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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder

@visualevidencelab.bsky.social
60 followers 24 following 77 posts

Advancing equitable and responsible video and AI technology in the pursuit of justice. Directed by @sristovska.bsky.social at @colorado.edu. Visit www.colorado.edu/lab/visualevidence

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Reposted by Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder
Sandra Ristovska @sristovska.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
With body cameras making headlines again - and the terrific @lastweektonight.com episode about it - I suggest that “if we want body cameras to make law enforcement more accountable, we must first ensure that the law is even-handed when it comes to cameras.” www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/04/o...
bostonglobe.com
Police body cameras may be good to have. But they can be misleading in court. - The Boston Globe
The legal system wrongly assumes that video always reveals objective truth.
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Reposted by Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford @casbsstanford.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
A flood of fakery & dubious content “We have a very long history of weaponizing and manipulating images. Social media today, coupled with the generative A.I. tools we’re seeing, have taken the problem to an unprecedented level.” -CASBS fellow @sristovska.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/t...
nytimes.com
Chaos in Minneapolis Exposes an Internet at War With Truth
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
We're pleased to announce the second talk in our Seeking Justice with Video and AI speaker series: Kelly Gates on Feb 20 (11 am - 12 pm MT) via Zoom. This event is open and free, but advanced registration is required: cuboulder.zoom.us/webinar/regi... Co-sponsored by @cumediastudies.bsky.social
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Reposted by Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford @casbsstanford.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
How your brain changes what you see & how bias can affect a viewer As CASBS fellow @sristovska.bsky.social explains in @sciam.bsky.social , “Seeing is not just what our eyes physically see but also the experiences and ideas that viewers bring to images.” www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
scientificamerican.com
Video evidence and eyewitness accounts: The science behind why people see different things
Why can people watch the same video footage and see different things? Neuroscience can help explain
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Reposted by Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford @casbsstanford.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
What determines how a person interprets what they see on video? How do you assess the truth or trustworthiness of what you see? CASBS fellow @sristovska.bsky.social appeared on the CBC News program Blue Sky to discuss these vital, topical, and thorny questions www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEN0...
youtube.com
In the age of generative AI how can we trust what our eyes see?
YouTube video by CBC News Saskatchewan
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Our debut episode of Seeking Justice with Video and AI is now live. It aired earlier today on KVCU Radio 1190 and is available on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0LhB... w/terrific insights form Judge Paul Grimm, Professor Rebecca Delfino, and @riana.bsky.social
open.spotify.com
Deepfakes and the Future of Evidence
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
We are excited to announce the launch of our Seeking Justice with Video and AI speaker series, featuring Yael Granot on January 23 from 11 am to 12 pm MT via Zoom. Please scan the QR code to register and receive the Zoom link or use this link: cuboulder.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season! See you again in 2026.
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Our lab is supported by a diverse team, including an advisory board, steering committee, fellows, interns, alumni affiliates, and affiliate organizations. Thank you all for being a part of our journey! 5/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
**November 5** We released our inaugural report, "Video's Day in Court: Advancing Equitable Legal Usage of Visual Technologies and AI." (see our website.) 4/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
**October 29** We marked our formal launch with new offices in IBS, website, and social media accounts. 3/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
**June 16** Together with the nonprofit SCALES OKN, we were awarded a Sustaining Community Connections grant from the American Council of Learned Societies. 2/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
A Year in Review: Reflecting on Key Highlights from 2025 **April 25** We celebrated our soft launch with the Justice by Video workshop at the Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS) at the University of Colorado Boulder. 1/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
The last Friday introduction of 2025: the fabulous Alexa Koenig who serves on our advisory board. Alexa is a research professor and co-faculty director of the MacArthur Foundation award-winning Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law, where she also leads the center’s Investigations Program.
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
We're excited to announce the launch of "Seeking Justice with Video and AI," a new podcast from the Visual Evidence Lab. Tune in on KVCU Radio 1190 every second Wednesday of the month during News Team’s Audio Magazine from 11 am to 12 pm MT. The podcast will also be available on Spotify afterwards.
