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Crisis documentation

The “It's Real” Project: Mobile authentication of human rights evidence, title, patent, copyright, and contract documentation.

Short Project Overview: 

Authentication of documents can be the difference between real power and cheap paper. The "It's Real" Project will foster cheap and simple experiments in third-party authentication to apply voicemail/SMS/MMS/email/online technologies to authenticate documents and agreements.   If the simple techniques demonstrated by the "It's Real" project are widely copied, it will have succeeded. 

 

Detailed Project Overview: 

Introduction

Information and Communications Technologies, particularly inexpensive mobile technologies, have not been fully exploited to help address the problems of inadequate authentication and documentation. The "It's Real" Project would foster cheap and simple experiments in third-party authentication to apply voicemail/SMS/MMS/email/online technologies to authenticate documents and agreements.  The “It’s Real” Project would focus on creating trusted third-party relationships, using appropriate technology.

An example of human rights documentation

Let's take a simple example.  To successfully prosecute an alleged war criminal, victim testimony is crucial.  The ideal testimony is from someone with first-hand knowledge, shortly after the event.  Oral, in court testimony is sometimes not technically feasible, and always runs the risk of the victim dying or forgetting before testifying.  Authenticated written affidavits traditionally require a notary, which may not be available shortly after an atrocity.  A human rights researcher who presents a ten-year old transcript of second-hand statement risks being ignored by a court, due to a lack of authentication.  If the same human rights researcher had emailed the statement to a trustworthy third party, and the witness sent an sms authenticating the statement to a trustworthy third party, that statement is much more likely to be considered reliable.  The SMS and email can leave traces regarding the date, time, source and location of the statement.  The end result: the court finds that an atrocity has occurred, beyond a reasonable doubt.  Impunity is lessened.  Helped by a simple SMS and email.

History

Historically, authentication of documents was literally in the hands of the powerful.  A seal, stamp, ribbon, or placement in an officially restricted location showed that a document had legal force.  The logic was in part based on the difficulty of replicating these indicia of reliability, and in part on keeping the power of documentation under tight control.  These documents are not only the basis of traditional history, but the building blocks of the reality backed by the law.  Complex structures of power need documentation to function.  Over time, for the sake of efficiency, many indicia of reliability fell into disuse.  But authentication remains a problem for many.

A flexible approach to appropriate technology

A simple example of documenting human rights abuse was detailed above.  Of course, depending on the technology available, the authentication could vary.  For example, it could also include a MMS documenting physical evidence or the presence of those involved (e.g. the researcher and the survivor).  On the other end, for survivors who are not literate or who are uncomfortable with technology, a system for archiving voicemail may be helpful.  For those with the appropriate technology and need, attachments can be authenticated with the appropriate checksum.  An SMS can indicate an index number for a separate document as well as a brief description, without having to recapitulate the entire document.  The purpose is not to create a single perfect authentication system, but to use appropriate technology to cheaply and simply increase the authentication options available to those currently underserved.

Relationships and institutionalization

Technology will change with the time and place, but a common need will be reliable relationships between people and institutions.  These relationships would be the primary focus of the “It’s Real” project.  An institution that derives its institutional meaning from being a reliable third-party, which can reliably keep a record of communications sent to it, is an important part of a sustainable authentication/documentation solution.  While ad hoc, entirely decentralized solutions may serve some needs, creating a “center of gravity” for documentation can be helpful for efficiency, reliability, and sustainability.  Such an institution may be called a “digital documentation center,” a “registry,” an “archive,” or something else, but the “It’s Real” project will assist experiments in setting up such institutions, or augmenting existing institutions.  This function can be largely automated, and almost free, but it does need to be maintained.  Under certain circumstances, privacy concerns will require ongoing policy development and proper management.

The many uses of authenticating human rights evidence

Those on the margins of society often have the most difficult time authenticating documents, even if they have an urgent need to document human rights abuses they have survived, physical property they have title to, intellectual property they own, contracts they’ve entered,.  Examples of authenticating evidence of human rights abuses have already been described.  Such evidence is important not only in criminal trials, but also potentially in civil trials, truth commissions and inquiries, memorials, scholarship, activism, governmental reform, and the whole panoply of transitional justice tools.  This is particularly useful for those interested in civil society and governance, gender-based violence, international justice, refugees, war crimes, and crisis documentation.

