irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $432KTECHNOLOGY THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES:BUILDING ON A RICH HISTORY OF ANTICIPATING THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES POSED BY EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, WITNESS REMAINS LASER-FOCUSED ON ENSURING THAT INNOVATION OPERATES IN SERVICE OF A HEALTHY AND INFORMED SOCIETY, WHILE SERVING AND PROTECTING THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST. IT ENGAGES ACTORS ACROSS THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM, BRINGING GRASSROOTS PERSPECTIVES TO GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES AND SCALING IMPACT IN THE PROCESS. WITNESS UTILIZES AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE REAL AND UNPRECEDENTED THREATS POSED BY EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TO DEVELOP THREAT MODELS, ENSURE COMPANIES TAKE RIGHTS-RESPECTING APPROACHES, AND COLLABORATE ON APPLIED RESEARCH. THE ORGANIZATION IS A THOUGHT LEADER AND CROSS-SECTOR CONVENER, ADDRESSING THE THREATS OF SYNTHETIC MEDIA, DECEPTIVE AI, SURVEILLANCE, AND SECURITY FACING THE HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT AT LARGE.
- #2 $349KLEARNING AND SHARING: A PRIMARY MECHANISM BY WHICH WITNESS HELPS BUILD THE FABRIC OF ECOSYSTEMS IS THROUGH THE UNIQUE ABILITY TO LEARN AND SHARE, ENSURING THAT GUIDANCE AND TOOLS CAN BE ADAPTED TO, AND SHARED WITH, COMMUNITIES FACING SIMILAR ISSUES AROUND THE WORLD. AS PATTERNS OF WRONGDOING REPEAT THEMSELVES ACROSS BORDERS AND GEOGRAPHIES, SO TOO MUST THE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS FOR HOW VIDEO AND TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP REALIZE OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPOSE THESE ABUSES.
named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
AI Transparency & Synthetic Media Accountability
Advocates for robust AI transparency standards under regulations like the EU AI Act, focusing on provenance, labeling, and user protections for AI-generated content.
Combatting AI-Generated Sexualized Impersonation
Works to reframe AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery as gender-based violence, pushing platforms like Meta to adopt stronger policies, reporting mechanisms, and prevention safeguards.
Media Literacy & Capacity Building
Promotes user education and platform training to improve public understanding of AI-generated content, labels, and provenance disclosures.
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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AI Governance and Ethical Research 2 activities
- Advocacy for AI and platform policy reformEngages in policy advocacy before major tech platforms and international regulatory bodies, including submissions to Meta's Oversight Board and EU AI governance working groups. Focus areas include AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery, synthetic media in elections, and transparency rules under the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.
- Research on synthetic media and deepfakesConducts and publishes research on deepfakes, synthetic media, and their societal impacts, including reports such as “Just Joking: Deepfakes, Satire, and the politics of Synthetic media” (2021) and articles on deepfake labeling and synthetic media governance (2023).
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Human Rights Advocacy and Public Education 1 activity
- Direct technical support for activists using audiovisual evidenceSupports activists in documenting environmental violations, police brutality, and state violence through audiovisual technology, including verification of video from conflict zones and countering AI-fueled disinformation related to climate change and accountability.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Training and capacity building for human rights documentationProvides training, tools, and practical guidance to individuals and activist groups on using video and technology to document human rights abuses, with a focus on strengthening the credibility and evidentiary value of such documentation. Includes support for detecting AI-generated deception and verifying video from conflict zones.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$4.64M
Contributions & grants$3.92M84%
Program service revenue$12K0%
Investment income$517K11%
Other revenue$193K
expenses
Total expenses$7.32M
Program expenses69%
Admin / overhead20%
Fundraising11%
Salaries & benefits$5.43M
Grants paid out$78K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$12.65M
Cash$1.56M
Investments$6.94M
Liabilities$1.12M
Net assets$11.53M
Liquid reserves13.9 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -40.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 7
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAMUEL GREGORY | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $271K |
