How Data-Driven Journalism Illuminates Patterns of Injustice | Alison Killing | TED

譯者: Fred Tsang 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

Recently, I spent several days exploring Kashgar, a city in Xinjiang,

最近，我花了幾天時間探索喀什， 一個位於中國西北部新疆的城市。

northwest China.

I got to wander the streets of the old town

我在老城的街道上閒逛，

and visit the bazaar and several mosques and take in the sights.

參觀了集市和幾個清真寺， 欣賞了美景。

I've never been to Kashgar personally,

我從未親自去過喀什，

but through the YouTube videos and Instagram posts of tourists,

但通過遊客的 YouTube 視頻 和 Instagram 帖子，

I was able to experience the city at a key moment in time:

我得以在一個關鍵時刻 體驗這個城市：

October 2017,

2017 年 10 月，

just as the mass detention campaign in the region was gathering pace.

正值該地區的大規模拘留運動 加速推進。

These videos could help us investigate the visual signs of the crackdown.

這些視頻可以幫助我們調查 鎮壓的視覺跡象。

The checkpoints at each intersection with their metal detectors,

每個十字路口的檢查站都有 金屬探測器、

ID checks and iris scans,

身份證檢查和虹膜掃描，

the CCTV cameras which pervade the city

城市中到處都是閉路電視攝像機，

and the riot police on every corner.

每個角落都有防暴警察。

Over the past decade,

在過去的十年裡，

online and open-source investigations

在線和開源調查 在新聞和人權監督領域已經起飛，

have taken off in the fields of journalism and human rights monitoring,

using photographs, videos

通過使用照片、視頻

and the digital traces we leave behind as we use the internet

和我們在網上留下的數字痕跡

to conduct investigations.

來進行調查。

Social media data is combined with tools like satellite imagery and 3D modelling,

社交媒體數據與 衛星圖像和三維建模等工具相結合，

as well as more traditional journalistic techniques like interviews

以及採訪和搜索政府文件

and searches of government documents.

等更傳統的新聞技術。

It's also brought new kinds of people to journalism.

它也為新聞業帶來了新型工作者。

Software developers, animators, archaeologists,

軟體開發人員、動畫師、考古學家，

or, like me, an architect.

或者像我一樣，一名建築師。

I got involved in investigating Xinjiang in the summer of 2018

2018年夏天，我遇到了

在中國工作了幾年的美國記者 Megha Rajagopalan，

when I met Megha Rajagopalan, an American journalist

才開始參與對新疆的調查。

who had been working in China for several years.

Over the past few years,

在過去的幾年裡,

China has been carrying out a campaign of oppression in Xinjiang

中國一直在新疆，對包括最大群體 維吾爾族在內的突厥穆斯林

against Turkic Muslims,

including the largest group, the Uyghurs.

開展壓迫運動。

It's part of a campaign of forcible assimilation,

這是強行同化運動的一部分，

and several nations have described it as a genocide.

一些國家已經將其描述為種族滅絕。

It's estimated that over a million people

據估計， 有超過一百萬人從拘留營失蹤。

have been disappeared into detention camps.

And while the Chinese government claims

雖然中國政府聲稱

that these are part of a benign program of re-education,

這些是良性再教育計劃的一部分，

dozens of former detainees describe being tortured and abused

但數十名前被拘留者 描述了遭受酷刑和虐待

and women being forcibly sterilized.

以及婦女被強制絕育的情況。

And yet, for a long time,

然而，在很長一段時間裡，

we lacked information about what was happening in Xinjiang,

我們缺乏有關新疆正在發生的信息，

because the Chinese government controls the internet tightly

因為中國政府嚴格控制網路，

and restricts journalists' work in the region.

限制記者在該地區的工作。

Journalists would be followed or detained,

記者會被跟蹤或拘留，

and the authorities occasionally even went so far

當局有時甚至會

as to set up fake roadworks or stage car crashes

設置假的道路工程， 或上演車禍，

to prevent access to certain roads.

以阻止人們進入某些道路。

Local people who did speak to journalists

與記者交談的當地人面臨著

face the risk of being sent to a detention camp for doing so.

