WITNESS

Description

WITNESS is a global human rights organization that helps people use video and audiovisual technology to document truth and defend human rights. It was founded in 1992 by musician and activist Peter Gabriel, with support from Human Rights First, after a bystander video of police violence showed the power of video evidence. WITNESS is based in Brooklyn, New York, and works across five continents.

It equips activists, journalists, fact-checkers and other human rights defenders with training, tools and strategies to document abuses and establish the authenticity of video, including in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. WITNESS has partnered with more than 300 human rights groups in over 80 countries since its founding.

Its work is organized around three priorities. The first supports video for land defense and the climate crisis, including exposing environmental violations and countering AI-driven disinformation. The second strengthens video evidence used to hold governments and perpetrators accountable for violence and repression. The third shapes how audiovisual technologies, infrastructure and policy are built and governed, and helps activists detect AI-generated deception.