| KALIM PATWA | DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE & SYSTEMS | 40 | $188K |
| SONALI THIMMAYA | DIRECTOR OF FINANCE | 40 | $181K |
| SARA FEDERLEIN | DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY | 40 | $180K |
| JACQUELIN ZAMMUTO | ASSO. DIRECTOR - LEARNING & SHARING (THROUGH 1/3/2 | 40 | $151K |
| ADEBAYO OKEOWO | ASSO. DIR OF PROGRAMS - REGIONAL & PARTNER ENGAGEM | 40 | $141K |
| SHANTHA BARRIGA | DEPUTY EXEC DIRECTOR (THROUGH 4/9/25) | 40 | $140K |
board members · 13
- ADELIN CAI — BOARD MEMBER
- DEBORA DINIZ — BOARD MEMBER
- HELEN ENRIGHT — TREASURER, BOARD MEMBER
- INCA MOHAMED — BOARD MEMBER
- JULIE OWONO — BOARD MEMBER
- KOKETSO MOETI — BOARD MEMBER
- LEONARDO CUSTODIO — BOARD MEMBER
- MICHAEL HIRSCHHORN — SECRETARY
- MONICA ALEMAN — CO-CHAIR
- PAMILLA MUDHRAY — BOARD MEMBER
- PETER GABRIEL — BOARD MEMBER
- POLLY FIELDS — CO-CHAIR
- SABRY MOHIDEEN — BOARD MEMBER, TREASURER (FROM 6/23)
relationships · 8
Who they work with
- Classy Partner — Donation processing vendor that provides WITNESS with donor data for donation processing.
- European Union Government — Engages with EU institutions in the development of the Code of Practice under the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.
- Google Partner — Third-party analytics provider used for website data collection and optimization.
- Matomo Partner — Third-party analytics provider used for website data collection and optimization.
- Meta Oversight Board Partner — Submitted a public comment to Meta's Oversight Board regarding AI-generated content in elections.
- Meta Oversight Board Partner — Submitted public recommendations and engaged with the Meta Oversight Board regarding policy reforms on AI-generated sexualized impersonation.
- Our institutional supporters Network — Network of institutional funders supporting WITNESS's work in human rights and video technology
- institutional supporters Partner — Commitment and partnership enabling WITNESS to support communities in using video and technology for human rights
strategies · 7
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Integrated Media Literacy and Transparency 6 orgsmethodology: media-literacy-integrationBy combining AI content disclosure mechanisms with media literacy education, we enable the public to critically interpret synthetic media, making transparency measures more effective and resilient against manipulation.shared approach: Transparency Through Empowerment →
- Integrated Media Literacy and Transparency Standards 6 orgsmethodology: media-literacy-integrationBy combining AI content labeling with media literacy education, we enable the public to critically interpret synthetic media, because technical transparency alone is insufficient without the cognitive tools to assess credibility and context in digital environments.shared approach: Transparency Through Empowerment →
- Standardized AI Content Labeling for Policy Coherence 6 orgsmethodology: standardized-labeling-frameworkBy advocating for a harmonized, EU-wide labeling framework for AI-generated content, we prevent fragmented implementation across platforms and ensure consistent, enforceable transparency that supports accountability and public trust.shared approach: Transparency Through Empowerment →
- Systemic Risk Mitigation in Digital Ecosystems 6 orgsmethodology: ecosystem-level interventionBy treating generative AI in elections as a structural threat to information ecosystems—rather than focusing on individual deepfakes—we can design platform-level interventions that reduce polarization, influence operations, and erosion of trust through provenance standards and socio-technical safeguards.shared approach: Transparency Through Empowerment →
- Consent-Centered Policy Frameworkmethodology: consent-centered_frameworkBy centering consent as the foundational principle in policy responses to AI-generated intimate imagery, we can more accurately classify and address such acts as technology-facilitated gender-based violence, because this framing aligns legal and ethical standards with the lived harm and power dynamics involved.
- Scale and Systems Change in Technology Governancemethodology: scale_and_systems_changeBy equipping individuals with tools and training to use video for human rights advocacy while simultaneously pushing for systemic reforms in tech governance, we create both immediate impact and long-term structural protection, because sustainable change requires empowering frontline actors and transforming the institutions that shape technology.
- Systemic Risk Mitigation in Digital Information Ecosystemsmethodology: ecosystem-level interventionBy treating generative AI in elections as a structural threat to information integrity, we can shift focus from reactive deepfake detection to proactive ecosystem-level interventions, because systemic risks like polarization and influence operations require platform-level governance and socio-technical safeguards to preserve democratic trust.