因此被送入拘留營的風險。

Megha had been the first journalist to visit one of the camps.

Megha 是第一個 訪問其中一個難民營的記者。

But shortly after publishing her article,

但在發表文章後不久，

the Chinese authorities declined to renew her visa, and she had to leave.

中國當局拒絕為她續籤籤證， 她不得不離開。

Other journalists had managed to visit a handful of the camps,

其他記者曾經設法 訪問了少數幾個營地，

but this still represented a fraction of what we believed was out there,

但這只是我們認為的 其中一小部分，

and no one knew where the others were.

而且沒有人知道其他營地在哪裡。

But Megha was keen to find the rest.

但 Megha 很想找到 其餘的營地。

She just needed to find a way to work effectively from outside China.

她只是需要找到一種 從中國境外有效工作的方法。

Another challenge was that Xinjiang is huge.

另一個挑戰是， 新疆面積很大。

It's four times the size of California,

它的面積是加州的四倍，

and that made it difficult to look for a network of camps

這使得尋找一個遍布整個地區的 營地網絡變得很困難。

that was spread across the region.

Satellite imagery could help to solve both of those problems.

衛星圖像可以 幫助解決這兩個問題。

But more importantly,

但更重要的是，

satellite imagery was a source of information

衛星圖像是中國政府

that the Chinese government couldn't control

無法控制的信息來源，

because the satellites and the imagery they produce

因為衛星及其產生的圖像

was owned by US and European organizations.

為美國和歐洲組織所有。

But that still left us with the question

但是， 這仍然給我們留下了一個問題，

of where in that huge amount of satellite imagery to look.

那就是在大量的衛星圖像 應該看哪裡。

And then I heard about something strange

然後我聽說在百度全景中

that was happening in Baidu Total View,

發生了一些奇怪的事情，

which is the Chinese equivalent of Google Street View.

百度全景 相當於是中國的谷歌街景。

Photographer Jonathan Browning had discovered that buildings

攝影師 Jonathan Browning 發現，

and facilities like industrial estates

像工業區這樣的建築和設施 在街景中被 PS 掉了，

were being photoshopped out of ground level imagery,

often very clumsily.

而且往往做的很拙劣。

Yeah, it's bizarre, right?

是的，這很詭異，不是嗎？

At the time, it wasn't clear why this was happening,

當時， 還不清楚為什麼會發生這種情況，

but I realized that if industrial estates in eastern China were being obscured,

但我意識到， 如果中國東部的工業園區可以被掩蓋，

then probably the same thing was happening with detention camps in Xinjiang.

那麼很可能 在新疆的拘留所也可以。

And I went to look at the imagery there to see what I could find.

我就去看了看那裡的圖像， 看看能找到什麼。

There were a handful of camps which had been visited by journalists.

有少數幾個營地曾被記者訪問過。

And so I went to those locations in Baidu to see what the platform showed.

於是我就去了百度裡的那些地方， 看看它怎麼展示。

There was no street level imagery.

那裏沒有街景。

But as I zoomed in on the satellite images,

但當我放大衛星圖像時，

this weird thing happened.

發生了奇怪的事情。

A light gray square suddenly appeared above the location of the camp

一個淺灰色的方塊 突然出現在營地的位置上方，

and then disappeared just as quickly as I zoomed in further.

然後在我進一步放大的時候 迅速消失了。

It was a bit like the map wasn't loading properly,

這有點像地圖沒有正常加載，

but then I zoomed out and in again only for the same thing to happen.

但後來我縮小又放大， 卻又發生了同樣的情況。

I realized it couldn't be a problem with the map loading

我意識到 這不可能是地圖加載的問題，

because the tiles would have been in the browser's cache.

因為地圖圖塊應該 已經保存在了瀏覽器的緩存中。

And when I found the same thing happening

當我發現同樣的事情發生在 我們知道的其他營地時，

at the other locations we knew to be camps,

I realized that we had a technique we could use

我意識到了一種可以用來 尋找營地網絡中其他部分的技術。

to find the rest of the network.

