Documentation for Human Rights Investigations in a Digital World: Opportunities and Harms

When: Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM
Where: Sir Joseph Hotung Auditorium, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford, Mansfield Rd, Oxford, OX1 3TF

A panel discussion on how open source information, satellite imagery, and digital data have revolutionised human rights documentation

Join the event to explore how open source information, satellite imagery, and digital data have revolutionised human rights documentation. This session examines how investigators now verify abuses in previously inaccessible regions and create compelling evidence for accountability. The panel will discuss methodologies that have transformed human rights work—from analysing social media content to mapping patterns of destruction through remote sensing. Participants will gain insights into both technical approaches and ethical considerations guiding this evolving field. The discussion will critically address potential harms, including verification challenges amid manipulated media, and uneven access to technological resources across global human rights movements. This session offers valuable perspectives for investigators, researchers, students, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology and human rights accountability.

Speakers

Sam Dubberley, Visiting Practitioner Fellow at Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford

Daragh Murray (Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University London School of Law and IHSS Fellow)

Yvonne McDermott Rees (Professor at Swansea University)

Alexa Koening (Co-Faculty Director, Director of Investigations, and Professor at Berkeley HRC)

The event is organised by the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford. For more details visit event web page Documentation for Human Rights Investigations in a Digital.

Illustration: generated by Copilot on 4 July 2025