eyeWitness to Atrocities

eyeWitness to Atrocities, created as an initiative of the International Bar Association, is a UK registered charity that combines technology and legal expertise to support the documentation of atrocity crimes and serious human rights violations. eyeWitness has developed a secure Android app designed to help ensure that digital footage can be authenticated, preserved and used as evidence in accountability processes.

The eyeWitness app enables photos, videos and audio to be securely captured together with verified metadata, including time, date and location. A unique digital fingerprint is created at the point of capture, helping demonstrate that the footage has not subsequently been altered. The app also incorporates security features designed to protect documenters and their footage, including an encrypted gallery that keeps captured content separate from the phone’s standard gallery. Content is encrypted and uploaded to eyeWitness' secure server, hosted by LexisNexis, where it is preserved with the chain of custody maintained.

eyeWitness works with civil society organisations, journalists and human rights defenders around the world, providing the technology and support to help them document serious violations in a way that preserves the evidentiary value of the material they capture. eyeWitness also works to connect relevant documentation with investigators, prosecutors and other accountability mechanisms that may be able to act on it.

Since eyeWitness was established in 2015, documenters have captured more than 100,000 items of footage using the app from conflicts and human rights crises globally, supporting reports, investigations and legal proceedings. By combining technology with legal expertise, eyeWitness helps bridge the gap between documentation and accountability.

How does your project support peacebuilding and/or conflict resolution efforts in the context of a humanitarian crisis or developmental context?

eyeWitness supports peacebuilding by helping communities affected by conflict capture reliable footage of international crimes and serious human rights violations. Our technology enables human rights defenders to capture and securely preserve authenticated photo and video evidence that can support investigations and accountability processes. By helping establish facts and preserve evidence, we contribute to efforts to address impunity and lay foundations for justice and sustainable peace.

In what ways does your project contribute to the existing PeaceTech ecosystem and research efforts in a compelling way?

eyeWitness demonstrates how technology can respond to a fundamental challenge in conflict settings: ensuring digital documentation can be trusted and used for accountability. By combining controlled capture, authentication and secure preservation with legal and evidentiary expertise, we bridge technology and justice. More than 100,000 items have been captured using the eyeWitness app, demonstrating its application at scale across diverse conflict and human rights contexts.

How does your work leverage collaborations and partnerships to unlock new opportunities and maximize impact?

Partnerships are central to our model. We bridge the gap between human rights defenders documenting violations and the investigators, prosecutors and accountability mechanisms that can use their evidence, helping documentation move from capture towards accountability.