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Article

15 May 2015

Author:
Tanya O'Carrol, Amnesty International, on Ethical Consumer (UK)

Commentary: Opportunities & challenges for new mobile technologies to support & protect human rights defenders

"Mobile technologies helping activists and human rights defenders"

...Marta, a Honduran human rights defender...faces constant risk of reprisal...[J]ournalists and human rights defenders have been killed or disappeared...The network has to be careful and equipped...Apps like StoryMaker have turned it into a discrete kit for a journalist...This is integrated with InformaCam, which allows her to upload fresh footage automatically to a secure server whilst deleting the evidence from her phone should she be arrested. The app also ‘stamps’ the uploaded footage with metadata, such as time, date and location, that will later help to verify it for use as evidence...Marta also has Panic Button on standby on her phone should she be physically threatened...[T]he apps mentioned exists in some stage of development...The problem is that what is possible to achieve with emerging mobile technologies is still leaps and bounds ahead of viable, sustainable products that have been truly designed to meet the needs of those they profess to help...more efforts to engage with and include users in a participatory design process will make a difference...There is great potential for mobile technologies to offer direct and practical assistance to journalists and human rights defenders...