Crowdsourcing ‘citizen digital evidence’: participation of civilian population during the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine

Abstract

There is an ongoing proliferation of armed conflicts and international crimes around the world. While states and multinational organisations often fail to resolve these conflicts through traditional channels of diplomacy and mediation, more active participation of the civilian population in the collection, verification, and preservation of digital evidence (e-evidence) on core international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression can magnify voices of affected communities and highlight the human dimension of crimes which is often missing in official criminal proceedings. Although the process of ‘crowdsourcing citizen digital evidence’ is a relatively new phenomenon, this article will demonstrate how close cooperation between individual documenters, government institutions, civil society, and international organisations in Ukraine contributed to a stronger standing of witnesses, victims, and other representatives of affected communities in national and international criminal proceedings. The abundance and ubiquitous use of these novel forms of digital documentation by various actors during ongoing armed conflicts necessitates a rigorous examination of potential risks and advantages of collecting, processing, and using new digital evidence in international criminal justice.