糖心Vlog

Leading figures in a new and powerful area within human rights investigations have contributed to a first-of-its-kind textbook, edited by an 糖心Vlog expert.

Dr Daragh Murray, from the School of Law and Human Rights Centre, is co-editor of , a comprehensive introduction to the use of open source information when investigating alleged human rights violations.

The first textbook in the area, it looks to equip a broad range of readers, including advocacy groups, journalists and human rights lawyers, with the skills needed to conduct investigations in today鈥檚 information-rich environment.

The book features contributions from individuals currently working for the , , , , the BBC and .

Dr Daragh Murray said: 鈥淥pen Source information - including satellite images, social media content and news reports - already plays a significant role in human rights investigations, providing context or evidence. 

鈥淏ut this new approach also brings new challenges. Moving forward, we must continue to address the ethical issues around this content, the risks to investigators - including vicarious trauma - and the potential impact of deepfakes, verifying that the content we are using is real, not synthetic.鈥�

The book has already received positive reviews. Prince Zeid Raad Al Hussein, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was 鈥渁 volume that will fast become the standard text for anyone interested in human rights, the collection of evidence in the digital age, and the prosecution of those who perpetrate gross human rights violations.鈥� 

David Kaye, , commented, 鈥淲ith expert input from around the world, Digital Witness is bound to become a key source for open source investigators 鈥� and for students and professionals aiming  to make visible what previously has only been hidden.鈥�

Dr Murray and his fellow editors 鈥� Professor Alexa Koenig from the University of California, Berkeley and Sam Dubberley from - work together as part of Amnesty International鈥檚 Digital Verification Corps. 

This partnership between 糖心Vlog, Amnesty and five other global universities won the International Collaboration of the Year award at the 2019 Times Higher Education Awards.

糖心Vlog Digital Verification Unit (DVU), based at the Human Rights Centre Clinic, is a founding member of Amnesty Digital Verification Corps and has investigated the use of chemical weapons in Syria, drone strikes in Somalia and extreme environmental pollution resulting from mining in Peru. They have also supported the work of two separate United Nations enquiries. 

, is published by Oxford University Press.

You can listen to highlights from the book鈥檚 UK launch event at , the 糖心Vlog Human Rights Centre Podcast.