ATHAR

Reports & Publications

Image
Supporting Our Cause Together

Support Our Mission and Make a Difference

Opinion: Biden had it right the first time. Facebook is killing People

From facilitating genocide to COVID-19 disinformation, tech titan is causing many people to lose their lives.

Facebook Fueling the Illicit Antiquities Trade Across the Middle East and North Africa

ATHAR Project and the Alliance to Counter Crime Online (ACCO) contributed posters about the ongoing initiatives to fight looting and trafficking of cultural goods.

[Video] Culture in Ruins: The illicit trade in cultural property in North and West Africa 20 November 2020

The illicit trade in cultural property – cultural goods and looted archaeological objects, highly valued on international markets – is one of the greatest threats to heritage in North and West Africa.

Two Clicks Away: Wildlife Sales on Facebook

In March 2018, Facebook joined the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online, pledging alongside 30 major tech firms to remove 80% of wildlife trafficking content from their platforms by 2020. Two years on, the Alliance to Counter Crime Online (ACCO) conducted a study that found Facebook failed to keep its promise. In just two mouse clicks, our researchers could locate substantial illicit wildlife content.

Opinion: Facebook’s Flawed Plan to End Antiquities Trafficking

Evidence of War Crimes Must Be Preserved, Not Destroyed.

Combatting Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property during COVID-19 – illicit excavations and online trade

The debate will be opened and moderated by Ernesto Ottone R. (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture). It will bring together international experts on illegal excavations and online trade, including Katie A. Paul and Amr Al Azm (ATHAR Project), Corrado Catesi (INTERPOL), Marina Schneider (UNIDROIT), Vincent Michel (University of Poitiers, France), Mariya Polner (World Customs Organization), Eva Martinez (Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History, Honduras), Christos Tsirogannis (Univ

ATHAR Project and CINTOC Joint Statement on Updated Securities and Exchange Commission Filing on Facebook Crime

Internet crime watchdog organizations Center on Illicit Network and Organized Crime (CINTOC) and the Alliance to Counter Crime Online (ACCO) have released a major new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding ongoing crime and terrorism content on Facebook.

Facebook’s Community Standards Game: Antiquities Trafficking

Facebook just released its Community Standards updates for May 2020, an event that only comes once every few months. The change included updates to the section on Regulated Goods, the rules that dictate what types of items can and cannot be sold on the platform. Unfortunately, the sale of stolen and looted artifacts are still not mentioned in Facebook’s Community Standards.

Facebook Antiquities Looters Remain Active as Pandemic Rages On

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed much of the world online as countries move to enforce quarantine and social distancing measures. Posts in Facebook Groups for antiquities trafficking in the Middle East and North Africa show that looting at archaeological sites continues while authorities are occupied elsewhere.

Instagram Just Created Reporting for Endangered Species — Almost One Year After it Was Listed in Their Community Guidelines

Facebook and Instagram have relied on their users to report content — including criminal activity — rather than looking for the content proactively. The illegal sale of endangered species on Instagram is no exception.

Facebook Is The Biggest Marketplace of Illegal Antiquities

What is the biggest marketplace for illegal antiquities? Social media, in particular Facebook. Only 15 years old, Facebook has revolutionized the way we exchange and consume ideas, information and merchandise.

Opinion: Time to Clean Up Facebook’s Dark Side

The world’s largest social media company does more than just connect people. Facebook has also become a repository for massive online criminal markets and terrorist groups.