sy-funders5.webp

thumbnail_sy-funders3.webp

sy-funders3.webp

thumbnail_sy-funders6.webp

sy-funders6.webp

thumbnail_sy-funders2.webp

sy-funders2.webp

sy-funders4.webp

thumbnail_sy-funders1.webp

sy-funders1.webp

Syrian Archive is a Syrian led project that aims to preserve, enhance and memorialise documentation of human rights violations and other crimes committed by all parties to conflict in Syria for use in advocacy, justice and accountability.

<h2>Mission</h2>
<p>The Syrian Archive aims to support human rights investigators, advocates, media reporters, and journalists in their efforts to document human rights violations in Syria and worldwide through developing new open source tools as well as providing a transparent and replicable methodology for collecting, preserving, verifying and investigating visual documentation in conflict areas.</p>
<p>We believe that visual documentation of human rights violations that is transparent, detailed, and reliable are critical towards providing accountability and can positively contribute to post-conflict reconstruction and stability. Such documentation can humanise victims, reduce the space for dispute over numbers killed, help societies understand the true human costs of war, and support truth and reconciliation efforts.</p>
<h2>Vision</h2>
<p>Through collecting, verifying, preserving, and investigating visual documentation of human rights violations in Syria, the Syrian Archive aims to preserve data as a digital memory, to establish a verified database of human rights violations, and to act as an evidence tool for legally implementing justice and accountability as concept and practice in Syria.</p>
<h2>Projects</h2>
<h3>Lost and found</h3>
<p><em>Syrian Archive’s work on content taken down from social media platforms</em></p>
<p>Gaining physical access to be able to investigate and report on human rights violations in Syria is very limited and dangerous for independent journalists, international news agencies, UN investigation bodies and international human rights organisations. This is the main reason Syrian Archive and other documentation groups depend on verified user generated content to assist in criminal case building as well as human rights research.</p>
<p>In the Syrian conflict, there are more hours of videos documenting the conflict than there have been hours in the conflict itself. Even now, eight years after the Syrian conflict began in 2011, more than 50 videos are uploaded to YouTube each day, making it an “accidental archive” that arguably allows anyone in the world to witness a conflict for the first time in history, practically in real time.</p>
<p>For this reason, since 2014 we have archived content from thousands of social media channels and accounts - images, videos, and posts that are both invaluable historical artifacts and potential evidence of human rights abuses. Some of these channels are long-standing media houses that have been documenting human rights violations in Syria since 2011.</p>
<p><a href="lost-found">More about this project</a></p>
<h3>Syrian digital memory</h3>
<p><em>(Re-)Humanization of the Syrian digital memory</em></p>
<p>Our project aims to investigate the “meaning(s)” of the so called “Syrian Digital Memory” of the 2011 uprising and its subsequent war. The Syrian case sheds light on how civilians’ documentary practices and experiences have significantly contributed to the production of multi-source digital testimonies within diverse and constantly transforming local, social, political and organisational contexts.</p>
<p>With the aim to unearth different and possible ways to deconstruct these digital testimonies of uprising and war, we consider the individual memories and narratives formed by survivors of the humanitarian disaster as an essential and indispensable source in discovering the subjective dimensions of this national disaster.</p>
<p><a href="memory">More about this project</a></p>
<h2>Awards</h2>
<p><img src="/uploads/Logo_Prix_HM_black_eed8e5182b.png" alt="Prix Ars Electronica 2020 Honorary Mention"></p>
<p><img src="/uploads/Witness25_Teal_RGB_Horizontal_734x375_93b9f5a951.png" alt="Witness 25th Anniversary Honoree"></p>


index

<p>Unless otherwise specified, all material on this site remains the property of the originator, who retains full control over how it is shared and distributed. The Syrian Archive is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)</a>.</p>
<p>If you use or remix our work please let us know by sending an email to info [at] syrianarchive [dot] org.</p>


Copyright

<p>We would love to hear from you. We are always looking for new ways to collaborate with other human rights organisations, citizen reporters, activists, technologists, researchers and investigators.</p>
<p>You can email us here <a href="mailto:info@syrianarchive.org">info@syrianarchive.org</a>. If you want to send an encrypted email you can find our public key here.</p>
<pre><code>Public key:

