Giving Compass' Take:

• The Atlantic interviews Yvette Alberdingk Thijm of the activist group WITNESS about how real-time video taken by citizens can expose human rights violations effectively.

• Those involved in social justice work should take Thijm's words to heart and find ways to protect those who are witnesses to atrocities around the world — and make sure their visuals are seen.

• Now you may understand why human rights groups were concerned over YouTube’s deletion of Syria War videos.

“We live, at the moment, in a country where basic rights are really being violated,” Yvette Alberdingk Thijm told The Atlantic at the 2018 Aspen Ideas Festival. Thijm is the Executive Director of WITNESS, a global team of activists that empowers citizens to use video and technology to protect and defend human rights. Thijm argues that bystander videos are a powerful addition to criminal processes across the world. “There's a real need to understand how video can help people prove what happened,” she said. “You have a right to film.”

Watch the video about how human rights can be protected with bystander footage by Nicolas Pollock at The Atlantic.