Decentralized Human Rights Evidence Platform
WitnessChain is an open-source project that aims to preserve and verify human rights documentation using Filecoin, IPFS, Drand, DIDs, and privacy-preserving networking (libp2p). This repo contains the proposal, roadmap, architecture notes, and a starter MVP skeleton (backend + frontend) for community contribution.
The WitnessChain homepage showcasing the main mission and user interface
Secure evidence upload interface with privacy protection features
In politically unstable regions and conflict zones, critical evidence of human rights violations is frequently deleted, manipulated, or suppressed. WitnessChain provides immutable, decentralized storage that can't be censored or manipulated, ensuring truth persists on the decentralized web.
- 📋 Full Proposal - Complete project overview and technical specifications
- 🗺️ Roadmap - Development phases and timeline
- 🏗️ Architecture - Technical architecture overview
- 🔒 Security - Security considerations (coming soon)
- ❓ FAQ - Frequently asked questions
- Node.js (v18 or higher)
- npm or yarn
- Git
cd packages/backend
npm install
npm run dev
# Backend runs on http://localhost:3000cd packages/frontend
npm install
npm run dev
# Frontend runs on http://localhost:5173# Install dependencies for all packages
npm install
# Run backend and frontend concurrently
npm run dev- Review the proposal & leave comments in Discussions
- Pick an issue labeled
good-first-issueorhelp-wanted - Help with FVM prototype, IPFS integration, or security review
- Join the conversation in our GitHub Discussions
WitnessChain leverages:
- Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM) - Smart contracts for immutable timestamps
- IPFS - Distributed, censorship-resistant content storage
- Drand - Decentralized randomness for secure time beacons
- DIDs - Decentralized identity with Storacha integration
- libp2p - Secure peer-to-peer communications
- Zero-knowledge proofs - Privacy-preserving user identity
- Year 1: 1,000+ verified evidence submissions
- Storage: 5+ TB of data on Filecoin
- Coverage: 50+ countries represented
- Safety: Zero user safety incidents
- Performance: <2 second retrieval time
WitnessChain integrates with the Filecoin ecosystem:
- Protocol Labs - Technical mentorship and support
- Filecoin Foundation - Ecosystem development
- FVM Community - Smart contract development
- IPFS Operators - Gateway infrastructure
- Storacha - Access control solutions
- Open to Partnerships - Seeking technical and community support
MIT License - See LICENSE for details.
- GitHub Issues - Bug reports and feature requests
- GitHub Discussions - Community conversations
- Security - Security documentation will be added in future phases
"Truth persists when preserved on the decentralized web."