Digital Rights Weekly Update: 7 - 13 February

AI-fuelled warfare is the terrifying reality that the tech sector refuses to discuss

Middle East Eye

As global leaders, policymakers and tech innovators convene at the AI Action Summit in Paris on Monday, a glaring omission in its agenda raises concerns: the lack of any meaningful dialogue on the militarisation of artificial intelligence (AI). This oversight is particularly alarming given recent revelations about the involvement of both Microsoft and Google in supplying the Israeli military with AI technology, which has concerning implications for human rights and international law.

Artificial Intelligence Is Being Weaponised — What Can We Do About It?

WILPF

AI systems are trained on massive amounts of private and public data, which are often obtained through mass surveillance. For instance, Israel has been surveilling the Palestinian population for decades, collecting data on where they live, who they know, and how they socialise. All this data was then used to cause horrific death and destruction during Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians following the October 2023 attacks. As highlighted by investigative reports, the Israeli military used systems like “Gospel,” “Lavender,” and “Where’s Daddy?,” all of which rely on AI to select targets to be bombed. By scoring individuals according to the threat that they would allegedly pose, these systems were instrumental in the killing of thousands of Palestinians and the immense destruction of infrastructure in Gaza. For a full explanation of how these systems work, check out this excellent resource produced by Visualizing Palestine.

How is Israel’s military tech marketed abroad? | The Palestine Laboratory E2 | Featured Documentary

Al Jazeera English

In Episode 2 of "The Palestine Laboratory", journalist and author Antony Loewenstein investigates how surveillance and military technology developed by Israel and tested on Palestinians is marketed abroad. He finds out how the latest Israeli technology is being used to monitor refugees and migrants in Greece and along the US-Mexico border. What he reveals is a picture of how the "technology of occupation" developed on Palestinians is also used to subjugate people and surveil political dissidents, human rights defenders and journalists all over the world. Loewenstein concludes by asking if the countries buying these systems are actually looking for more than just another weapon, but instead buying into a wider ideology of the separation and control of "unwanted" populations, be they protesting farmers, political dissidents, or refugees.

Israel’s draconian surveillance of Palestinians in the occupied territories

TRT WORLD

Automated apartheid: How does cutting-edge AI technology assist Israel in implementing apartheid in the occupied Palestinian territories? From facial recognition to drone surveillance, AI is reshaping Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where the lives of millions of Palestinians are so heavily monitored, many liken the occupied territories to virtual, open-air detention centres.