Securing and Destroying Digital Information It is important to remain aware that mobile telephones and other mobile devices that contain digital information on serious human rights violations can jeopardize the safety of those involved if they are seized by those who prefer to keep this information from other parties. To mitigate this risk, unofficial investigators are advised to store a copy of digital information in a safe location (encrypted hard drive or a trusted person located outside the field of danger) as soon as possible. After making sure that no metadata will be lost irrecoverably in the process, they should delete any digital pieces of information. Collectors of digital information need to be aware of the inherent risk of collecting or producing this kind of information at all times. The ease with which digital information is created may undermine this sense of inherent danger and may encourage unofficial investigators to collect information. But metadata for example, although vital to establishing the authenticity of digital information, may also be used to identify and locate its creator and subsequent handlers. The danger of persecution is real and risks need to be anticipated and avoided to the extent possible. Unofficial investigators should leave the collection of information on serious human rights violations to official investigators whenever possible. Only as a matter of a last resort and following the guidelines set out in this Handbook (see in particular Chapter 2 on Ethical Principles for Civil Society Documentation), including to do no harm at all times and after conducting a full risk assessment, should unofficial investigators produce or collect information on serious human rights violations. 3.1.3 Producing Photographic and Video Images Photographic and video imagery are often used to document human rights violations. They may help spread awareness among the general public of such abuses, in an attempt to rally public support to bring the abuses to an end. Moreover, under certain circumstances, they may be admissible as evidence in court. Criminal investigators, trained in forensic photography, use photographic and video images to record the crime scene and assist judges in their effort to reconstruct the course of events leading up to and during the commission of the alleged crime. However, in the context of large-scale serious human rights violations, professionally trained criminal investigators 73