The State of the Field: Technology for Atrocity Response

Abstract

Technology is rapidly advancing in both sophistication and accessibility. This is particularly true of information and communications technology (ICT), adoption of which is growing rapidly in lessdeveloped countries. Such tools provide a great deal of promise for practitioners dedicated to mass atrocity response, which encompasses prediction, prevention, mitigation, and documentation for the purposes of this article. First, this article considers the current technological landscape as it applies to human rights and outlines the various tools and techniques which are relevant to mass atrocity response, including mobile phones, social media, crisis mapping, satellite imagery, and unmanned aerial vehicles. This overview concludes with analysis of likely future trends in the field of technology as applied to mass atrocity response.