It's quite rare for maps and satellite images to have these blank spots

地圖和衛星圖像有這些空白點 是相當罕見的，

because blank areas tend to draw attention to themselves.

因為空白區域 往往會引起人們的注意。

But here we got lucky.

但在這裡我們很幸運。

Obscuring the camps had inadvertently revealed all of their locations.

掩蓋營地的行為 無意中暴露了它們的所有位置。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

(Applause)

(掌聲)

We worked with developer Christo Buschek,

我們與開發人員 Christo Buschek合作，

who specializes in documenting human rights issues

他專門負責記錄人權問題，

and building tools for open-source researchers

並為開源研究人員建立工具，

to map the masked-tile locations.

以繪製被遮蓋的地圖圖塊位置。

We had to work quickly and secretively to map the masked tiles

我們必須在別人發現我們在做什麼 並移除它們之前，

before anyone found out what we were doing and removed them

迅速而秘密地 繪製被掩蓋的地圖圖塊，

because our investigation relied on access to that information.

因為我們的調查 依賴於對這些信息的獲取。

The idea was that we could go and look at the masked-tile locations

我們的想法是， 我們可以去看被遮擋的圖塊位置，

and then look at that same location

然後在其他未被改變的衛星圖像中 看同一個位置，

in other unaltered satellite imagery and see what was there.

看看那裡有什麼。

And this is what we saw.

這就是我們看到的情況。

This is a former high school

這之前是一所高中，

that became Kashgar Vocational Skills Education and Training Center.

後來成為 喀什職業技能教育培訓中心。

Zooming in on the satellite imagery,

放大衛星圖像，

we can see the barbed wire in the courtyards

我們可以看到院子裡的有刺鐵絲網，

that creates exercise pens for the detainees

這些建築物附近的鐵絲網 為被拘留者建立了鍛鍊場。

adjacent to the buildings.

In other images, we can even see people,

在其他圖像中， 我們甚至可以看到人們，

all wearing red uniforms, lined up in the courtyard.

都穿著紅色的制服， 在院子裡排隊。

These features could help us decide whether a location was a camp or not.

这些特征可以帮助我们 决定一个地点是否是一个营地。

As we investigated further,

隨著我們的進一步調查，

we realized that the camp's program had evolved

我們意識到該營地的項目

away from the early days of makeshift camps

已經從早期的

in former schools and hospitals,

在以前的學校和醫院裡的臨時營地

and had become more permanent,

發展到了現在的永久性營地，

that the camps were now larger,

現在的營地規模更大，

higher-security and purpose-built.

安全性更高， 並且是專門建造的。

This is the largest camp that we know of.

這是我們所知道的最大的營地。

It's in Dabancheng.

這是在達坂城。

The complex is two miles long,

該建築群有兩英裡長，

and it would cover a quarter of New York's Central Park.

它可以覆蓋 紐約中央公園的四分之一。

In the satellite images, we can see the thick perimeter walls,

在衛星圖像中， 我們可以看到厚厚的圍牆、

the guard towers and these blueish buildings,

警衛塔 和這些我們認為是工廠的

which we believe to be factories.

藍色的建築物。

We estimate that this complex can hold over 40,000 people without overcrowding.

我們估計，這個建築群 可以轻松容納下四萬多人。

We corroborated these locations using government documents,

我們利用政府文件，

many of which mention the camps address,

其中許多文件 提到了營地的地址，

the few media reports which did exist on the camps

少數關於營地確實存在的 媒體報導，

and our own interviews with former detainees

以及我們自己與設法離開新疆、

who had managed to leave Xinjiang

現在生活在哈薩克斯坦、 土耳其或歐洲的前被拘留者的訪談，

and are now living in Kazakhstan, Turkey or Europe.

證實了這些地點。

In total, we found 348 locations

我們總共發現了 348 個

bearing the hallmarks of camps and prisons.

帶有營地和監獄特徵的地點。

And we believe that this is close to being the full network.