Other uses: Title, patent, copyright, and contract documentation

The uses of such a system go well beyond documentation of atrocity.  With regards to documenting ownership of physical and intellectual property, this authentication can be extremely important for the protection of individuals and communal social, economic, and cultural rights (human rights which are often neglected).  A seminal work on the importance of equalizing access to “title,” recognized documents which allow an individual to maximize the use of physical property, is The Mystery of Capital by Hernando De Soto.  He proved titling can happen cheaply in the global south, and that titling effort can address economic human rights.  While property ownership in the sense of a socially recognized set of rights with response to property is often widespread in the informal economy, those that lack title to the property cannot invest in that property with assurance.  Similarly, MMS/email/online forms could help document the intellectual property of marginalized individuals (from use of natural remedies, to design, to music, to invention) that might otherwise be expropriated by more privileged actors.  Similarly, contracts can empower individuals, but only if those contracts are enforceable.  Authenticating an agreement at a minimal cost can help empower individuals.  These uses are particularly important for those interested in agriculture and food security, economic growth, housing, titling, and intellectual property.

Conclusion

If new techniques of mobile authentication in the global south are shown to work, the demonstration effect could be enormous.  The tools for self-empowerment may literally already be in the hands of those who have access to mobile phones.  With over 4 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, that is a lot of potential empowerment.

What else have you done in this area?: 

This is a complicated area, which includes law, field work, IT, and archival work.

I am an attorney, currently practicing international criminal law in The Hague.  I deal with evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity every day.  I helped file on behalf of the former Prime Minister of Haiti before the Inter American Commision on Human Rights. 

I have worked in the field in Cambodia, Haiti, and elsewhere on human rights documentation and training since the mid-1990s. 

I helped to develop databases to document the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge for the Documentation Center of Cambodia and the Cambodian Genocide Program at Yale University.  I have consulted with human rights groups on information technology and outreach strategies. 

I have worked at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and developed archival solutions using ISIS and UNIDOCS standards. 

Is there a video that helps describe your Project? If so, enter the embed code here: 
Does your Project have financial support?: 
No
Is the impact area of your Project global?: 
Yes
Type of expertise needed: 
Management Expertise
Description: 

In order to move the "It's Real" project from concept to reality, the project will need to be managed and lead.  Experience managing projects in the global south on a limited budget would be helpful.

Type of expertise needed: 
Marketing/Media Expertise
Description: 

The "It's Real" project requires buy-in by a large number of people.  That requires marketing.  Proper use of radio is often an important outreach tool.

Type of expertise needed: 
Technical Expertise
Description: 

Programming would be required to optimize use of phone records and incoming documentation.  This would not be necessary with an ad hoc, decentralized approach, but would be necessary for an efficient digital documentation center.

Sustainability (financial) Model: 

The costs involved should be comparably minor, as receiving a phone call, SMS, MMS, or email is not expensive.  Income could be derived from usage fees (sending the authenticating communication or getting a record of the recommendation).  In order for widespread scalability, the operators of an digital documentation center should be able to turn a reasonable profit, although in certain situations state financing or operation or charitable operation may be appropriate.  The idea is for the model to be easily replicable around the world without the need for funding or training.

Identified Obstacles: 

The most crucial obstacle is acceptance in the field.  Language barriers, cultural barriers, and start-up costs will all provide early stumbling blocks.

Project Milestones: 

Establishing the first digital documentation center would be an important first milestone.  It's first year of self-financing would be another.  The next and most important milestone may not be known until well after it happens: the first digital documentation center that arises without any outside support, based only on the demonstration effect of other digital documentation centers, would show the real success of the "It's Real" project.  Eventually, professional organizations and communities of digital documentation centers may arise, just as they have arisen for traditional human rights documentation efforts.

Ushahidi: Mapping Reports of Post-Election Violence in Kenya

Project URL: 
http://www.ushahidi.com
What will change in the world because this Project happens?: 

Ushahidi was initially set up to mainly document incidents of violence, looting etc. during the post-election crisis in Kenya. Over time the website began document peace efforts and ways to help.

