Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 1: Jacco-Pepijn Baljet, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Mallory Knodel, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Mevan Babakar, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Souza Michel , Intergovernmental Organization, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 5: Jacobo Castellanos Rivadeneira, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Mallory Knodel, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Mevan Babakar, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Souza Michel , Intergovernmental Organization, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 5: Jacobo Castellanos Rivadeneira, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Format
Classroom
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: Speakers will initiate the discussion offering a general panorama of provenance systems and frameworks to facilitate understanding and set the ground for broader audience input. For this session, a classroom layout will facilitate participation with participants, and 60/90 minutes will allow enough time for a fruitful and participatory debate with all interested attendees, as well as panelists, and to also gather the necessary input from all.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: Speakers will initiate the discussion offering a general panorama of provenance systems and frameworks to facilitate understanding and set the ground for broader audience input. For this session, a classroom layout will facilitate participation with participants, and 60/90 minutes will allow enough time for a fruitful and participatory debate with all interested attendees, as well as panelists, and to also gather the necessary input from all.
Policy Question(s)
--> What should governance frameworks (for standardization, regulation or product policy) include to ensure that digital provenance systems serve human rights rather than undermining privacy or creating inequitable information ecosystems?
--> How can we balance the technical standardization of provenance systems with the need for inclusive design that addresses diverse global needs and protects vulnerable populations?
--> How should provenance systems distinguish between and appropriately handle the continuum of content—from fully human-created to hybrid human-AI collaboration to completely AI-generated material—while maintaining trust without stifling innovation or expression?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the current provenance landscape, including key standardization efforts, regulatory frameworks, and real-world examples of these systems in action today. Speakers will provide frameworks that will help understand how provenance infrastructure reshapes how we consume content online and how trust is established.
These insights will enable participants to evaluate how these technologies might impact vulnerable individuals and communities, and to identify strategies and actions for mitigating potential harms. Attendees will also be invited to explore constructive approaches to designing and governing provenance systems that not only rebuild trust but also strengthen our collective information ecosystem.
By the session's end, participants will be equipped with the knowledge to meaningfully contribute to ongoing discussions about human rights-centered approaches to digital provenance in our increasingly complex online environment.
SDGs
Description:
Trust online continues to erode as disinformation and increasingly sophisticated generative AI (GAI) blur the boundaries between fact and fiction. To rebuild this trust, diverse stakeholders have proposed systems that capture and share the source and history—the provenance—of content we consume online. These efforts have gained significant traction in recent years through the interplay of standardization initiatives, regulatory frameworks, and private-sector adoption, suggesting that provenance systems could become key markers of trust in the digital sphere. Despite the opportunities these systems offer, they also present significant potential for harm. They could be weaponized to undermine privacy and restrict freedom of expression, or create a two-tiered information ecosystem where content with attached provenance is deemed more valuable or credible than content without it. As these systems reshape how trust is established online, they must reflect diverse global needs and experiences. Their design and governance must actively defend and bolster human rights while strengthening our information ecosystem to support democracy, justice, and accountability. This workshop explores how human rights-centered approaches to digital provenance can help rebuild the fractured trust landscape of our online world, and invites participants to contribute their perspectives and expertise to shape the future of ethical provenance systems in our increasingly complex digital environment.
Trust online continues to erode as disinformation and increasingly sophisticated generative AI (GAI) blur the boundaries between fact and fiction. To rebuild this trust, diverse stakeholders have proposed systems that capture and share the source and history—the provenance—of content we consume online. These efforts have gained significant traction in recent years through the interplay of standardization initiatives, regulatory frameworks, and private-sector adoption, suggesting that provenance systems could become key markers of trust in the digital sphere. Despite the opportunities these systems offer, they also present significant potential for harm. They could be weaponized to undermine privacy and restrict freedom of expression, or create a two-tiered information ecosystem where content with attached provenance is deemed more valuable or credible than content without it. As these systems reshape how trust is established online, they must reflect diverse global needs and experiences. Their design and governance must actively defend and bolster human rights while strengthening our information ecosystem to support democracy, justice, and accountability. This workshop explores how human rights-centered approaches to digital provenance can help rebuild the fractured trust landscape of our online world, and invites participants to contribute their perspectives and expertise to shape the future of ethical provenance systems in our increasingly complex digital environment.
Expected Outcomes
This workshop will result in a document mapping the human rights implications of digital provenance systems across different content types and creation methods. Participants will collaboratively develop practical governance recommendations that balance technical standardization needs with inclusive design principles.
Specific outputs will include:
- A report documenting the identified tensions between provenance systems and human rights, including specific concerns and how these should be addressed in standardization, regulation or product policy.
- A roadmap for potential direct and multistakeholder participation, as needed, in standardization efforts or regulatory initiatives. Alternatively, the creation of a digital space for ongoing discussion and exploration of provenance systems among civil society, government and private sector focused on defending and promoting human rights.
These outputs will also inform WITNESS’s direct participation in ongoing standardization efforts and regulatory frameworks being developed by policy makers and technology companies.
Hybrid Format: To facilitate a successful and engaging hybrid session for the 2025 IGF, it’s essential to plan both the technical and participatory aspects carefully, ensuring that both onsite and online speakers and attendees are able to interact meaningfully. For that purpose, online and onsite moderators will work together to make sure the audience has a say in the conversation and we will also consider methods such as menti for bettter interaction.