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
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=sFJA
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
</code></pre>
<p>Fingerprint: <em>9469 C8A4 9BA4 13BD 0DF7 36E8 EA38 3E31 D42E F5AB</em></p>
<h3>Press</h3>
<p>We regularly speak to the media about topics related to justice and accountability efforts in Syria, archiving practices, open source investigations and content takedowns by platforms. If you’d like to speak to one of our team members please write to info[at]syrianarchive[dot]org. See our other <a href="https://syrianarchive.org/en/about/press">press mentions here</a>.</p>
<p>If you want to keep in touch, sign up to our <a href="https://syrianarchive.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=90e84d0165f6b3bb843951047&id=5f22f184a1">newsletter here</a>, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/syrian_archive">Twitter</a> or on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/syrianarchive/">Facebook page</a>.</p>


Contact Us

<h3>Limitation of liability for internal content</h3>
<p>The content of our website has been compiled with meticulous care and to the best of our knowledge. However, we can not assume any liability for the up-to-date ness, Completeness or accuracy of any of the pages.</p>
<p>Pursuant to section 7, para. 1 of the TMG (Telemedia Act - Telemedia Act by German law), we as service providers are liable for our own content on Diese Seiten in Accordance with general laws. However, Pursuant to sections 8 to 10 of the TMG, we as service providers are not under obligation to monitor external information provided or stored on our website.</p>
<h3>Limitation of liability for external links</h3>
<p>Our website contains links to the websites of third parties (&quot;external links&quot;). As the content of these websites is not under our control, we can not assume any liability for external content search. In all cases, the provider of information of the linked websites is liable for the content and accuracy of the information provided.</p>
<h3>Limitation of liability for technical damage and data loss</h3>
<p><strong>a.</strong> The Syrian Archive website accepts no liability in the event that all or part of the material is lost.</p>
<p><strong>b.</strong> The Syrian Archive website accepts no liability for any damage or losses resulting from acts or omissions by third parties to whom the website has made the materials available.
However, The Syrian Archive website will keep the digital material under optimal circumstances as much as possible.</p>


Disclaimer

<p>The team working on the Syrian Archive is uniquely comprised of researchers, journalists, historians, technologists and digital security experts who have been working in the field of human rights, verification, open source technologies and investigation methodologies for the past ten years. They are motivated in their mission to enable various stakeholders such as lawyers, journalists and activists, to be able to find, store and use publicly available content to not only document human rights violations but also to be able to use this content to prosecute those both perpetrating and enabling these crimes.</p>


Team

Press

Privacy Policy

<h2>Copyright</h2>
<p>Unless otherwise specified, all material on this site remains the property of the originator, who retains full control over how it is shared and distributed. The Syrian Archive is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)</a>.</p>
<p>If you use or remix our work please let us know by sending an email to info [at] syrianarchive [dot] org.</p>
<h2>Disclaimer</h2>
<h3>Limitation of liability for internal content</h3>
<p>The content of our website has been compiled with meticulous care and to the best of our knowledge. However, we can not assume any liability for the up-to-date ness, Completeness or accuracy of any of the pages.</p>
<p>Pursuant to section 7, para. 1 of the TMG (Telemedia Act - Telemedia Act by German law), we as service providers are liable for our own content on Diese Seiten in Accordance with general laws. However, Pursuant to sections 8 to 10 of the TMG, we as service providers are not under obligation to monitor external information provided or stored on our website.</p>
<h3>Limitation of liability for external links</h3>
<p>Our website contains links to the websites of third parties (&quot;external links&quot;). As the content of these websites is not under our control, we can not assume any liability for external content search. In all cases, the provider of information of the linked websites is liable for the content and accuracy of the information provided.</p>
<h3>Limitation of liability for technical damage and data loss</h3>
<p><strong>a.</strong> The Syrian Archive website accepts no liability in the event that all or part of the material is lost.</p>
<p><strong>b.</strong> The Syrian Archive website accepts no liability for any damage or losses resulting from acts or omissions by third parties to whom the website has made the materials available.
However, The Syrian Archive website will keep the digital material under optimal circumstances as much as possible.</p>
<h2>Data use policy</h2>
<p>Syrian Archive is operated by Mnemonic, a non-profit operating from Berlin, Germany and is governed by EU Data law.
By accessing this website, you are agreeing to be bound by its website Terms and Conditions of Use, all applicable laws and regulations, and agree that you are responsible for compliance with any applicable local laws. If you do not agree with any of these terms, you are not not authorized to use or accessing this site and its services. The materials contained in this website are protected by applicable copyright and trademark law.</p>
<p>A visit to our website or any website can result in the storage on our server of information about the access (date, time, user location, page accessed, device accesses, fingerprint information of the browser used). We do not keep logs or analyse this information or other personal data (eg, name, address or email address). Any forwarding of the data to third parties without the express consent of the user shall not take place.</p>
<p>We would like to point out expressly that the transmission of data via the Internet (eg, by e-mail) comes with security vulnerabilities. It is impossible to safeguard the data against access by third parties completely without the use of public key encryption. We can not assume any liability for damages as a result of users security vulnerabilities. However, you have the ability to contact us using email encryption by sending an email to: info [at] syrianarchive [dot] org. Our fingerprint is: 9469 C8A4 9BA4 13BD 0DF7 36E8 EA38 3E31 D42E F5AB. Also use <a href="https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/en/">secure communication</a> (SSL) and <a href="https://www.torproject.org/">Tor</a> to protect your privacy and anonymity.</p>


