WITNESS

WITNESS We fight to make sure that video and technology work for, and not against, human rights ✊🏽 Learn more: http://witness.org 🤳🏾 Tour. by Los Angeles police.
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The story of WITNESS is one of both vision and evolution. It began in 1988, the year musician and activist Peter Gabriel traveled with Amnesty International’s Human Rights Now! Peter brought along a Sony Handycam, one of the first small camcorders marketed to consumers, to record the stories he heard. In 1991, a bystander captured on videotape the brutal beating of Rodney King, Jr. The footage, fl

ashed on TV screens around the globe, initiated an international conversation about police brutality and racial discrimination. Those images demonstrated the immense power of video to capture the world’s attention and viscerally communicate human rights abuses. With the momentum generated by reactions to the King video, Peter was able to realize his visionary idea of putting film at the forefront of human rights campaigns. With a one million dollar seed grant from the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and a partnership with the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (now Human Rights First), WITNESS was born in 1992, becoming an independent nonprofit organization in 2001.

03/04/2026

The fight to protect visual truth has always belonged to the people 🗣️

For 30 years, we’ve worked to ensure you have the tools you need to win it.

See how the fight has evolved and how you can join us in defending our ability to trust what we see and hear ✊🏽

In Minneapolis, video evidence exposed violence, challenged false narratives, and demanded accountability. But in the ag...
02/24/2026

In Minneapolis, video evidence exposed violence, challenged false narratives, and demanded accountability. But in the age of generative AI, the same tools that document reality are also being used to distort it.

A recent feature by The New York Times highlighting WITNESS’ work shows that we are living in a paradoxical moment: video can still reveal the truth, while synthetic media increasingly threatens its credibility.

At WITNESS, we believe that preserving a trustworthy record is still possible and essential for accountability, democracy, and human rights, but it requires real safeguards against synthetic deception.

🔗 Link in bio to read more.

02/18/2026

When anything can be faked, anything can be dismissed as fake. This erosion of trust has become a dangerous weapon against the people we need most: human rights defenders and journalists risking everything to document injustice 🤳🏽

That’s where WITNESS comes in. Over the last year, we launched the Fortifying Community Truth Project in West Africa to elevate the role and influence of community-based human rights defenders and journalists in the fight against disinformation.

From Nigeria, Senegal, and Ghana to Cameroon and Sierra Leone, these community-based practitioners are proving what’s possible when communities unite to resist state-sponsored gaslighting, reclaim their narratives, and fight for justice ✊🏽

Following the success of the inaugural cohort, we expanded the FCT to East Africa and are currently working with investigative journalists and strengthening their capacity to defend their communities’ truths against denial and disinformation.

🔗 Want to help fortify truth in your community? Download our guide: wit.to/VerificationGuide (link in bio)

After two years of mass protests and civic unrest, Bangladesh’s general election takes place in a high-risk information ...
02/11/2026

After two years of mass protests and civic unrest, Bangladesh’s general election takes place in a high-risk information environment, with the possibility of major constitutional change.

To support journalists, citizen observers, and community organizers, Activate Rights and WITNESS have developed guides and tipsheets on how to safely and responsibly document election-related violence and irregularities. These resources were created with the support of Artivism Studio.

Access the resources in Bangla through the link: wit.to/BangladeshElections

In 2025, we saw rapid advancements in AI-generation capabilities that challenged our ability to distinguish what’s real ...
02/09/2026

In 2025, we saw rapid advancements in AI-generation capabilities that challenged our ability to distinguish what’s real from what’s synthetic. Critically, this development fueled a rise in “plausible deniability,” allowing bad actors to dismiss authentic evidence of human rights violations with the claim that “It’s just AI.” 😵‍💫

Swipe through to see the five lessons we learned from our work in 2025 showing where AI deception is headed and what detection challenges we’ll need to face in 2026. 