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
The ACLS meeting featured presentations on a wide-range of community projects that were incredibly inspiring. You'd also check out these initiatives: www.acls.org/doctoral-fut... www.acls.org/programs/lea... www.acls.org/programs/acl... 4/4
acls.org
Doctoral Futures
A Bold Approach in a Time of Instability
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
As part of the grant, we hosted Kat and Kaitlyn at a scholar-practitioner workshop in Oct, where they discussed how PhD students can apply their skills in various justice-driven careers. 3/4
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
We've been working with SCALES-OKN's Executive Director Kat Albrecht and Communications Director Kaitlyn Filip on a new project examining the use of video in Colorado courts (report out in January). Check out the terrific work SCALES-OKN is doing to enhance court transparency: scales-okn.org 2/4
scales-okn.org
SCALES-OKN
SCALES improves court transparency by providing enriched data for the public, policymakers, researchers, and legal professionals.
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Lab Director @sristovska.bsky.social and steering committee member Tara Coughlin shared insights from their collaboration with the nonprofit SCALES-OKN at a grantee meeting with @acls1919.bsky.social last Friday. 1/4
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Reposted by Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford @casbsstanford.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
"We're risking unfair renderings of justice." ABC's affiliate in Denver covered the inaugural report issued by the @visualevidencelab.bsky.social, directed by CASBS fellow @sristovska.bsky.social Full news coverage & access to the report: www.denver7.com/news/local-n...
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Before coming to Stanford in 2015, Riana was an associate in the internet strategy and litigation group at the law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and a law clerk to the Hon. Bruce J. McGiverin, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. 5/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
More recently, she co-authored an urgently needed report, “AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material: Insights from Educators, Platforms, Law Enforcement, Legislators, and Victims:" purl.stanford.edu/mn692xc5736 It's also worth checking out: www.scientificamerican.com/article/teen... 4/5
purl.stanford.edu
AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material: Insights from Educators, Platforms, Law Enforcement, Legislators, and Victims
AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) carries unique harms. When generated from a photo of a clothed person, it can damage that person’s reputation and cause serious distress. When based ...
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
In 2020, she published the first law journal article to comprehensively assess the impact of deepfake technology on evidentiary proceedings in court: www.bu.edu/pilj/files/2... 3/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
A lawyer by training, Pfefferkorn researches the law and policy implications of emerging technologies, including AI. Her research spans topics in privacy and civil liberties, encryption policy, digital surveillance, cybersecurity, and online trust and safety. 2/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Continuing our Friday tradition, we're thrilled to introduce another member of our advisory @riana.bsky.social. Riana is a policy fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). 1/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Sandra emphasized that this is not merely an academic concern; it is a vital endeavor in the quest for equal and fair justice. 5/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Ethical witnessing goes beyond questions about the fidelity and content of an image. It requires scrutiny of what counts as valid evidence, who is authorized to testify about its authenticity, and how truth is contested and established in court. 4/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
While improving standards of authenticity and proof in the wake of AI is essential, it is equally important to address enduring questions regarding access to justice and the racial and ethnic disparities present in the legal system. 3/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
From an 1869 "spirit photographer" case that put the evidentiary status of photography on trial to wrongful arrests linked to AI facial recognition tools today, Sandra examined how technological manipulation of evidentiary images has influenced the pursuit of justice. 2/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
We're excited to share insights from the recent symposium at the @ascmediarisk.org at the University of Pennsylvania on December 4-5. Our founding director @sristovska.bsky.social delivered a compelling talk titled "New Technologies, Old Problems: Witnessing in an Age of AI." 1/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
To tackle these issues, we proposed: - A decentralized federated database for evidentiary videos - Training for judges - Instructions for jurors - Safeguards for AI-generated and AI-enhanced video For those interested in a deeper dive, the full report is here: www.colorado.edu/lab/visualev... 3/3
colorado.edu
Inaugural Report: "Video’s Day in Court: Advancing Equitable Legal Usage of Visual Technologies and AI"
At its launch in April 2025, the Visual Evidence Lab gathered experts from across academia, law, media forensics, journalism and human rights practice to
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Our report identifies and describes significant challenges in the legal system related to: (1) video access, (2) video interpretation, and (3) the rise of AI. 2/3
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Our inaugural report, "Video’s Day in Court: Advancing Equitable Legal Usage of Visual Technologies and AI," was highlighted in Denver7 news segment: www.denver7.com/news/local-n... 1/3
denver7.com
New CU Boulder report finds criminal justice system needs solutions to address AI, video evidence
The inaugural report from the newly founded Visual Evidence Lab at the CU Boulder began with a discussion where experts analyzed the challenges and solutions related to AI within a courtroom.
