Digital Rights Weekly Update: 26 - 31 December

New 7amleh Report: Gaza’s Digital Economy in Collapse Amid Blockade and Telecom Destruction

7amleh

December 29, 2025, 7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media has released a new report titled “The Impact of the Gaza Blockade and the Destruction of Telecommunications Infrastructure on the Digital Economy Amidst Genocide” by Dr. Mohammed Alshurafa. The report documents how Israel’s long-standing blockade—combined with the systematic destruction of telecommunications and power infrastructure since October 2023—has pushed Gaza’s digital economy into collapse. What was once a fragile but vital lifeline for young freelancers, remote workers, and digital entrepreneurs has been shattered, cutting thousands off from income, education, information, and the ability to reach the outside world. Drawing on a post-October 2023 survey of 183 participants and 30 in-depth interviews, the findings show a predominantly young digital workforce (81% aged 18-34, with 72% displaced) struggling to survive amid recurring blackouts, disrupted payments, contract cancellations, and the breakdown of professional networks.

‘Data is control’: what we learned from a year investigating the Israeli military’s ties to big tech

The Guardian

In January this year, Harry Davies and Yuval Abraham first reported that Microsoft had deepened its ties to Israel alongside other major tech firms. Since then, the Guardian has published an award-winning series of investigations – in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call – that has revealed a symbiotic relationship between Silicon Valley and the Israeli military. One investigation exposed an Israeli mass surveillance program scooping up virtually all Palestinian phone calls and storing them on Microsoft’s cloud services – setting off an inquiry that ultimately prompted the company to cut off Israel’s access to some of its technology. Another story revealed that the Israeli military created a ChatGPT-like tool to analyze data collected through the surveillance of Palestinians. Yet another revealed that Google and Amazon had agreed to extraordinary terms to clinch a lucrative contract with Israel.

Nvidia in talks to buy Israel's AI21 Labs for up to $3 billion

The New Arab

Nvidia is in advanced talks to buy Israel-based AI startup AI21 Labs for as much as $3 billion, the Calcalist financial daily reported on Tuesday. Nvidia declined to comment, while AI21 was not immediately available to comment. A 2023 funding round valued AI21 at $1.4 billion. Nvidia and Alphabet's Google participated in that funding. AI21, founded in 2017 by Amnon Shashua and two others, is among a clutch of AI startups that have benefited from a boom in artificial intelligence, attracting strong interest from venture capital firms and other investors. Shashua is also the founder and CEO of Mobileye, a developer of self-driving car technologies. Calcalist said AI21 has long been up for sale and talks with Nvidia have advanced significantly in recent weeks. It noted that Nvidia's primary interest in AI21 appears to be its workforce of roughly 200 employees, most of whom hold advanced academic degrees and "possess rare expertise in artificial intelligence development."

Report Warns of Rising Israeli Tech Worker Relocation Following Gaza Genocide

Quds News Network

The annual report by the Israel Advanced Technology Industries Association (IATI) said 53% of companies reported a rise in requests from Israeli employees to relocate abroad. The report described the trend as a long-term risk to Israel’s innovation engine and tech leadership. It said Israeli employees working for multinational companies inside the occupation state of Israel increasingly seek transfers to overseas offices. The report linked the rise directly to the genocidal war on Gaza over the past two years. Israel’s technology sector contributes about 20% of GDP. It provides around 15% of jobs. It also accounts for more than half of Israel’s exports.