Digital Rights Weekly Update: 25 April - 1 May

Israeli AI experiments in the Gaza war raise ethical concerns.

AlQuds

The audio tool was just one example of how Israel is using the war in Gaza to rapidly test and deploy AI-powered military technologies to an unprecedented degree, according to interviews with nine American and Israeli defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the work is classified. According to the newspaper, two people familiar with the programs said that many of these efforts were partnerships between Unit 8200 conscripts and reservists working for technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Meta (Facebook). Unit 8200 created what became known as "The Studio," an innovation center and a place to match experts with AI projects, the people said. However, even as Israel races to develop its AI arsenal, the deployment of the technology has sometimes led to mistaken identities, arrests, and civilian deaths, according to Israeli and American officials. Some officials have grappled with the ethical implications of AI tools, which could lead to increased surveillance and the killing of other civilians.

Study claims Facebook 'removed Gaza posts that did not break its rules'

Yahoo

Hundreds of posts about an outbreak of violence in Israel and Palestine in 2021 that were removed by a social media company did not violate the platform’s rules, a study suggests. Analysis of almost 450 deleted Arabic-language Facebook posts referencing the conflict suggests that more than 50 per cent should not have been removed, researchers say. The study raises important questions about who gets to decide what content remains online – and what gets removed – especially in politically sensitive conflicts, experts say. A team led by researchers from the University of Edinburgh analysed the content of 448 posts about the 2021 Palestine-Israel conflict – which took place 10 to 21 May 2021 – that were removed by Facebook. Their findings suggest there are major differences between how the company enforces its community standards and how Arab users perceive that moderation.

Censorship of Palestinian and Trans activists on Trump’s TikTok

University Observer

TikTok has been one of the primary resources for pro-Palestinian voices, journalists, and activists in the ongoing Israeli genocide and apartheid. The strong pro-Palestinian voices on TikTok are a contributing factor to the initial bill banning the app in 2024. After the ban, many Palestinian accounts, journalists, and activists claimed that they were either being suppressed, shadow banned, or censored by TikTok where they were not before. Users have since reported that videos with #freepalestine, comments mentioning free Palestine, or even the word Palestine are being deleted or not showing up on the algorithm. Account holders have documented that when they posted ‘free Palestine’, TikTok would automatically flag the video or label the post as hate speech.

The End of Trust and Safety?: Examining the Future of Content Moderation and Upheavals in Professional Online Safety Efforts

ACM Digital Library

Trust & Safety (T&S) teams have become central departments within tech platforms, working in tandem with product developers and engineers to consider how novel products and technologies may be used as vectors for abuse and misuse. T&S teams also ensure compliance with global laws against the sharing of Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM), identify fraud and financial scams, and have increasingly reckoned with the spread and impact of misleading information around core societal topics such as elections and public health. Despite their societal value and role in risk compliance, T&S teams have faced significant downsizing during recent (2021-present) widespread layoffs across the tech industry. Media coverage of tech layoffs has focused on the deep cuts made to T&S teams at large platforms, including Meta, Amazon, X (formerly Twitter), and Google, and highlighted concerns that reduced workforces may not be able to handle bad actors using platforms to abuse vulnerable populations and financially extort users.