Legal

<p>The Syrian Archive is fully independent and accepts no money from governments directly involved in the Syrian conflict. We are seeking individual donations to carry out our work. Please consider supporting our work through our <a href="https://www.patreon.com/syrianarchive">Patreon</a> page.</p>
<p>We are always looking into building more collaborations with human rights groups, journalists, citizen reporters, lawyers, media agencies and others to collect, verify, and preserve their visual documentation of human rights violations. If you are interested please contact us on info [at] syrianarchive [dot] org.</p>
<p>If you know of organisations, media offices, activists and others that could be interested then please direct them to our website and send them our email <em>info[at]syrianarchive[dot]org</em></p>
<p>We are also keen to create partnerships with human rights groups, investigators, researchers, lawyers, journalists, historians and political artists who could use the documentation in issues related to advocacy, reporting, memorial and investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity.</p>


Support

<WorkflowDiagram />

<p>Access to Syria in order to investigate and report on human rights violations is very restricted and dangerous for independent journalists, international news agencies, UN investigation bodies, and international human rights organisations. This is the principal reason the Syrian Archive and other documentation groups depend on verified user-generated content to assist in criminal case-building as well as human rights research.</p>
<p>The Syrian Archive strives for transparency in its tools, findings, and methodologies; as well as making sure that verified content is publicly available and accessible for journalists, human rights defenders, and lawyers working for the purpose of reporting, advocacy, and accountability purposes.</p>
<p>To achieve transparency, software developed by the Syrian Archive is released in free and open-source formats. This is done to ensure trust is built and maintained with our partners and collaborators, as well as allowing software to be reused and customised by other groups outside of the Syrian Archive. Technical integration with existing open-source investigative tools ensures that work is not duplicated. The Syrian Archive works alongside technologists to develop our open-source tools. Our methodology is developed in collaboration with other archival groups, as well as lawyers and journalists.</p>
<p>The Syrian Archive’s <em>Data and Operational Model</em> is based on the <a href="https://www.edrm.net/edrm-model/">Electronic Discovery Reference Model</a> developed by Duke University School of Law. Below is a detailed description of every step of this model.</p>
<TitleWithIcon title="Collection" icon="/uploads/methodology_collect_a17bbb2f65.svg" />

<p>Our collection process involved establishing a standardised metadata schema alongside a database of credible sources for digital content. Sources can be direct submissions from individuals and organisations, publicly available social media accounts and channels, as well as other publicly available information.</p>
<img src="/uploads/Small_1_Collectionnew_5fa9487a3f.svg" />

