
The Tech Challenge for Atrocity Prevention - bcks
http://www.thetechchallenge.org/
======
semenko
Nothing prevents genocide quite like a good mobile app #slacktivism

~~~
tomjen3
Slacktivism is clicking 'like' or 'share' on Facebook® or at most making a
Rage comic about the issue.

That African warlord thing was Slacktivism.

This is using the very skilled and time limited computer programmers to work
many hours to try to solve a real problem.

It will still fail, but it is not slacktivism.

------
praptak
Misleading title. The scope of the challenge is "develop technologies" not
"apps".

------
rprasad
Technology is not a magical solution to all of the world's problems. Some hard
things are hard because they require social or economic activity at absolutely
massive scales.

EDIT: Followup.

 _Since its creation in 2002, the International Criminal Court has only
convicted one person...The lack of reliable evidence is a primary limiting
factor in the ability to successfully bring cases to both national and
international courts._

That's is such a bald-faced misrepresentation that it is close to being an
outright lie. The ICC is the outgrowth of the Interntional Criminal Tribunals
which prosecuted warcrimes in Rwanda, Somalia, Bosnia, etc. Prior to the
formation of the ICC, each atrocity (or set of atrocities) required the
formation of a special-purpose tribunal created to prosecute those war crimes.

_The ICC does not have jurisdiction over warcrimes or other atrocities
committed prior to July 1, 2002_. Moreover, due to the interference of Russia,
China and the U.S., it does not have jurisdiction over crimes committed by
citizens of non-signatory states (such as Russia, China, the U.S., or India)
unless case is referred to it by the U.N.

The ICC currently in the process of investigating atrocities in 7 nations in
Africa (including Congo and Sudan), none of which are signatories to the ICC
Treaty. The cases had to be referred to the ICC by the UN, overcomming
resistance by Russia and China.

Like most felony cases in Western nations, ICC cases take time. It's not a
matter of inefficiency, it's a matter of collecting the overwhelming amounts
of evidence that go hand in hand with the callous murders of hundreds and
thousands of people.

 _1) The financing, arming, and coordination of atrocity perpetrators are too-
often enabled through the activities of third parties such as multinational
companies or financial institutions._

We already know who they are. We didn't need technology to discover this.
Decades-old securities regulations pre-dating WWII sufficed.

 _2\. In the aftermath of an atrocity, one common deficit is the availability
of authentic and relevant evidence against the perpetrators. This
documentation – including establishing a clear chain of custody – is essential
to make the case for apprehension, to allow effective judicial proceedings,
and often lays the groundwork for robust truth and reconciliation processes._

The problem has never been the lack of documentary evidence, or proof of
authenticity. There has been _plenty_ of evidence, since people who brazenly
and openly kill hundreds and thousands of their fellows don't bother to
destroy evidence. The problem is frequently that there is so much evidence
that it takes time to go through it all. It's an issue of manpower, not lack
of technology.

 _3\. During acute crises, vulnerable populations are often cut off from
critical information and have limited, if any, ability to communicate inside
or outside of their communities. While there are a number of existing efforts
aimed at improving information flow in these contexts, many focus on the
outflow of information from communities or rely too heavily on existing
communications infrastructure or basic literacy._

Cell phones are cheap, easy, and do not require the development of untested
new technologies. They also have the benefit of accomplishing all of these
goals without much training.

 _4\. There is often a lack of credible data and relevant information from
large parts of the globe, thereby making it more difficult for the
international community to identify, acknowledge and act to prevent or stop
potential or ongoing atrocities._

This is not a problem technology can solve. The lack of "credible data" and
"reliable information" is a problem in Western nations, despite our massive
technological and educational bases. How do you expect technology to solve
this problem in the 3rd world if it can't even solve it in the 1st world?

