Shutdown Academy
60 mins
Documenting Human Rights Violations During Internet Shutdowns
- Abstract:
- This course provides guidance on how to safely and effectively document human rights violations with video during internet shutdowns. Aimed at grassroots activists, the course provides practical advice that individuals or small organisations with limited resources can enact.
- About this course:
- Authoritarian regimes, with the cooperation of telecom companies, are increasingly turning to internet shutdowns as a tactic to repress their populations, prevent mobilisation, and stop information about human rights violations from being documented and shared. WITNESS has worked with communities directly affected by shutdowns for many years, and has learned important tips, techniques and strategies from actors on the ground. We share resources in multiple languages to support human rights documentation efforts across the world.
- What do I learn:
- This course is intended to provide individuals and groups with practical tips for continuing to document human rights violations with video in spite of internet shutdowns. In each chapter, the course shares techniques and tools to help keep documenters safer and help ensure that their documentation is preserved, verifiable, and can reach others, even without internet access.
- What do I need to know:
- This course does not require any specialized knowledge, but it does focus specifically on aspects of video documentation that are impacted by internet shutdowns rather than on video documentation more generally.
Trainers
Yvonne Ng
Yvonne Ng is an audiovisual archivist and the Archives Program Manager at WITNESS. Working at the intersection of human rights, technology, and human rights, Yvonne supports and trains grassroots activists on collecting, managing, and preserving video evidence for advocacy and evidence. Yvonne holds an MA in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation from New York University.
- 1.1 Introduction to course1.2 Why video documentation as evidence is important1.3 Video documentation as evidence
- 2.1 Set up your phone for offline documentation2.2 Basic phone security2.3 Additional tip for obscuring your apps or documentation2.4 Choosing documentation apps - Questions to ask yourself2.5 Installing / sharing apps without internet2.6 Reminder: prepare while you have internet access2.7 Case study: How do Ugandan activists prepare for internet shutdowns?
- 3.1 Intro - challenges to maintaining verifiable video during a shutdown3.2 How to make your video more verifiable3.3 Backing up your media without internet or a computer3.4 Case study: Preserving evidence during internet shutdowns in Latin America3.5 Video as evidence of abuse during presidential elections in Uganda, Adebayo Okeowo3.6 Maintaining verifiable video during a shutdown
- 4.1 Sharing with Bluetooth, Wifi direct, and nearby share4.2 Using a wireless drive or wireless network4.3 Using P2P tools for communication and sharing4.4 Circumventing blocked sites: VPNs and DNS servers4.5 Circumventing internet shutdowns in with Cuba and other countries in Latin America4.6 Countering state violence and false government narratives in Colombia
- 5.1 Wrap up video5.2 Course survey
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Suggested reading
Blog
Defending Online Freedom: Three Organisations in Action
Internet freedom has been threatened globally due to the rise of censorship, internet shutdowns, and surveillance. Such actions have significantly impacted individuals' ability to access information, express themselves freely, and communicate with others online. In this blog, we will discuss three such organisations. Each of these organisations shared with us insights learned from their experiences as part of our new shutdown academy courses.
Blog
How The Economist uses IODA to report on Internet shutdowns
This is a case study from our course ‘Detecting Internet Shutdowns with IODA’, in our Internet Shutdown Academy, which features 10 courses in seven languages taught by experts from leading organisations. It is designed to educate activists, journalists, and anyone impacted by internet disruptions and online censorship.
Blog
Relaunching Stronger: Discover Exciting Updates on Advocacy Assembly!
We're excited to announce the launch of our new website! Read more!
Blog
Internet Shutdown Mentored Training Program
Advocacy Assembly presents the Shutdown mentored training program, a six-week online initiative that features international experts and provides participants with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to prepare better for shutdowns and build an Internet shutdown advocacy campaign.
Blog
The human cost of internet shutdowns
In the age of technology, the internet has become a crucial aspect of daily life for millions of people around the world. From online shopping to social media and communication, the internet has changed the way we interact with one another and access information. However, internet shutdowns are increasingly becoming a common occurrence in many countries, with potentially serious consequences for citizens and their rights.
Blog
Case study: Experiencing a shutdown in Cuba during protests
In July 2021, Cuba saw the largest protests in more than 100 years taking place throughout the country. Cubans flooded the streets to demand better access to food, water, medicine, and COVID-19 vaccines, calling for government reforms. The first protest took place in a small town out of Havana called San Antonio de los Baros. The unrest was live-streamed on Facebook and had a domino effect throughout the country. Read more..