What is the pertinence of Traditional Best Practices for Collecting, Handling and Utilizing Physical Evidence in Open Source Investigations? Identifying Challenges and Formulating Adaptive Strategies in the Digital Age.

With its deeply transformative character, the digital age has ushered profound transformations in many realms of the human rights environment. In the ever-evolving landscape of human rights fact finding in particular, the emergence of open-source methodologies as a prominent means for evidence identification, collection, and preservation has greatly impacted the traditional frameworks of best practices for collecting, handling, and utilising evidence. As doctrine and practice attempt to reel in the revolutionising potential of open-source methods, this thesis delves into the pertinence of traditional methodologies in the context of open-source investigations, seeking to identify inherent challenges and formulate adaptive strategies to align the tradition with the novel demands of the digital age. The initial discourse surrounding the emergence of open-source approaches to information-gathering, will allow us to explore the recent technological developments in human rights monitoring and reporting, especially emphasising their capacity to open up brand new avenues for human rights practitioners. The exploration then moves to retracing the path that led to the institutionalisation of best practices in evidence collection and analysis. However, as open-source methods gain prominence in the digital era, the relevance of these established practices is scrutinized against the backdrop of evolving technological landscapes. By critically assessing the applicability of traditional methodologies within the digital realm, we will shed light on the tensions that arise when these methodologies encounter the novel challenges presented by open-source investigations. The permeation of digital technologies in human rights fact-finding introduced an array of complexities, ranging from the reliability of online sources to the preservation of data in an ever-morphing digital landscape. Moving beyond the analysis of traditional best practices framework, the research consequently examines the unique challenges posed by open-source investigations, attempting to provide a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies that investigators face when navigating the digital realm, and identifying the necessity for adaptive strategies that harmonize the traditional sets of practices with contemporary challenges. In response to these challenges, the development of a new framework for best practices emerges as a pivotal step in this recalibration process. This new framework must strike a delicate balance between the preservation of core principles and the incorporation of innovative methods, reflecting a human rights-based approach, effectively addressing the challenges associated with digital evidence, and maintaining the integrity of established principles while integrating innovative methods. Drawing on case studies and real-world practices, the research identifies a series of adaptive strategies encapsulating the symbiotic relationship between tradition and technology.  Overall, this work attempts to contribute to a growing strand of literature and academic discussions striving to find the balance between the need to identify effective procedural standards and to safeguard the ethical underpinnings of human rights. Such nuanced understanding of the topic underlines the importance of analysing the pertinence of traditional best practices for collecting, handling, and utilizing physical evidence in the context of open-source investigations. By formulating adaptive strategies to guarantee the healthy development of the doctrine and identifying new avenues for procedural analysis, this thesis strives to serve as a starting point to harmonize the rich legacy of traditional investigative practices with the demands of the contemporary digital landscape.