<h3>1) Establish database of credible sources for content</h3>
<p>Before any collection, archival, or verification of digital materials was possible, we had to establish a database of credible sources for visual content. We have identified over 3.500 credible sources, including individual journalists and field reporters, larger media houses (e.g. local and international news agencies), human rights organisations (e.g. Syria Institute for Justice), the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets), local field clinics and hospitals. Many of these sources began publishing or providing visual content in late 2011-early 2012 and also publish work in other credible media outlets.</p>
<p>Visual content is primarily accessed through social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Websites, Telegram), submitted files (videos, photos, pdf), and external and collaborators’ data sets. Changes in these data sets are tracked, meaning that all versions are saved.</p>
<p>Credibility is determined by analysing whether the source is familiar to us, or our existing network, as well as checking that the source&#39;s content and reportage has been reliable in the past. This might include evaluating how long the source has been reporting and how active they are.</p>
<p>To identify where the source is based, social media channels might be evaluated to determine if videos uploaded are consistently from a specific location, or whether locations differ significantly. Channels and accounts might be analysed to determine whether they use a logo and whether this logo is consistently used across videos. Channels and accounts might be additionally analysed for original content to determine whether the uploader aggregates videos from other news organisations or accounts, or whether the source appears to be the primary uploader.</p>
<h3>2) Establish database of credible sources for verification</h3>
<p>The Syrian Archive established a database of credible sources for verification. These sources provide additional information used to verify content on social media platforms or received from sources directly. Content verifiers include citizen journalists, human rights defenders and humanitarian workers based in Syria and abroad. To preserve data integrity, sources used for content acquisition do not comprise part of the database for verification.</p>
<h3>3) Establish standardised metadata scheme</h3>
<p>Before we can preserve or verify any content we must define a system through which content can be managed and organised, this is done through metadata. Establishing a data ontology or metadata scheme is necessary to assist us in organising and managing content as well as helping users in identifying and understanding what happened, and when and where.</p>
<p>Whilst recognising the need for a data ontology, or standardised metadata scheme. We also recognise that the implementation of any metadata scheme is a highly political choice. Given that there are no universally accepted, legally admissible metadata standards, efforts were made to develop a framework in consultation with a variety of international investigative bodies. These include consultations with members of the United Nations Office for High Commissioner of Human Rights, the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism on international crimes committed in Syria (IIIM), and with other archival institutes, and human rights and research organisations.</p>
<p>Adding metadata happens after content is preserved but it is crucial to define a metadata scheme before collecting and processing content.</p>
<TitleWithIcon title="Preservation" icon="/uploads/methodology_preserve_5fdaafa54e.svg" />

<p>The Syrian Archive’s collection and secure preservation workflow ensures that original content is not lost due to its removal from corporate platforms. This is achieved by collecting and securely storing digital content on external backend servers before it is taken offline and prior to basic verification procedures. Content is then backed up securely on servers throughout the world. We use our in-house software, Diwan, that is developed for human rights investigations using online user-generated content.</p>
<img src="/uploads/Small_2_Preservationnew_622f875cae.svg" />

<blockquote>
<p>Diwan is a tool designed to support journalists, non-profits, academic researchers, human rights organisations and others with investigations using online, publicly-available sources (e.g.tweets, videos, public databases, websites, online databases).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In this preservation pipeline we detect the spoken language, and standardise the data format (whilst preserving the old format). We screenshot and download the web page hosting the content. Files that are in our database get both their <code>md5</code> and <code>sha256</code> hash and are time-stamped with <a href="https://www.enigio.com/">Enigio Time</a> - a third party collaborator. We hash and timestamp in order to ensure and prove data integrity which means that data has not been changed or manipulated since it has been archived.</p>
<TitleWithIcon title="Processing" icon="/uploads/methodology_process_f3ad98af53.svg" />

<p>Once content has been safely preserved metadata is extracted from visual content, its parsed and aggregated automatically using our predefined and standardised metadata schema. Location and source details might be included in the parsed metadata which can be useful to geolocate where content originates.</p>
<img src="/uploads/Small_3_Processingnew_51c66003ee.svg" />

<p>Metadata is added both automatically and manually, depending on how it was collected, e.g open source or closed source. A detailed description and full list of metadata field types are provided on our website. Metadata we collect includes a description of the visual object as given (e.g. YouTube title); the source of the visual content; the original link where the footage was first published; identifiable landmarks; weather (which may be useful for geolocation or time identification); specific languages or regional dialects spoken; identifiable clothes or uniforms; weapons or munitions; device used to record the footage; and media content type.</p>
<p>The processing pipeline also passes video files into keyframes, as well as using the machine learning software, <a href="vfame.io">V-FRAME</a>.</p>
<p><Video
       src="/uploads/cluster_munition_demo_2018_0032ae57f3.mp4"
       poster="/uploads/vframe_video_c4bd764177.png"
       /></p>
<blockquote>
<p>VFRAME is a collection of open-source computer vision software tools designed for human rights investigations relying on large datasets of visual media. It utilises object detection algorithms that can automatically flag video content depicting predefined objects, such as cluster munitions.</p>
</blockquote>
<TitleWithIcon title="Verification" icon="/uploads/methodology_verify_876b29d77f.svg" />

