 STEP 2: METADATA REVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 12 STEP 3: VERIFICATION OF PROVENANCE AND SOURCE .................................................................. 15 STEP 4: CONTENT ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................... 18 STEP 5: OPTIONAL: EXPERT CONSULTATIONS (INCLUDING COUNTERFEIT DETECTION) .... 20 STEP 6: INTEGRATION WITH OTHER RESEARCH .................................................................................. 21 STEP 7: PROFESSIONAL STANDARD CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................. 22 CASE STUDIES ................................................................................................................................. 23 CASE STUDY 1: VIDEO .................................................................................................................................. 23 CASE STUDY 2: IMAGE .................................................................................................................................. 27 OUTLOOK: REALIZING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF CITIZEN MEDIA FOR HUMAN RIGHTS FACT-FINDING ................................................................................................................ 28 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................... 32 Koettl, C., 'Analytical Framework for Citizen Media Research and Verification’, January 2016 1 Introduction The rise of citizen media—images or video from unofficial observers such as bystanders, citizen journalists, activists or armed actors, usually shared through digital social networks—provides immense new opportunities and challenges for human rights researchers. Citizen media is part of a rapidly growing amount of online open source information, such as publically available documents, statistics, data, news reports or maps, which is relevant for human rights research. Citizen media can be considered the visual subset of open source information, and is the focus of this paper.1 Even if content is not open source but collected during field missions or through in-country contacts instead, open source information and freely available online tools such as mapping platforms and metadata software can be used to verify it. Utilizing these sources of information and research tools is becoming an increasingly sought-after skill in many industries, including humanitarian response and human rights research. The similarities to integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into human rights research are apparent. Around ten years ago, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch originally sought the support of external experts such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for remote sensing and mapping products.2 These human rights groups now have dedicated GIS staff, and a similar trend is likely in open source research. The shift from traditional systems of information control and distribution, resulting from digital technologies and networks, most obviously affects states but also intergovernmental, humanitarian and human rights organizations. Whether police brutality in the United States, war crimes in Syria or a typhoon in the Philippines, it is likely that someone with a camera and access to the Internet will be present to reveal what would have otherwise gone unnoticed. The exposure of any of these events is no longer dependent on established media or human rights organizations. The availability of camera-enabled cell phones in combination with digital social networks is nothing short of a game changer, especially for human rights research and advocacy, and 1 For an introductory textbook on open source research more broadly, see Bazzell, M. 2015: Open Source Intelligence Techniques: Resources for Searching and Analyzing Online Information. 2 See the work of the AAAS Geospatial Technologies and Human Rights project http://www.aaas.org/program/geospatial-technologies-project [referenced 11 November 2015] 2 Human Rights in the Digital Age: CGHR Practitioner Paper 1 offers enormous opportunities if properly integrated with well-established fact-finding methodologies. Within hours of the chemical weapons attack in the eastern suburbs of Damascus on 21 August 2013, more than a hundred videos were uploaded to YouTube3, showing the horrific impact of this illegal attack. A review of the videos by medical and chemical weapons experts, combined with testimonies from survivors and doctors, allowed human rights researchers to establish basic facts about the attack and the chemical agents used, even before U.N. investigators were able to produce a comprehensive assessment through direct ground access. Nevertheless, the challenges are enormous, as footage of atrocities with inaccurate context is increasingly circulating on the Internet, especially during times of crisis that are characterized by uncertainty and anxiety. 4 Such content has the potential to trigger new violence and abuses in fragile communities and exaggerate existing tensions. This risk not only requires extreme caution and responsibility from human rights groups who conduct fact-finding, but also the development of robust and transparent methodologies of citizen media verification
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