The Tool Desk
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The workflow below follows the Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations (2020), WITNESS video-as-evidence and archiving guidance, and the practical cautions published for controlled-capture tools. It is an evidence-preservation method, not a promise that a court will admit a file or that it proves a war crime.
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What to preserve—and what the item may prove
Start by writing a short proposition: for example, “This clip may show artillery impact at a particular location on a stated date.” Define the alleged incident, the people who may need protection, and the safest collection method before downloading or sharing anything. The Berkeley Protocol treats digital, physical and psychosocial safety for investigators, witnesses, victims and first responders as part of the investigation, not an afterthought.
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Preserve the file and its context
- Download the highest-quality original offered by the platform or source. Keep an untouched master and make a separate working copy for analysis.
- Record the exact URL, platform, account or channel name, post ID when available, displayed date and time, timezone, your capture date and time in UTC, downloader, and download method.
- Save surrounding text, captions, replies, comments, linked material and visible engagement or edit indicators. A post without its context can be misleading.
- For a webpage, keep a PDF or archival capture, a screenshot, the HTML or WARC package where feasible, and a plain-text note describing what was displayed.
Keep the platform response page, download receipt, API response and notes about anything unavailable or changed. Do not overwrite the master while extracting metadata or making a preview.
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Why urgency matters
Online material can disappear through deletion, account suspension, edits or ranking changes. Digital Lockers, a 2021 Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley publication, records 6,000 tweets generated every second and 500 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute. Those figures describe the publication’s measured volume, not a guarantee about any current platform, but they explain why independent, documented preservation should happen promptly.
A safe collection plan
- Assess harm first. Decide whether filming, downloading, contacting a witness or exposing a location could identify a victim, reveal a military position, trigger retaliation or retraumatize someone. Do not risk a person merely to obtain a better file.
- Choose the least exposing route. Collect remotely when that is safer; use a trusted intermediary for a witness interview; restrict access to the smallest necessary team.
- Write the collection note immediately. Include the purpose, device or system used, network or offline conditions, collector, UTC time, and anything unusual (for example, a page that changed during capture).
- Use informed consent for testimony. Explain intended uses, translation, identity-protection choices, storage and the possibility of disclosure to investigators. Record incentives, limitations and interview conditions.
WITNESS recommends planning for preparation, secure scenes, essential information, verification, transfer and ethics. Its guidance also warns that citizen video often supplies useful clues while failing the higher reliability bar required for courtroom evidence.
Step-by-step preservation workflow
1. Capture the online item and page context
- Open the item through a controlled account or session that does not expose a source. Note the full URL and, for a post, the stable ID.
- Save the original download at the platform’s highest available quality. Do not transcode the master.
- Capture the page around the item: account identity, caption, date and time, timezone, replies, comments, linked posts and visible notices about edits or removals.
- For a webpage, save a PDF or archival capture, a screenshot, HTML or WARC when practical, and a text description of the visible state. If the page is dynamic, record the capture time and any wait or interaction used.
- Copy the files into an evidence directory with a stable identifier. Make a working copy before cropping, enhancing, translating, transcribing or extracting frames.
2. Preserve metadata without altering the master
Extract metadata from a read-only copy or through a process that writes results to a separate report. Record file size, format, codec, creation and modification fields, GPS or device fields when present and safe to retain, platform identifiers and every re-encoding. Metadata can be missing or rewritten by a platform; its absence is itself a fact to document, not proof that the file is false.
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3. Hash each master and controlled copy
Compute a cryptographic hash for every master, duplicate and derivative. A hash is a reproducible fingerprint: a later mismatch tells you that bytes differ, while a matching value does not by itself prove who created the file or that the scene is genuine. Store the hash beside the evidence identifier and in the custody log.
sha256sum evidence-001-master.mp4 > evidence-001-master.sha256
sha256sum -c evidence-001-master.sha256Use at least two controlled copies in separate locations. Restrict write access, record access events, and test that a recovery copy can actually be read. If a format migration is necessary, retain the master, create the migrated file separately, hash both and explain the reason.
