Digital Witness Lab collects data to expose surveillance, misinformation, and other harms on digital platforms. We build independent, public, and transparent resources to scrutinize data-driven technologies so we can demand accountability for their harms. The Lab is a response to the challenge posed by opaque technologies and their harmful impacts on individuals and communities, and the lack of tools available to get the data that is needed to understand, expose and seek accountability for these harms. We want to establish the Lab as a reputable node in the larger network of actors working on tech accountability and investigative journalism. We have been in start-up mode for the past year, and this grant will give us the resources to transition into the next stage of our organizational development. Specifically we’ll be able to: continue building out programmatic work including flagship projects such as WhatsApp Watch; deepen partnerships and other offerings (e.g. trainings, workshops, conferences) with the Brown Institute and other partners to establish a cohort of digital investigators globally; expand our core capacity to support development of an effective and impactful team; and develop a strategic plan for the next few years to support the development of a financially sustainable initiative.
Digital Witness Lab