<p>Our data pipeline prepares visual content for initial verification. All possible additional tags and chain of custody information is recorded. This is done to assist users in identifying and understanding what happened in a specific incident, and when and where.</p>
<img src="/uploads/Small_4_Verificationnew_ef72d16d58.svg" />

<p>Verification consists of three steps: 1) Verify the source of the video uploader or publisher; 2) Verify the location where the video was filmed; 3) Verify the dates and times on which the video was filmed and uploaded.</p>
<ul>
<li>Verify the source of the video publisher</li>
</ul>
<p>Firstly we establish whether the source of the video is on our list of credible sources. If not, we determine the new source&#39;s credibility by going through the above procedure.</p>
<p>In some cases, near-duplicate content may be published. For example, if a 10-minute video includes all of a second 30-second video – both videos would be preserved as long as they can be verified. Similarly, videos from news organisations or media houses featuring parts of other videos are also preserved– as long as verification is possible. We also preserve duplications if they are from different sources and the original uploader is unidentifiable.</p>
<p>The video-upload source may differ from the camera operator. In most of the video footage which we verify, only the video uploader and not the camera operator can be identified. In advanced verification of priority cases, the analysis phase includes identifying the camera operator.</p>
<ul>
<li>Verify the location where the video was filmed</li>
</ul>
<p>Each video goes through basic geolocation to verify that it has been captured in Syria. A more accurate geolocation process is implemented for priority content in order to pinpoint its origin to a more accurate location. This is done by comparing visual references (e.g. buildings, mountain ranges, trees, minarets) with satellite imagery from Google Earth, and Maxar as well as geolocated photographs from Google Maps. Satellite imagery is also used to assess damage and destruction whilst investigating attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.</p>
<p>In addition to this, the Syrian Archive compares the Arabic spoken in videos against known regional accents and dialects within Syria to further verify the location of videos. When possible, we contact sources directly, and consult our existing network of journalists operating inside and outside Syria to confirm the locations of specific incidents.</p>
<ul>
<li>Verify the dates and times in which the video was filmed and uploaded</li>
</ul>
<p>We use time and date metadata embedded in videos we directly receive in order to corroborate the date and time of a specific incident. Date and time are extracted using the ExifTool[<a href="https://exiftool.org/%5D">https://exiftool.org/]</a>.</p>
<p>We verify the capture date of videos by cross-referencing their publishing date on social media platforms (e.g YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Telegram) with dates from reports concerning the same incident. Visual content collected directly from sources is also cross-referenced with reports concerning the incident featured in the video.</p>
<p>Those reports include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Reports from international and local media outlets, including Reuters, Smart News Agency, Aleppo Media Center, Qasioun News Agency, LCC;  </li>
<li>Human rights reports published by international and local organisations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Syrian Human Rights Network, Violations Documentation Center in Syria, Syrian American Medical Society, and Physicians for Human Rights;  </li>
<li>Incident reports shared by the Syrian Archive&#39;s network of citizen reporters on Twitter, Facebook, and Telegram.</li>
</ul>
<p>Additional techniques such as reverse image search and chronolocation can also be used to confirm the capture time and date of the visual content.</p>
<TitleWithIcon title="Investigation and further analysis" icon="/uploads/methodology_investigate_0b11d72658.svg" />

<p>In some cases, we conduct in-depth open-source investigations. Time and capacity limitations mean not all incidents can be analysed in-depth. However, by developing a replicable workflow it is hoped that others assist in these efforts, and investigate other incidents using similar methods. A detailed overview of our in-depth incident analysis is provided in the investigations page of our website.</p>
<img src="/uploads/Small_5_Investigationsnew_38f45060ed.svg" />