而且我們相信， 這些已經接近完整的营地網絡。

We estimate that these facilities have been built to hold

我們估計，這些設施的建設

more than a million people.

可以容納超過一百萬人。

That's enough space to detain one in every 25 of Xinjiang's residents.

這足以讓每 25 名新疆居民中 就有一人被拘留。

And that doesn't take into account the overcrowding

而這還沒有考慮到 許多曾经被拘留的人

that so many former detainees have described.

所描述的過度擁擠的情況。

So that number could be even higher.

所以這個數字可能會更高。

And then one morning,

然後在我們發布地圖幾個月後 的一天早上，

a few months after we had published our map,

我被一連串的信息驚醒，

I woke up to a series of messages about a YouTube video

那是一個在中國社交媒體上 瘋傳的 YouTube 視頻。

that was doing the rounds on Chinese social media.

A Chinese vlogger, who goes by the name Guanguan,

一位名叫 guanguan 的 中國视频博主，

had taken our map and traveled to Xinjiang.

拿著我們的地圖，去了新疆。

In his video,

在他的視頻中，

we see him driving down a main road past a compound

我們看到他沿著一條主幹道行駛，

with barbed wire on top of the perimeter wall

經過一個圍牆頂上有鐵絲網、

and bars on the windows.

窗戶上有鐵柵欄的大院。

Next, he pretends to take a wrong turn down a side street

接下來， 他假裝在一條小街上轉錯了彎，

so that he can film the facility at the end.

這樣他就可以 在最後拍攝這個設施。

The sign on the gate says "13th Division Detention Center."

大門上的牌子寫著 「第十三師看守所」。

And then he hurriedly turns his car and drives away.

然後他匆忙地調轉車頭 開走了。

Later, he hangs his camera from his backpack

後來，他把相機掛在背包上，

as he walks past this huge prison complex in Ürümqi.

走過了烏魯木齊的 這個巨大的監獄群。

From Ürümqi he drove to the Dabancheng,

他從烏魯木齊驅車前往達坂城，

that small town with the enormous detention facility

那個有著我之前展示的

that I showed earlier.

巨大拘留設施的小城。

He turned off the main road and drove up a gravel track,

他拐出主路， 駛上一條碎石路，

then got out of his car and climbed up on an earth berm

然後下車， 爬上一個土堤俯瞰新院的土堤。

overlooking the new compound.

This was a recklessly brave thing to do

這是一件不計後果的勇敢之舉，

because, as he notes in the video, tourists don't go to that place.

正如他在視頻中指出的那樣， 遊客不會去那個地方。

He had no plausible deniability for being there.

他沒有合理的推諉 來解釋爲什麼在那裏。

But this is the view from the top,

但這是從上面看到的景象，

and it's the first image that I'm aware of

也是我所知道的

of the new camp at Dabancheng.

關於達坂城新營地的第一張圖片。

This video showed us places from ground level

這段視頻從地面距離

that previously we had only seen from above,

向我們展示了 以前我們只從空中看到的地方，

indicating that our interpretations were correct.

表明我們的判斷是正確的。

Seeing the signs at the gates of the facility,

看到設施門口的標誌，

which told us the name and the type of facility,

上面有設施的名稱和類型，

added further evidence that these places were camps.

進一步證明了這些地方是就是營地。

This video helped us to corroborate a series of locations

這段視頻幫助我們 證實了一系列的地點，

where previously all we had had was satellite imagery.

而之前我們所擁有的 只是衛星圖像。

In Xinjiang, open sources have allowed us to examine

在新疆，公開資料使我們

and counter the Chinese government's claims

能夠審查和反駁中國政府

about what's happening in the region.

對該地區發生的事情的說法。

But this isn't the only time that open-source data

但這並不是唯一一次開源數據

has led to a government losing control of their narrative.

導致政府失去對其敘述的控制。

At the time,

當時，

the civil war in Syria was probably the most documented conflict ever,

敘利亞的內戰可能是 有史以來記錄最多的衝突，

as people filmed bombings and their aftermath

因為人們拍攝了 爆炸事件及其後果，

and uploaded the videos to social media.

