Netgain Challenge

The spread of Internet access and mobile technology means that more of us are able to document events happening around us and share our realities with others. Citizen journalists and the media they create have the potential to shape how news and justice are delivered in the future – but only if we are prepared to support them. To do so, we must push for policies that allow citizens to freely document the events around them and provide them with guidance on how to do so safely, ethically, and effectively. We must give the people documenting and distributing media the tools they need to protect themselves, their data, and the identities of those they capture on video; develop devices and platforms that incorporate metadata and other tools to make citizen media more trustworthy; and help creators reach the right audiences by fighting censorship, highlighting important content so that it does not get lost in the flood of online content, and providing unfettered access.