WITNESS

WITNESS is deeply humbled to receive the first ever Peabody for Global Impact - a new category at the 84th annual Peabody Awards recognizing “media or organizations that have profoundly changed the world for the better.” Accepting the award, Executive Director Sam Gregory recognized “our partners and the millions of frontline witnesses with whom we share this recognition — who are land defenders, cop watchers, war crimes investigators, citizen journalists, community media, and ordinary people caught in conflict who stand up for their rights.” He also thanked co-founder Peter Gabriel and WITNESS’ longstanding allies and supporters. For over 30 years, WITNESS has supported communities “to tell their stories and gather evidence through video,” with far-reaching impacts, including “the conviction of a warlord, victories in protecting Indigenous lands, and trusted archives of war crimes footage.” This recognition comes at a pivotal moment, when WITNESS’ work to defend the impact and integrity of critical video is more urgent than ever. As we move forward, WITNESS is at the forefront of fighting to ensure that video and emerging technologies work for, not against, #HumanRights.

As we approach the end of the 2024 mega global election year, we can begin to take account of the real-world threats AI and emerging technologies pose to our democracies. With US elections still to go, there are many important questions to confront: What was merely panic about a new technology? What threats materialized? And, most importantly, what are the lessons from this year that we can take forward? Join us on Wednesday, October 30th at 1PM EST/10AM PST for a discussion with WITNESS Executive Director, Sam Gregory, and MediaJustice Executive Director, Steven Renderos, moderated by WITNESS US Program Manager, Natalia Guerrero. Sam and Steven will bring together learnings from both WITNESS and MediaJustice’s expertise. This conversation will benefit anyone resourcing work focused on mitigating the harms of AI on disproportionately affected communities in the U.S. and globally. You can register at wit.to/W-MJ-Briefing.

It's out! A new report from WITNESS focused on an under-discussed area of generative AI (no, not elections...): the impact of #GenerativeAI in armed conflict & widespread violence, focusing on the challenges that #SyntheticMedia may bring to conflict resolution & peace processes. https://lnkd.in/g3vUC8Mc 'Audiovisual Generative AI and Conflict Resolution', co-authored by shirin anlen, Raquel Vazquez Llorente and Ross James Gildea provides a roadmap for governments, the UN, and NGOs to address the challenges of synthetic media in conflict zones while exploring the evolving role of synthetic media in armed conflict and widespread violence. W We anticipate emerging threats over the next 2-3 years, grounded in a detailed analysis of technological trends and current global examples. Building on WITNESS’s expertise in this field, we highlight the urgent need for evidence-based work in this underexplored area.

Come work with us at WITNESS! We are currently #hiring for two senior roles with our Technology Threats and Opportunities team. Through this program, WITNESS tracks the impact of #deepfakes and generative #AI on human rights, rights defenders, and the trustworthiness of video and our information landscape as a whole. We respond with critical advocacy and direct interventions, such as creating and influencing technical standards to preserve media authenticity and pioneering the first global deepfakes rapid response mechanism. If you’re eager to take on new challenges at the forefront of AI and #TechPolicy, and if you believe in standing up for democracy, justice, and human rights in an ever-evolving digital landscape - check out the job descriptions and application details in the links below! If you know someone who might be interested, please feel free to share this post! Associate Director - Technology Threats and Opportunities: https://lnkd.in/emywiUjy Policy and Advocacy Manager - Technology Threats and Opportunities: https://lnkd.in/etUvqkjh

📣 Don't miss our next Development Talk on 5 September! Register by 30 August. Disinformation is one of today’s major challenges to free and fair elections. This #devtalk will enhance your understanding of the battle of narratives in our new technological landscape. Speakers include Åsa Wikforss, Therese Pearce Laanela, Meedan, Mathias Hounkpe, Sam Gregory, Dr. Heather Ashby and IMS (International Media Support).

