Digital open source information — including the videos and photographs that people post to social media and other publicly accessible platforms — is increasingly valued as a critical source of evidence. While investigators have repeatedly established the value of open source information for researching a range of crimes, there is a subset of crimes that investigators have struggled to address with digital open sources — namely, sexual violence. In this article, we report on findings pulled from our interviews with international investigators and gender experts with regards to the perceived strengths and weaknesses of integrating digital open source information into international criminal investigations of sexual violence. More specifically, we elaborate on three insights into how open source investigations may be refined to better respect and protect the interests of survivors: by considering contextual issues related to ethics, power, and privilege, including the identity of the investigator and of the victims; by integrating a gender analysis and an intersectional analysis into online investigation planning; and by being thoughtful about consent, privacy, trauma and control — including who determines what happens with open source information and how such information is used in courts. We conclude with a discussion of what is needed to strengthen the efficacy and ethics of sexual violence investigations through the use of digital open sources.

中文翻译：

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权力和特权

数字开源信息——包括人们在社交媒体和其他可公开访问的平台上发布的视频和照片——越来越被视为重要的证据来源。虽然调查人员一再确定开源信息对于研究一系列犯罪的价值，但调查人员一直在努力利用数字开源解决部分犯罪——即性暴力。在本文中，我们报告了我们对国际调查人员和性别专家的采访中得出的关于将数字开源信息整合到国际性暴力刑事调查中的优势和劣势的调查结果。进一步来说，我们详细阐述了如何改进开源调查以更好地尊重和保护幸存者的利益的三个见解：通过考虑与道德、权力和特权相关的背景问题，包括调查员和受害者的身份；通过将性别分析和交叉分析整合到在线调查计划中；并通过对同意、隐私、创伤和控制进行深思熟虑——包括谁来决定开源信息会发生什么以及如何在法庭上使用这些信息。最后，我们讨论了通过使用数字开源来加强性暴力调查的有效性和道德规范所需要的东西。包括调查员和受害者的身份；通过将性别分析和交叉分析整合到在线调查计划中；并通过对同意、隐私、创伤和控制进行深思熟虑——包括谁来决定开源信息会发生什么以及如何在法庭上使用这些信息。最后，我们讨论了通过使用数字开源来加强性暴力调查的有效性和道德规范所需要的东西。包括调查员和受害者的身份；通过将性别分析和交叉分析整合到在线调查计划中；并通过对同意、隐私、创伤和控制进行深思熟虑——包括谁来决定开源信息会发生什么以及如何在法庭上使用这些信息。最后，我们讨论了通过使用数字开源来加强性暴力调查的有效性和道德规范所需要的东西。