<h3>Witness Statements</h3>
<p>For some incidents, our team of researchers collect witness statements or partner with organisations that do. In the past, this has included working with Syrians for Truth and Justice, Justice for Life, and other organisations whose role is collecting accounts of survivors, the injured, family members, or eyewitnesses (e.g. medical staff, managers of hospitals).</p>
<h3>Flight Observation Data</h3>
<p>In cases of alleged aerial bombings the Syrian Archive analyses flight observation data and  cross-references it with visual content to confirm if flights were observed near locations where aerial bombings were alleged. We use <a href="https://public.tableau.com/s/">Tableau-public</a> to conduct this type of analysis.</p>
<h3>Review</h3>
<p>Once content has been processed, verified, and analysed, it is reviewed for accuracy. In the event of a discrepancy, content is fed back into the digital evidence workflow for further verification. If content is deemed accurate it moves to the publishing stage of the digital evidence workflow.</p>
<p>For more information the tools or methods we are using, <em>please reach out to info [at] syrianarchive [dot] org</em>.</p>


Methods and Tools

<h2>(Re-)Humanization of the Syrian digital memory</h2>
<p>Our project aims to investigate the “meaning(s)” of the so called “Syrian Digital Memory” of the 2011 uprising and its subsequent war. The Syrian case sheds light on how civilians’ documentary practices and experiences have significantly contributed to the production of multi-source digital testimonies within diverse and constantly transforming local, social, political and organisational contexts.</p>
<p>With the aim to unearth different and possible ways to deconstruct these digital testimonies of uprising and war, we consider the individual memories and narratives formed by survivors of the humanitarian disaster as an essential and indispensable source in discovering the subjective dimensions of this national disaster.</p>
<p>Individuals in Syria have produced not only archival and documentary digital “copies” of their everyday lives during war but have also provided digital extracts and quick flashes of the real individual and collective memories of the war and its significant events.</p>
<p>After nearly nine years since the beginning of the Syrian uprising, the spatial context of these digital memories are still inaccessible as Syrians are scattered inside and outside Syrian due to exile, migration and displacement.</p>
<p>By conducting autobiographical-narrative interviews with Syrian digital content producers, we aim to contextualise and re-humanise the digital memories of the Syrian uprising and conflict through the everyday, social, individual and collective memories of their producers, as surviving eyewitnesses of atrocities. Examining the influence of the digital on the physical and vice versa, this project insists to treat remembrance not merely as a recollection of memories and facts, but as a continuous process of reconfiguration of the memory across time and space.</p>


<p>Syrian Archive is operated by Mnemonic, a non-profit operating from Berlin, Germany and is governed by EU Data law.
By accessing this website, you are agreeing to be bound by its website Terms and Conditions of Use, all applicable laws and regulations, and agree that you are responsible for compliance with any applicable local laws. If you do not agree with any of these terms, you are not not authorized to use or accessing this site and its services. The materials contained in this website are protected by applicable copyright and trademark law.</p>
<p>A visit to our website or any website can result in the storage on our server of information about the access (date, time, user location, page accessed, device accesses, fingerprint information of the browser used). We do not keep logs or analyse this information or other personal data (eg, name, address or email address). Any forwarding of the data to third parties without the express consent of the user shall not take place.</p>
<p>We would like to point out expressly that the transmission of data via the Internet (eg, by e-mail) comes with security vulnerabilities. It is impossible to safeguard the data against access by third parties completely without the use of public key encryption. We can not assume any liability for damages as a result of users security vulnerabilities. However, you have the ability to contact us using email encryption by sending an email to: info [at] syrianarchive [dot] org. Our fingerprint is: 9469 C8A4 9BA4 13BD 0DF7 36E8 EA38 3E31 D42E F5AB. Also use <a href="https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/en/">secure communication</a> (SSL) and <a href="https://www.torproject.org/">Tor</a> to protect your privacy and anonymity.</p>


Research methodology

Collect

Content identification, acquisition and standardisation

preserve

Secure long term preservation

process

Cataloging and metadata enrichment

verify

Verification

Investigate

Accessibility and raising awareness

More about

Copyright

Contact Us

Disclaimer

Team

Press

Privacy Policy

Legal

Support

Methods and Tools

index

Data Use Policy

Funding

Partners

Funders

Research methodology

Collect

Content identification, acquisition and standardisation

preserve

Secure long term preservation

process

Cataloging and metadata enrichment

verify

Verification

Investigate

Accessibility and raising awareness

More about

.css-1gg70ie{display:inline-block;padding:0.2rem 0.2rem 0 0.2rem;-webkit-transition:0.25s;transition:0.25s;}.css-1gg70ie:hover,.css-1gg70ie:active{background-color:#ff5400;}Copyright

Funding

Partners

Funders

Copyright