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4. Keep a chain-of-custody log
For every action, log the date and time in UTC, person or system, purpose, source and destination, hash before and after, tool or command, and resulting filename or identifier. Include transfers, exports, conversions, crops, enhancements, transcription, translation and access. A simple record can contain:
- Evidence ID and original filename
- UTC event time
- Collector or system identity
- Action and purpose
- Source and destination storage
- Hash before and after
- Tool, command or application version
- Resulting file and notes about errors or unavailable content
Keep an untouched master separate from annotated analysis files. Preserve platform receipts, response pages and download notes with the log so another reviewer can reconstruct the path.
5. Verify provenance, time, place and content
Verification is a set of questions, not a visual impression:
- Source: Who created or first published the item? Is the account authentic, impersonated, hacked, anonymous or a re-uploader?
- Provenance: Is this the original file, a compilation, a screen recording or a re-encoded copy? Does audio, a subtitle, translation or edit change its meaning?
- Time: What does the platform display, what does the file metadata say, and do weather, shadows, lighting and the event timeline agree?
- Place: Can landmarks, road layouts, language, uniforms, weapons, buildings or terrain be matched to maps or satellite imagery?
- Content: What can actually be seen or heard, and what remains uncertain? Separate observation from an allegation or narrator’s claim.
- Linkage: How does the item connect a person, unit, order, location or event to the alleged violation?
Compare independent imagery, weather or shadow information, maps, satellite imagery, witness accounts and other contemporaneous records where doing so is safe. The 2024 judicial guide organizes evaluation around authenticity, metadata, source, location and time. Berkeley guidance notes that a public video may still require reliability assessment, corroboration or testimony, and that admissibility depends on the relevant jurisdiction.
6. Preserve testimony and ethical context
If you interview a filmer or witness, document consent, identity-protection decisions, language and translation, interview conditions, incentives and limitations. WITNESS guidance covers preliminary interviews, informed consent, ethical sharing and proving responsibility through linkage and notice evidence. Keep identifying details out of public copies when disclosure could cause harm; a secure disclosure to an accountability body may be safer than publication.
7. Transfer through a controlled route
Before public posting, assess whether release could endanger a source, identify a victim, reveal a military position, contaminate testimony or cause retraumatization. For a prosecutor, commission or court, provide the master or a verified evidentiary copy, hash, metadata report, custody log, collection notes and verification analysis through a secure channel. The eyeWitness service describes direct transfer of footage and metadata to an accountability body while preserving chain of custody; verify its current app behavior and institutional terms before relying on it.
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Are screenshots enough for court?
Usually, no. A screenshot can demonstrate what was visible at a particular moment, including a URL or caption, but it does not preserve the original media bytes, platform records or complete provenance trail. Retain the downloaded original, page capture, URL, timestamps and hashes. Treat the screenshot as a context aid and the original plus documentation as the preservation record.
A preserved file is not automatically authentic, admissible or sufficient to prove a war crime. Documentary and testimonial evidence may be treated differently, and spoken statements in a video may require separate authentication. The receiving court or investigative mechanism controls the applicable rules; no universal platform archive or admissibility rule applies everywhere.
Choosing a preservation method
| Method | What it preserves well | Main weakness to manage | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary platform download | Original file offered by the platform, when available | Often omits page context, custody logging and independent verification | Immediate first capture, followed by documented preservation |
| Manual archival workflow | File, URL, page context, metadata reports, hashes and custody records | Quality depends on collector discipline and secure storage | Investigations requiring a reconstructable record |
| Controlled-capture application | Can automate date, time and location metadata, secure gallery or server transfer and custody controls | Metadata collection alone is insufficient; current behavior and institutional terms must be checked | Planned field collection when safety and governance are established |
| Screenshot or PDF only | Visible page state and surrounding text at one moment | Does not preserve original media or full provenance | Supplement to, never replacement for, original capture |
The Berkeley Protocol (2020), WITNESS Video as Evidence Field Guide, WITNESS archiving guidance and the text Digital Witness: Using Open Source Information for Human Rights Investigation, Documentation, and Accountability provide complementary foundations. Select tools that can export the evidence and its records in a form the receiving body can use.