並將視頻上傳到社交媒體。

Researchers like Bellingcat then used that material

然後，像 Bellingcat 這樣的研究人員

to investigate allegations of war crimes,

利用這些材料調查戰爭罪的指控，

such as the use of chlorine gas against civilians.

如對平民使用氯氣。

Open-source data has allowed journalistic work

開源數據使得 以前非常困難的新聞工作得以進行，

that previously would have been really difficult,

either because it happened in a place that you can’t safely go to

要麼是因為它發生在 一個你無法安全前往的地方，

or because often there previously wouldn't have been

要麼是因為以前 往往沒有足夠的證據可以檢查。

adequate evidence to examine.

Now researchers are using these same tools and techniques

現在，研究人員正 在使用這些相同的工具和技術

to monitor the most recent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

來監測最近 俄羅斯對烏克蘭的入侵。

One of the first signs of the invasion came in Google Maps

入侵的最初迹象之一 出现在谷歌地图上，

with a traffic jam created by Russian artillery moving across the border

俄罗斯大炮越过边界 造成交通堵塞，

that blocked the roads for civilian traffic.

阻断了民用交通的道路。

TikTok videos have given away Russian troop movements.

TikTok 視頻也 洩露了俄羅斯的部隊動向。

Researchers are investigating potential war crimes

研究人員正在調查 潛在的戰爭罪行，

and aiming to fact-check claims about the war in close to real time.

並旨在對有關戰爭的說法 進行近乎實時的事實核查。

To do this work, satellite imagery is essential.

要做這項工作， 衛星圖像必不可少。

In Xinjiang, we were lucky enough to have satellite imagery,

在新疆， 我們很幸運地取得了衛星圖像，

high-resolution, up-to-date,

高解析度，最新的，

often taken every month or so and available to us for free.

通常每一個月左右拍攝一次， 並且是免費的。

This allowed us to verify potential camp locations

這使我們能夠核實 潛在的營地位置，

and to follow the progress of the camp's construction closely.

並密切關注 營地的建設進展。

But this isn't true of everywhere

但並不是記者想要調查的 所有地方都是如此，

that journalists would want to investigate,

and we need affordable access to imagery of those places as well.

我們也需要有負擔得起的渠道 來獲取這些地方的圖像。

We also rely on access to other forms of data.

我們還依賴 對其他形式數據的獲取。

We not only need people to take photos and videos,

我們不僅需要 人們拍攝照片和視頻，

we need them to upload them to a platform

我們還需要他們 將照片和視頻上傳到

where researchers can access them.

研究人員可以訪問的平臺。

And then we need that material to be preserved.

然後我們需要 這些材料被保存下來。

Often social media platforms have removed material showing violence,

社交媒體平臺經常刪除 顯示暴力的材料，

even when it's providing key evidence of human rights violations.

即使它提供了 侵犯人權的關鍵證據。

Civil society actors such as the Syrian Archive

像敘利亞檔案館這樣的 民間社會組織已經介入，

have stepped in to download and preserve that material.

他們會下載和 保存這些材料。

With social media data and satellite imagery,

通過社交媒體數據和 衛星圖像，

we can provide evidence of human rights abuses

我們能以一種 以前不可能的方式

in a way that wasn't possible before.

提供侵犯人權的證據。

We can move beyond looking at individual instances of human rights violations

我們可以超越對侵犯人權的 個別事件的關注，

to show the scale of what's happened.

以顯示所發生的事情的規模。

We can corroborate the testimony of eyewitnesses

我們可以證實 目擊者的證詞，

and provide further proof of their stories.

為他們的故事 提供進一步的證據。

We can build a more detailed picture of what's happening

我們可以建立一個更詳細的 當前情況說明，

to inform policymakers

以告知政策制定者

or to provide evidence that can be presented in court.

或提供可在法庭上使用的證據。

With open-source data,

藉助開源數據，

we can provide the evidence needed for accountability

我們可以提供 問責所需的證據，

and then, hopefully, action.

然後， 希望可以採取行動。

Thank you.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

(掌声)