The impetus behind the website was a belief that the number of deaths being reported by the government, police, and media is grossly underreported. We also were of the view that we don't have a true picture of what is really happened/is happening- reports that all have us have heard from family and friends in affected areas suggests that things are were worse than what we have heard in the media. Beyond trying to present are fuller picture of what happened based on citizen reported information, we also want to create an archive of events that occured after the election results were announced.

Once we are done with the mapping of incidents, we also hope that we can begin to put names and faces to the people who have lost their lives and create a memorial of sorts.

What’s the point of all this you might ask?

Well, Kenyans have demonstrated their capacity for selective amnesia time and time again. When this crisis comes to an end, we don’t want what happened to be swept under the rug in the name of “moving forward” - for us to truly move forward, the full story of what happened needs to be told - Ushahidiis our small way of contributing to that.

 

Ushahidi will change in the world in the following ways:

  1. There will be more awareness about incidents of violence of looting in post-election Kenya, these incidents may not have neccessarily been covered by mainstream media. There will also be a visual timeline of the events post Dec 27, allowing people to track points of escalation and cooling down.
  2. More information about efforts to promote peace by Kenyan citizens on the ground and information on how people can help.
  3. There will be a digital archive or "memorial" of sorts for the events that have happened in Kenya so that we can never forget.
  4. There will be a documentation of information that can be used in any future peace and reconciliation efforts.
  5. There will be an opportunity of the hitherto unnamed and unseen victims of the violence to tell their stories.
  6. There will be a model that can be replicated in other future crisis events.
What information will people interact with to make this change?: 

Ushahidi consists of citizen-provided data - reports of violence from the ground in Kenya via mobile phones (SMS), email and the website form. We geocode this data using the Google Maps API.

What we're looking to do is add additional functionality, including more specific points on the map of Kenya for each incident, meaning additional map overlays. We would also like to create a "heat map" that shows which areas are in deeper conflict at a specific time. Some thought has been given to marrying this idea up with the current timeline feature.

Lastly, we would like to add a seperate data point, "news". This presents a great opportunity to link news stories with citizen reported violence, YouTube videos and Flickr images to give a wholistic viewpoint on any one report.

Ideas surrounding how to handle duplication of content, better geocoding, map overlays and how to best integrate other APIs are greatly appreciated!

What else have you done in this Cause Area?: 

Ory Okolloh is the co-founder of www.mzalendo.com (a website that keeps an eye on the Kenyan Parliament). She is a graduate of Harvard Law School and is best known for her blog coverage of the Kenyan election and post-election fallout on KenyanPundit.com.

Erik Hersman is the founder of www.afrigadget.com, and WhiteAfrican.com, where he analyzes and talks about developments in the web and mobile space and how they affect Africa.

David Kobia is the founder of www.ihavenotribe.com, TextHQ and Mashada. With a background in web design and application development.

Is there a video that helps describe your Project? If so, enter the embed code here: 
Project RSS Feed: 
http://blog.ushahidi.com/index.php/feed/
Organization Supporting your project, if any: 
None at the moment
Does your Project have financial support?: 
No
What kind of help or resources do you need to turn your project idea into a completed mashup?: 

Ushahidi was whipped together over a 2-day period at the beginning of January. It was of the utmost importance that the website get up quickly so that it could be used immediately. However, in doing so, we took some development shortcuts.

In short, Ushahidi has to be re-written. It's currently in ASP, and we would like to convert it over to PhP for scalability and openness. Our goal would be to have a replicable solution for other violence related crisis situations, open enough for other developers to contribute.

Ideas surrounding how to handle duplication of content, better geocoding, map overlays and how to best integrate other APIs are greatly appreciated!

List URLs that link to, or describe, your mashup data sources: 

http://maps.google.com (map solution)

http://www.ushahidi.com (citizen-provided crisis data)

Additional Project Idea Representative: 
Ory Okolloh
Project Designer: 
Erik Hersman
Project Designer NetSquared Member Name: 
ehersman
Project Engineer: 
David Kobia
Project Engineer NetSquared Member Name: 
dkobia

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