Visual memory’: Activists in race to save digital trace of Syria war

Visual memory’: Activists in race to save digital trace of Syria war

BEIRUT: From videos of deadly airstrikes to extremists' takeovers, Al-Mutez Billah's YouTube page served as a digital archive of the Syrian war until automated takedown software in 2017 erased it permanently. The page exhibiting footage that violated YouTube's community standards could not be restored because Al-Mutez Billah, a citizen-journalist, had been executed by Daesh three years earlier over his documentation efforts. "It's not just videos that have been deleted, it's an entire archive of our life," said Sarmad Jilane, a Syrian activist and close friend of Al-Mutez Billah, who was killed at the age of 21. "Effectively, it feels like a part of our visual memory has been erased." The Google-owned YouTube platform has deleted hundreds of thousands of videos uploaded by Syrian activists since it introduced automated software in 2017 to detect and delete objectionable content, including violent or graphic videos. It is not the only social media giant relying on artificial intelligence takedowns, but the platform is home to the majority of Syria war footage, making it an even bigger blow. The videos showing regime bombardments, executions by extremists and chemical attacks had served as a vital window into a conflict which has remained largely off limits to