[Ssc-dev] Press Request about InformaCam

Tue Jan 29 13:58:27 EST 2013

Hi all - some edits below. Looks like we need to come to a conclusion on #2.

Sam

On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 12:56 PM, Bryan Nunez <bryan at witness.org> wrote:

> Nice work Nathan and Harlo!  I just added my 2 cents to the first
> question, otherwise I think it's pretty good.
>
> Thanks,
> Bryan
>
> On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 12:43 PM, Sam Gregory <sam at witness.org> wrote:
>
>> Will review once out of my meeting - so give me an hour or so.
>> S
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 12:38 PM, Harlo Holmes <
>> harlo at guardianproject.info> wrote:
>>
>>> Yeah, replace my #2 with what Nathan says.  I hate answering those
>>> questions...
>>>
>>>  And yes, for #1, you can send it off via email (or better yet,
>>> PGP-encrypted email) to someone and still maintain your data.
>>>
>>> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>>> Research Fellow, Head of Metadata
>>> The Guardian Project <https://guardianproject.info>
>>>
>>> pgp: 0xA4469630
>>> twitter: @harlo
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 12:32 PM, Nathan of Guardian <
>>> nathan at guardianproject.info> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> A few addition/mods inline - Sam/Bryan, please take a look, to make
>>>> sure we aren't straying too far from or missing any major points.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 01/30/2013 12:16 AM, Harlo Holmes wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 10:43 AM, Nathan of Guardian <
>>>> nathan at guardianproject.info> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> 1. Does the recipient of the photo or video file also need the app or are there other ways to process the data?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>  An InformaCam user is supposed to submit their media to a remote
>>>> server, which process the photo or video.  The user can always choose to
>>>> export their photo once it's been taken, and it can be looked at on the
>>>> web, shared over twitter, or posted to a blog. However, exporting "breaks
>>>> the seal" so to speak, and the data can no longer necessarily be trusted.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hmm. Is this true though? Couldn't someone decrypt/parse/verify the
>>>> metadata in the image, as long as they had the spec for J3M and the
>>>> InformaCam embed info? I can send a signed/encrypted OpenPGP email through
>>>> an insecure system w/o corrupting the email itself, right?
>>>>
>>>> I think it is okay to say that from a legal perspective, we want to
>>>> keep it in a closed system, but that from a format perspective and from
>>>> usages outside the legal area, we want to have an open, non-proprietary
>>>> format that many tools can support.
>>>>
>>>
>>>>
> Would it be helpful to mention the hash function here?  The
> trustworthiness of the data isn't the issue but rather maintaining the
> chain of custody.  Sending the hash to a trusted repository in advance of
> uploading the file helps to do that.
>

SAM: Can someone tidy up this response; I think we need to emphasize the
remote server is run by a human rights group, a news org, an individual
etc. But someone you pick whom you trust. Also need to incorporate the
questions Nathan raised, Bryans comment re hashing (relevant in any broader
application of informacam like functionalities, e.g. on a platform), and
Harlo's response re sending via email too.

>
>
>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 2. How do you make sure that the files are not manipulated via hacking the app or so?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>  We are carefully and continuously auditing our code so as to
>>>> minimize ways the app can be hacked.  We are an open source project, and
>>>> encourage members of our community to help make our code more robust.  We
>>>> are also aware of "the analog hole" in digital media, which never fails to
>>>> poke holes in even the most foil-proof systems of security.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I would perhaps say something like this:
>>>>
>>>> With InformaCam we are working towards standards of evidence that are
>>>> held by international criminal courts, and making sure that in doing so we
>>>> raise the bar for a whole range of other users seeking verification, such
>>>> as news organizations handling citizen-sourced media. Through our
>>>> partnership with the International Bar Association, we are trying to
>>>> understand what it takes for an app to provide enough checks and metadata
>>>> to make media much more admissible and probative. We also think that in
>>>> some cases, the app and mobile device itself could become part of the
>>>> verified evidence or part of the process of confirmation, much like a gun
>>>> being matched to a bullet or a particular system can be verified as
>>>> technologically reliable..
>>>>
>>>
SAM: Have made some amends above. Does Nathan's answer fully go to the
hacking side? I think he's asking more about the possibilities of spoofing
etc? The evidence side is going to be more about improving admissibility
not an absolute guarantee.

