challenge
Exposing human right violations and enabling free speech
challenge
Exposing human right violations and enabling free speech
Traditional media lacks the resources and inclination to be much interested in their plight. The technologies and skills required are difficult to obtain for those who need them most. Worse, entrenched authoritarian regimes are becoming more adept and ruthless in cracking down on popular dissent, organized through social networks.
Videre, an NGO created in 2008 by musician Brian Eno, has developed a proven, effective way to expose human rights violations, enable free speech, empower oppressed communities and deter violence. The tools for people to challenge governments over their human rights records are becoming increasingly available yet the skills to use them are not. Videre aims to close that gap. Videre safely trains human rights activists and defenders in vulnerable communities, to film and catalogue human rights violations in ways that can be easily verified by outsiders, such as media outlets. Human rights defenders using the service are often putting their lives at risk. That is why Videre trains them to safely and securely archive their work, including encryption and counter-surveillance techniques.