eyeWitness Global About Focused primarily on conflict zones and areas experiencing human rights violations, eyeWitness Global is an entity that assists in the collection of data to document human rights abuses and facilitate justice. In these contexts, mis- or disinformation tends to present itself mostly in the form of videos and images of human rights violations and abuses that are captured and distributed with inaccurate information pertaining to their origin and the involved parties. eyeWitness contributes to preventing distrust in documentary evidence by compiling corroborated dossiers that can be presented in court with confidence. Established Unknown Reach Conflict zones globally Partners Human rights organizations, investigators, the International Criminal Court (ICC), European war crimes units, national prosecutors, UN bodies Methods and activities eyeWitness equips individuals who are trying to obtain accurate and authentic information with a tool that can help document the authenticity of visual information. Users download a photo/video app that embeds the necessary metadata when an image is captured. The metadata identify where and when the footage or image was taken and whether or not it has been edited. The footage or image is transmitted and stored in a secure manner, documenting the chain of custody, to ensure it can be used as evidence in court. This is done by utilizing the metadata that the app has been designed to collect. Thereafter, the information is stored within the app, so that neither the photographer nor a third party can intercept it or make any changes to it. From within the app, it is uploaded to a server that eyeWitness maintains. The evidence is reviewed and processed by lawyers to ensure it meets the requirements of investigating bodies. eyeWitness identifies which agencies the information can be sent to. The organization thus passes on verified information to investigators who can use it for further investigations. Other methods Capacity building Challenges • The initiative is dependent on content provided by the public. • Technology becomes redundant at a rapid rate. AIRA About AIRA is a coalition founded by the WHO Regional Office for Africa in response to the Covid-19 infodemic. It aims to debunk mis- and disinformation and boost credible health information about the novel coronavirus and Covid-19 vaccines. Members consist of eight regional and global agencies and five participating fact-checking entities (Africa Check, AFP Fact Check, PesaCheck, Dubawa, and Meedan). Established 2020 Reach Africa Partners Fact-checking organizations, national health services, media organizations, local CDC offices Methods and activities The work of the alliance is based on a misinformation management framework developed in 2020 (identifying information gaps, simplifying technical knowledge, amplifying correct information, and quantifying impacts). Within this framework, the alliance provides a suite of strategic activities and resources to bolster the information ecosystem. It includes fact checking via the Viral Facts Africa campaign using social media listening tools (tools to monitor and analyze social media conversations). Although the campaign focuses on social media, it is cognizant of the fact that social media are not representative of offline spaces and it aims to leverage the flow of information between online and offline spaces to amplify messages. AIRA holds a weekly working group with national health departments to share social listening results in each region, discuss the decisions and actions taken, and share ideas on how to tackle each issue. The alliance is in the process of developing and testing tools to listen to web radio and is hoping for resources to listen to offline radio. In addition, messages are augmented via relationships with journalists and the media community, frontline health workers, community workers, religious leaders, and “micro-influencers.” The approach used varies depending on the level of internet access. For instance, where internet diffusion is high, AIRA recruits micro-influencers, and where internet diffusion is low, focus is directed towards community leaders to disseminate messages printed on pamphlets and brochures. The alliance provides capacity-building activities for journalists, media professionals, frontline health workers, and those assisting to disseminate information in various countries. Capacity-building training includes the creation of communication material, fact checking, and training in the technical skills required to enable countries to run their own campaigns. Challenges It is difficult to obtain adequate information for monitoring and evaluation of programs. Perspectives on information disorder “The ‘logic of fear,’ on which conspiracy theories build their success, has always existed and has been used as a successful weapon to drive masses and communities thought history. In the most recent times, terrorism, migration, or national security has formed the fear-base, which is now contributing to the Covid-19 infodemic, with the spread of health mis/disinformation directly affecting and undermining the implementation of public health measures to counter the spread of the disease.” I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH Sub -Saharan Africa – 1 56