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Judge Kennedy participated in a full-day convening on April 25, 2025 at the Institute of Behavioral Science at @colorado.edu that marked the launch of our lab. You can read more about the convening here: www.colorado.edu/cmdinow/cour... 5/5
colorado.edu
Courting justice
Video evidence appears in 80 percent of criminal cases, but a lack of consistent guidelines means there’s no standard for how media are presented in court. A
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
He teaches Scientific Evidence Law as an adjunct professor at The University of New Mexico School of Law, having also assembled an award-winning education series on skeptically viewing scientific evidence for the New Mexico Bar. 4/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
He was legal advisor to the Albuquerque Police Department’s force review board (2020-23). He is a retired fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and a co-chair of the Scientific Evidence Committee of the @americanbar.org's Science & Technology Law Section. 3/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
In his 27-year career as judge, he sat at every level of court in New Mexico and served as a judge pro tem for the Jicarilla Apache Nation. In his time as a judge, he handled more than 65,000 cases. 2/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
We're pleased to introduce our advisory board member, Judge Roderick Kennedy. He retired from the New Mexico Court of Appeals, of which he had been chief judge, in 2016. 1/5
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Our founding director @sristovska.bsky.social will be giving a talk, "New Technologies, Old Problems: Witnessing in an Age of AI" on December 5 at @ascmediarisk.org at the University of Pennsylvania. Join us if you're in the area. More info and registration details below.
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Organized monthly on Zoom, the series is free and open to everyone. Advanced registration is required. 📅 Save the date and stay tuned for registration details! 6/6
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Mary Fan – Jack R. MacDonald Endowed Chair, University of Washington School of Law; expert on criminal law and procedure, evidence, and information privacy (April 24) 5/6
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Sebastián Hidalgo – John S. Knight Journalism Fellow, Stanford University; award-winning photojournalist and reporter investigating the intersections between low wage labor and policing (March 27) 4/6
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Kelly Gates – Associate Professor of Communication and Science Studies, University of California San Diego; expert on the cultural and political dimensions of surveillance and the tech industry (February 20) 3/6
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
📢 Spring 2026 Lineup: Yael Granot – Assistant Professor of Psychology, Smith College; expert on how people make legal judgments (January 23) 2/6
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
How are video and AI shaping the pursuit of justice? Check out Seeking Justice with Video and AI, our new speaker series. Featuring leading voices from academia, law, journalism, media forensics, and human rights practice, it will explore the promises and challenges of these technologies. 1/6
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. followers!
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Check out her latest article, An Audience Perspective on the Precarity of Black Witnessing, in New Media & Society: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1... 4/4
journals.sagepub.com
An audience perspective on the precarity of Black witnessing - Nandi Pointer, 2025
From slavery to police brutality, the Black struggle in the United States can be traced in the visual field. The online dissemination of disparate acts of viole...
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
She is a recipient of a 2026 visiting fellowship from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Experimental Ethnography, 2025 IAMCR Stuart Hall Award, and 2025 Dissertation Completion Fellowship from @cubouldercha.bsky.social 3/4
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Today, we're introducing Nandi Pointer, a PhD Candidate at @cumediastudies.bsky.social, who sits on our graduate student steering committee and supports our research and programmatic activities. A former journalist and TV producer, Nandi studies questions about media, race, and identity. 2/4
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Visual Evidence Lab @ CU Boulder @visualevidencelab.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
We have an advisory board, steering committee, fellows, interns, alumni affiliates, and affiliate organizations. The advisory board includes scholars, practitioners, and retired trial judges who provide guidance on strategic planning and research priorities (see some of our prior posts). 1/4
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