Carnegie Mellon University
April 17, 2013

Mobile Phones, Citizen Media, and Cameras Everywhere

A Human Rights Revolution or Cause for Concern?

A conversation with Bryan Nunez (Technology Manager, WITNESS) and Enrique Piraces (Senior Online Strategist, Human Rights Watch), moderated by Jay Aronson (Center for Human Rights Science, Carnegie Mellon University)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17
12:00 PM- 1:20 PM
Hamburg Hall 1502


In this conversation, we will examine the ways that social media and the ubiquity of mobile phones with good cameras and internet access are changing how information about human rights violations is gathered, analyzed, and disseminated. We will ask: What are the new possibilities opened up by these technologies? What are the potential pitfalls--e.g., privacy concerns, risks to sources, or the false confidence that we are now able to know everything about what is happening in the world? What are the biggest technical, cultural, and political challenges in this domain? How are the human rights and policy communities responding to these challenges? As smart phones and internet connectivity penetrate evening further into developing communities, will the international community and local NGOs still need to conduct traditional fact-finding missions in coming decades? Bryan and Enrique will also present a few case studies that show how these issues play out in the field.