New Publication on Evidence and Verification in Opinio Juris

On visual evidence, verification, and "raising the bar."

I'm thrilled to announce the publication of a new article I co-authored alongside Yvonne McDermott Rees and Stephen Sharp Queener in Opinio Juris.

The article, titled “Old Doubts, New Doubts: Evaluating Digital Open Source Imagery in the Courtroom” gave me the opportunity to consider pressing issues surrounding the verification of digital open source imagery (OSI). While raising the bar for evidence standards is often seen as beneficial, it also raises concerns about excluding genuine evidence that may not yet meet these higher thresholds. It’s an existential question for our research at the Lab!

That’s because the work of the Law program is committed to enhancing the baseline for digital evidence verification and increasing our readiness to interrogate all forms of digital evidence. Our approach includes:

• Supporting the development of stronger verification techniques, as detailed in Yvonne’s group’s recently launched Guide for Judges and Fact-finders.

• Promoting the awareness that audio-visual content does not "speak for itself."

• Encouraging the adoption and literacy of industry standards and innovations for provenance and content integrity.

I have long admired Yvonne’s work at the TRUE project and have been an avid reader of Opinio Juris, so contributing to this publication is truly a privilege. Huge thanks to Sarah Zarmsky, Jessica Dorsey, and the OpinioJuris team for their support in bringing this article to life.

Read the full article and join the conversation on the future of digital evidence in the courtroom!

Best.
-basile