07-16, 09:30–10:15 (Europe/Sarajevo), KOS
Rapidly evolving technology has provided more ways than ever before to document serious international crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Geospatial technologies—particularly satellite imagery—can provide detailed insights into crimes committed in conflict areas that are otherwise difficult or impossible to investigate. Numerous international criminal cases have featured this digital evidence, helping to secure accountability for atrocities.
As with any form of evidence in a criminal trial, certain legal standards must be met. Evidence must be shown to be authentic (verifiable and unaltered) and reliable (accurate and dependable)—otherwise judges will refuse to admit it. Meeting these standards for digital evidence requires communication between lawyers and technologists. Lawyers must explain legal requirements for evidence; technologists must clarify what their systems can deliver and how technical processes ensure data integrity and accuracy.
This keynote will advance this communication by outlining core principles for maximising the evidentiary value of geospatial data. By keeping these principles in mind, those working in the collection and processing of geospatial data, or in the development of geospatial technologies, can help ensure that today’s data meets tomorrow's courtroom standards. The objective is to identify what makes data more valuable as evidence and translate this into practical technical requirements.
1 - no previous knowledge needed
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Dr. Emma Irving is a co-founder of the Fénix Foundation, a Netherlands-based NGO with a mission to leverage technology to support international justice, peace, and accountability. Emma is an international lawyer specialized in international criminal justice and technology, with a particular focus on digital evidence. In addition to being part of a pool of consultants for the Council of Europe regarding the collection, preservation, and use of electronic evidence related to violations in the context of armed conflict, Emma is a consultant with Hala Systems Inc. in the development of the ‘Hala Protocol on the Collection, Preservation and Transfer of Audio Data’. Until 2020, Emma was an Assistant Professor of Public International Law at the Grotius Centre of Leiden University, where she was a member of the Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum on International Humanitarian Law (‘KGF’). In 2019, Emma co-founded the KGF’s Digitally Derived Evidence Project and currently advises on and disseminates the Leiden Guidelines on the Use of Digitally Derived Evidence in International Criminal Courts and Tribunals. Emma holds an M.A. in Law from Cambridge University, an LL.M in Public International Law from Leiden University, and a PhD from the University of Amsterdam.