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- Record URL, UTC time, timezone shown by the page, account identity and your collection environment.
- Save the page as PDF or an archival capture and take a screenshot showing the relevant text or media in context.
- Save HTML or WARC when feasible, plus a text note describing dynamic elements, consent dialogs, login state and interactions.
- Hash each artifact and keep the page capture separate from later annotations.
- If a page fails, times out or changes, preserve the error page and your notes; an unavailable item is part of the collection history.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo is a screenshot API and MCP server for developers. For a webpage context capture, one GET request returns PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF. It removes cookie or consent banners, newsletter popups and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and whether it was billed. It does not replace downloading the original video, preserving metadata, hashing files or corroborating an allegation.
Use the API documentation at https://screenshotneo.com/docs/. Replace the target URL only; keep the returned file and response details with your evidence record.
cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);ScreenshotNeo supports full-page captures with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, 12 device presets or any viewport, retina scale, PDF paper size, margins, landscape and page ranges, custom CSS and JavaScript, clicks, waits for a selector, delay or network idle, blocking ads, trackers, requests or resource types, custom headers, cookies, user agent and Authorization, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, chosen-TTL caching, signed links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work. For evidence work, record which options were used and retain the API response and returned hash.
An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, allowing an AI agent to collect page context while your evidence controls remain in place.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting and failure handling
The platform download is low quality or re-encoded
Keep that file as the exact platform output, record its format and re-encoding, and search for the earliest or highest-quality lawful source without deleting the first copy. Compare hashes and document every version.
The URL now shows a blank, deleted or login page
Preserve the error or removal state, capture the URL and UTC time, retain earlier files and receipts, and ask a source or authorized investigator for a safe copy. Do not claim that an unavailable page proves what it once contained.
Metadata is absent or contradictory
Record the absence or conflict; do not rewrite fields. Use platform timestamps, account history and independent weather, shadow, map, satellite or witness evidence to test time and place.
A file changed during transfer
Stop analysis, compare hashes before and after, identify the failed destination, recopy from the untouched master and log the incident. Never silently replace a mismatched file.
A screenshot contains personal or dangerous information
Restrict access, create a redacted derivative for routine review, retain the unredacted master securely and document the redaction. Evaluate whether even a redacted public release could reveal a person, location or operational detail.
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An API capture fails
Check the URL encoding, authorization, timeout and requested format; retry once without changing the original target record; save the error response and timestamp. If a page requires interaction, document the selector, click or wait used. Treat a successful screenshot as page context, not as a substitute for the source file.
Practical hand-off checklist
- Stable evidence ID and untouched master
- Highest-quality original download and page-context captures
- Exact URL, account or channel, post ID, visible and capture timestamps, timezone and collection method
- Metadata report with any GPS or device fields assessed for safety
- Cryptographic hashes for every master, copy and derivative
- Two controlled copies in separate locations and access records
- Complete UTC chain-of-custody log
- Provenance, time, place, content and linkage analysis with corroborating material
- Consent and identity-protection records for interviews
- Secure transfer plan matched to the receiving court or investigative body
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I publish a preserved copy immediately?
Not automatically. First assess risks to sources and victims, whether publication could reveal a military position or contaminate testimony, and whether a secure disclosure to an accountability body meets the purpose with less harm.
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Yes. Retain the untouched original, hash both files, document the conversion tool and reason, and use the derivative only for analysis or access needs.
Does a matching hash prove a video is genuine?
No. It shows that the bytes match the recorded fingerprint. Authenticity, provenance, time, place, content and linkage still require independent evaluation.
What if a witness cannot safely give a real name?
Record the identity-protection choice and consent conditions, limit identifying details, and use a secure route for investigators. Do not expose a witness merely to strengthen a public post.
The Bottom Line
Preserve the original and its context, hash and duplicate it, log every handoff, verify source/time/place/content/linkage, and protect the people connected to it. That disciplined record gives investigators and courts something reviewable; a screenshot or viral link alone does not.
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Quick Recap
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