🔍 Read the full article to learn more about what needs to change at wit.to/AI-2025

🌐 To help WITNESS continue to ensure our digital future is built around transparency, accountability, and human rights, please consider donating at wit.to/donate

02/05/2026

What’s happening with Grok shouldn’t be treated as just another AI scandal. It’s the most severe example yet of a harm that’s been building for years. It exposes a familiar but amplified pattern: the absence of consent in synthetic media.

Generative AI is making gender-based abuse scalable, and once this content is created, it doesn’t stay in one place. It moves across platforms, forums, and even search results, becoming harder to contain or remove. That’s why platform accountability, among other measures, is so necessary.

🔗 Watch our video and read more here: wit.to/GrokArticle (link in bio)

From the U.S. to Venezuela and Iran, courageous witnesses are on the ground risking their lives to document human rights...
02/03/2026

From the U.S. to Venezuela and Iran, courageous witnesses are on the ground risking their lives to document human rights abuses and defend the truth 🤳🏾

However, a video alone is NOT ENOUGH, especially in the age of AI and manipulated media 🚫

🗂️ To learn more about how you can maximize the likelihood your footage can be used for evidence and advocacy, check out our guide at: wit.to/VideoArchiving-Miniguide (link in bio)

When governments shut down the internet, entire communities are cut off from communication, services, and the ability to...
01/23/2026

When governments shut down the internet, entire communities are cut off from communication, services, and the ability to document what’s happening.

Direct-to-Cell (D2C) satellite connectivity can change this. By linking ordinary smartphones directly to satellites, it has the potential to maintain communication during internet shutdowns, supporting humanitarian response, access to information, and the documentation of human rights abuses.

Swipe through to learn why D2C matters and what governments and companies must do to ensure humanitarian access.

🔗 Learn more at direct2cell.org (link in bio)

So you filmed a protest, arrest, or immigration raid - now what? 📽️The most powerful footage means nothing if it’s lost,...
01/23/2026

So you filmed a protest, arrest, or immigration raid - now what? 📽️

The most powerful footage means nothing if it’s lost, deleted, or puts people in danger. Preserving and sharing your documentation responsibly can mean the difference between protecting your community or exposing them to greater harm.

Part 3 of our series covers considerations and critical steps for AFTER you stop recording📱

🫱🏽‍🫲🏿 Do NOT share without consent from those impacted
💻 Follow the 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies, 2 locations, 1 with a trusted person
👩🏽‍💻 NEVER edit the original file

For more resources, check out our Immigrant Rights Collection: wit.to/Immigrant-Rights (link in bio)

As immigration enforcement continues to target communities nationwide, people are rising up in solidarity! Whether you’r...
01/22/2026

As immigration enforcement continues to target communities nationwide, people are rising up in solidarity! Whether you’re protesting against immigration enforcement or documenting ICE arrests/ raids directly, your camera can be a powerful tool for resisting, exposing human rights abuses, and amplifying the voices of those demanding justice.

Part 2 of our series covers tips for filming immigration enforcement in the U.S. safely and effectively 📹

📍Capture verifiable details (WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE)
🚨Focus on law enforcement, NOT community members
🎥 Document from multiple angles when safe

Explore our full Immigrant Rights Collection: wit.to/Immigrant-Rights (link in bio)

Video is playing a critical role in exposing immigration enforcement’s unlawful tactics and challenging “official” narra...
01/21/2026

Video is playing a critical role in exposing immigration enforcement’s unlawful tactics and challenging “official” narratives in the U.S. In response, communities are organizing, protesting, and documenting these abuses 🤳🏾

At WITNESS, we support those documenting human rights abuses in doing so safely, ethically, and effectively. Part 1 of our series covers how to prepare BEFORE going to film.

🔒 Secure your devices before filming.
🛡️ Do NOT expose the identities of protesters.
⛑️ Prioritize SAFETY!

Visit wit.to/Immigrant-Rights to see our full collection of resources (link in bio).

Address

Suite 26641/WITNESS Inc 228 Park Avenue South New City
New York, NY
10003

Telephone

+17187832000

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