>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 3. Is there a way to verify user-generated content that was not shot or edited using InformaCam?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>  Forensic analysts specializing in digital media have plenty of
>>>> methods of verifying photos and videos; we employ some of those methods
>>>> when processing media submitted from the app to the servers.  However, one
>>>> of InformaCam's key concepts is establishing an auditable chain-of-custody
>>>> to lend weight to the "trustworthyness" of the media.  This is something
>>>> that cannot be done with forensics alone.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I would add this:
>>>>
>>>> This is not to minimize the potential of combining InformaCam with
>>>> social or crowd-source verification, as we have seen Andy Carvin at NPR do,
>>>> or what the team of editors at Storyful.com do. From a news journalism
>>>> perspective, being able to reach out and cross-verify a photo or video from
>>>> multiple independent eyewitness sources using good journalistic practice,
>>>> should complement and build on sorting through data and code. Ultimately,
>>>> we see our work with InformaCam providing more data points to both
>>>> journalistic and legal verification processes, not replacing them.
>>>>
>>>> SAM: Minor amends above. Good to reflect the fact that this can
complement both forensics approaches and social/crowd-sourced verification,
and good journalism.

>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 4. Will the app stay limited to Android devices? Will it be available via the official channels (Google Play, AppStore etc.)? When will the pilot version be available?
>>>>>
>>>>>  We are piloting the app with partner organizations instead of
>>>> releasing to the general public just yet.
>>>>
>>>> , however, the source code is completely open-source, and available for
>>>> any interested users or groups to join in the development and testing
>>>> process. Ultimately, we do feel InformaCam can be relevant to activities
>>>> beyond documenting human rights and global crisis, be it documenting an
>>>> insurance claim, or gathering rich metadata for historic or personal
>>>> archiving reasons.
>>>>
>>>
   We do think about developing a version for iOS, but Android is better
>>>> suited to this project for so many reasons: world-wide reach, licensing,
>>>> and most importantly, hardware.  As we've recently seen with the release of
>>>> the Nikon Coolpix and Samsung Galaxy cameras, Android is becoming better
>>>> integrated with better pro-sumer hardware; it's exciting to see where this
>>>> is leading. Ultimately we'd like to see the types of 'citizen witnessing'
>>>> functionalities we're developing with InformaCam mainstreamed into everyday
>>>> tools for filming and sharing.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> SAM: Minor adds.

>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Sam Gregory
>> Program Director
>> WITNESS
>> 80 Hanson Place
>> Brooklyn, NY, 11217, USA
>> Tel: 718 783 2000, ext 309
>> Fax: 718 783 1593
>> Email: sam at witness.org
>> Follow me on Twitter: @samgregory, @witnessorg, #video4change
>> Blog: blog.witness.org/author/sam
>> www.witness.org
>>
>> See It. Film It. Change It.
>>
>> WITNESS and The Guardian Project have been named a Knight News Challenge
>> for Mobile winner for InformaCam <http://blog.witness.org/2013/01/how-informacam-improves-verification-of-mobile-media-files/>-
>> a mobile app that improves verification of mobile video and photos.
>> *
>> *
>> New Blog: Visual Anonymity and YouTube's New Blurring Tool<http://blog.witness.org/2012/07/visual-anonymity-and-youtubes-new-blurring-tool/>
>>
>> Have you seen the new Human Rights Channel<http://www.youtube.com/humanrights>on YouTube?
>> <http://blog.witness.org/2012/03/kony-2012-juggling-advocacy-audience-and-agency-when-using-video4change>
>> Read our new report "Cameras Everywher<http://www.witness.org/cameras-everywhere/report-2011>e"
>> for recommendations on what we can all be doing to make the use of video
>> for human rights safer and more effective
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Bryan Nunez
> Technology Manager
> WITNESS
> +1 (718) 783-2000 x-348
> GPG ID: 54E3286C7C631254
> GPG Fingerprint: 6115 6A41 0F5A 9AA0 67B6 79D8 54E3 286C 7C63 1254
>
> Check out our Human Rights Channel <http://www.youtube.com/humanrights> on
> YouTube
>

-- 
Sam Gregory
Program Director
WITNESS
80 Hanson Place
Brooklyn, NY, 11217, USA
Tel: 718 783 2000, ext 309
Fax: 718 783 1593
Email: sam at witness.org
Follow me on Twitter: @samgregory, @witnessorg, #video4change
Blog: blog.witness.org/author/sam
www.witness.org

See It. Film It. Change It.

WITNESS and The Guardian Project have been named a Knight News Challenge
for Mobile winner for InformaCam
<http://blog.witness.org/2013/01/how-informacam-improves-verification-of-mobile-media-files/>-
a mobile app that improves verification of mobile video and photos.
*
*
New Blog: Visual Anonymity and YouTube's New Blurring
Tool<http://blog.witness.org/2012/07/visual-anonymity-and-youtubes-new-blurring-tool/>

Have you seen the new Human Rights
Channel<http://www.youtube.com/humanrights>on YouTube?
<http://blog.witness.org/2012/03/kony-2012-juggling-advocacy-audience-and-agency-when-using-video4change>
Read our new report "Cameras
Everywher<http://www.witness.org/cameras-everywhere/report-2011>e"
for recommendations on what we can all be doing to make the use of video
for human rights safer and more effective
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