How Witness works.
A report is recorded where it happened, placed on the map, and weighed against the evidence that arrives after it.
How a report earns its confidence.
Recorded in the Witness camera.
Device, time, and location signals are collected at the moment of recording, not added afterwards.
Other people, other angles.
Independent evidence raises confidence. Ten accounts repeating one source is not ten pieces of evidence.
Confidence, not verdicts.
Each report shows how confident the system is and what moved it, so you can judge for yourself.
Water main break floods the street
Two kinds of content. Only one of them is evidence.
Confidence, not verdicts.
Witness shows how confident it is and what moved that reading, rather than declaring what is true. Report confidence, reporter standing and event confidence are scored separately.
How confidence worksHow standing works.
Accuracy over time raises your standing, and standing raises the weight a single report from you carries on its own.
Everyone starts here. A first report is treated as unknown, not as suspect.
A record of reports that held up.
A long record of accurate reports.
A long record, with identity verified privately.
Questions about verification.
How is a report verified?
Verification begins at capture: device, time and location signals are collected when you record. Independent reports that arrive afterwards move its confidence up or down.
What does the confidence number mean?
It shows how sure the system is about a report and what moved that reading. A low number is information too: it means the evidence is thin so far.
Why does it matter who else reported it?
Ten accounts repeating one source is not ten pieces of evidence. Independent reports raise confidence far more than a group sharing one source.
What happens when reports conflict?
A contested claim stops being promoted rather than being removed, and any removal carries a visible reason.