In the midst of the largest global election year in over two decades, many of us are wondering if the fears around deceptive #AI and #deepfakes are justified or overblown by the hype cycle. With 2024 #elections impacting close to half of the world's population, and a growing inability to distinguish what is fake from what is real, what is the actual state of affairs in this “AI Election'' year? Tune in to a discussion with Sam Gregory, WITNESS' Executive Director and award-winning technologist as he shares insights into what’s been happening in global elections, break down the most urgent concerns posed by AI, and share concrete recommendations on what we must do now. As a leading civil society voice at the intersection of AI and #HumanRights, WITNESS’ work is grounded in years of deep collaboration with frontline human rights defenders, key technology companies, and policy-makers. Here, Sam answers your most pressing questions about the influence of deceptive AI on this consequential election year and beyond. https://lnkd.in/eE6te6Ca

Thank you Peabody Awards for acknowledging WITNESS’ work of over three decades of defending video and technology for #HumanRights - it was an honor to receive the Global Impact Award, presented by Hasan Minhaj, and accepted by Executive Director Sam Gregory on behalf of our global team.

What does video archiving for #HumanRights mean? Join us in a conversation of globally diverse voices from movements + communities on the ground on best #archiving practices. Hear WITNESS & partners Freedom Film Network, Rohingya Genocide Archive, Refugee Law Project, Archivistas en Espanglish & OpenArchive in this live-streamed huddle ‘Human Rights Video Archiving: Sharing Community-Based Approaches’! Tune in 9AM EST/15:00 CET/18:30 IST on Monday 10th June 2024! #ArchiveLife 🐝 wit.to/Huddle-ArchiveLife

🌿 CONVOCATORIA 🌿 (English below🔻) Laboratorio Popular de Medios Libres, WITNESS, CEFO Indígena y Guardian Project invitan a comunidades, movimientos, organizaciones y colectivos de Abya Yala que estén en procesos de defensa del territorio a participar de la Escuela de Comunicación y Tecnologías Libres para la Defensa Común del Territorio. La escuela consiste en el aprovechamiento de técnicas de reporteo, recolección de datos, edición, archivo y almacenamiento seguro de material multimedia para fortalecer la incidencia en medios de comunicación como también fortalecer estrategias jurídicas de defensa territorial. La fecha límite para postular es el 15 de junio de 2024. El formulario de postulación está disponible en escuelacomun.yanapak.org (o pueden descargarlo y enviarlo por correo electrónico a contacto@yanapak.org). Los resultados de la convocatoria se informarán el 15 de julio de 2024 por correo electrónico. Esta iniciativa es posible gracias al apoyo de Cultural Survival y WACC - Global. --- 🌿 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 🌿 Laboratorio Popular de Medios Libres, WITNESS, CEFO Indígena and Guardian Project invite communities, movements, organizations and collectives of Abya Yala that are in processes of territorial defense to participate in the School of Communication and Free Technologies for the Common Defense of Territory. The school consists of the use of reporting techniques, data collection, editing, archiving and secure storage of multimedia material to strengthen advocacy in the media, as well as legal strategies for territorial defense. The deadline to apply is June 15, 2024. The application form is available at escuelacomun.yanapak.org (you can also download and send it via email to contacto@yanapak.org). The results of the call for applications will be announced by e-mail on July 15, 2024. Please share this call with your community, interested organizations and wider movements in Latin America! This initiative is made possible with the support of Cultural Survival and WACC - Global.

Today, we're launching 'Evaluating Digital Open Source Imagery: A Guide for Judges & Fact-Finders’ - available in EN, FR, ES, AR, & UKR! This pioneering guide seeks to demystify the complex process of evaluating digital open-source imagery. At its core, the guide aims to equip judges, fact-finders, and decision-makers with the necessary tools to assess the credibility, reliability, and probative value of open source evidence effectively. The guide is the result of a collaboration between WITNESS and leading institutions including Queen Mary University of London, Open Society Justice Initiative, University of California, Berkeley, mnemonic, Swansea University, University of Essex, University of Oxford, and the Centre for Fundamental Rights - Hertie School. https://lnkd.in/eZMu52e7