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Big Tech and the risk of genocide in Gaza: what are companies doing?

 Access Now 

The war in Gaza is one of the deadliest and most destructive wars in recent history — creating a “hell on Earth.” In just over a year, more women and children have been killed by the Israeli military than in any other conflict over the past two decades. On average, 10 children a day lose one or both legs. More than 902 entire families have been obliterated; at least 17,000 children have been orphaned; and 90 percent of the population has been displaced, some as many as 10 times. With 80 percent of its buildings destroyed, there are no safe places left to go inside Gaza, and no escape possible beyond its borders.

 Israel is using surveillance technology to subjugate and target Palestinians

Global Voices Advox

Data collection and technology can have harmful applications, especially when used to monitor and subjugate marginalized people. This can be seen most clearly in how Israel has used technology in its war against Palestinians. Israel is using data collected from Palestinians to train AI-powered automated tools that have been deployed against Gaza and across the West Bank. israeli AIR-supercharged surveillance tools and spyware, including Pegasus, a malware program, and AI weaponry, including the Smart Shooter and Lavender, have received both condemnation and interest.

Massive Social Media Propaganda Targets European Support for Palestine

Misbar 

Since the onset of the Israeli war on Gaza, the European Union has struggled to present a unified stance on the conflict and the urgent need for a ceasefire. Nations like Germany and France have openly extended media, economic, and military support to Israel, refraining from public criticism of its policies. Meanwhile, countries such as Ireland, Sweden, and Spain have condemned Israel's human rights violations, advocating for Palestinian rights and supporting ceasefire initiatives. Since the war's outbreak, both official and unofficial Israeli entities, along with lobbying groups, have launched a multifaceted media campaign promoting a misleading narrative suggesting that Europe broadly supports Israel or should feel obligated to do so.

In Gaza, a ‘tipping point’ for social media at war

Politico

Gaza is not the first war in the social media era, but it erupted at a pivotal moment — with social media increasingly a go-to source for news, and platforms rolling back their content moderation policies. “This war seems to be a tipping point that shows the power of individual emotional content and its ability to change strategy and policy,” said Ben Jensen, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who studies political violence and technology. Social media played a key role in the conflict from the start: On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas used Telegram to stream its attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage. In some cases, militants took over their victims’ accounts and livestreamed their captivity and torture.