The past 20 years have seen a fundamental shift in how information about human rights abuses come to light – in Afghanistan and other places. The increasing availability of mobile phones and internet access – especially in urban centers – has provided a critical conduit for activists, human rights defenders, civil society and journalists to monitor events, document human rights abuses and war crimes as they occur, and mobilize for justice and accountability.
Given the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan, including the significant risk of serious human rights abuses, it is critical that online platforms that allow for hosting and sharing of content, including social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, preserve evidence of any past or ongoing human rights abuses or violations of international criminal and humanitarian law by all actors in the conflict.
These platforms understandably restrict content that unlawfully incites or promotes violence. But it is essential that they preserve and archive removed material with potential evidentiary value and make it accessible for competent investigators and researchers and victims to help hold perpetrators on all sides to account for serious crimes. A failure to do so could effectively conceal evidence of human rights abuses.
Under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, companies, wherever they operate in the world, have a responsibility to respect all human rights. This corporate responsibility...
Read Full Story: https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/human-rights-groups-call-on-social-media-platforms-to-preserve-evidence-of-potential-human-rights-abuses-in-afghanistan/
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