Activists in race to save digital trace of Syria war

A picture shows a view of a damaged school building due to bombardment by pro-government forces in Kansafra village in the southern countryside of Syria's rebel-held Idlib province. Experts believe social media evidence could potentially play a future role in Syria prosecutions. — AFP

BEIRUT: From videos of deadly air strikes to jihadist takeovers, Al-Mutez Billah’s YouTube page served as a digital archive of the Syrian war until automated takedown software in 2017 erased it permanently.

The page exhibiting footage that violated YouTube's community standards could not be restored because Al-Mutez Billah, a citizen-journalist, had been executed by the Islamic State group three years earlier over his documentation efforts.