Digital Rights Weekly Update: 22 - 28 August

How GoFundMe and PayPal exacerbate the suffering of the Palestinian people

Altreconomia

Restrictions on two major digital transaction systems are worsening the economic isolation of the population of the Occupied Territories and the Gaza Strip and compromising their access to vital resources. Organizations that manage displaced person camps, as well as the Palestinian Journalists' Union, have been affected. "These practices are discriminatory and deadly," denounces the NGO 7amleh. "GoFundMe has repeatedly blocked or limited fundraisers for Palestinians, depriving families, self-help groups, and grassroots initiatives of urgently needed funds. These actions, taken amid a famine and an ongoing military campaign that has already caused tens of thousands of deaths, are not just discriminatory: they are lethal." The complaint by 7amleh-Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, an NGO committed to defending the digital rights of the Palestinian people, shines a spotlight on the devastating consequences of restrictions imposed by digital payment platforms in the Gaza Strip and the Occupied Territories.

From TikTok to Gaza: Israel’s Social Media Campaign and the Influencers behind It

Palestine Chronicle

Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs brought a select group of influencers into Gaza under military escort, granting them access denied to independent journalists and tasking them with amplifying official narratives about humanitarian aid. At the end of August, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs escorted a group of influencers into Gaza under military guard, according to Israeli media. While international journalists remain barred from freely reporting on the situation inside the war-torn enclave, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that these hand-picked content creators were given privileged access to aid warehouses and distribution points.  Their videos, polished and widely shared on Instagram, TikTok, and X, depicted rows of aid packages and convoys of trucks, casting the image of an efficient humanitarian operation.

UN Calls Out Google and Amazon for Abetting Gaza Genocide

Progressive International

Microsoft, Amazon and Google among major corporations identified as being part of a “joint criminal enterprise” in helping Israel carry out a genocide in Gaza. The companies have made unprecedented profits from the slaughter of more than 62,000 Palestinians since October 2023.  In a landmark report released on 30 June, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese exposes the corporate machinery both sustaining and profiting from Israel’s occupation and apartheid in Gaza and the West Bank – and now its ongoing genocide in Gaza.  The report – entitled “From economy of occupation to economy of genocide” – identifies 48 separate corporate actors in sectors including arms, tech, construction, tourism, energy, finance, academia and agriculture. According to the report, they represent only the “tip of the iceberg” as the broader web of corporate complicity is far larger.  It outlines how tech giants Microsoft, Alphabet (parent company of Google) and Amazon grant Israel access to their cloud and AI technologies, enhancing the Israeli government’s ability to process data, make decisions and conduct surveillance and analysis. 

Tech made by Palantir and Babel Street pose surveillance threats to pro-Palestine student protestors & migrants

Amnesty

The US authorities are using automated artificial intelligence (AI)-powered surveillance tools to deliberately target non-US citizens and pose risks to those who speak out for Palestinian rights, said Amnesty International, amid the country’s ongoing unlawful clampdown on migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Amnesty International reviewed documentation from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) public records, and previously disclosed procurement and privacy assessment documents, showing that AI tools Babel X, provided by Babel Street, and Palantir’s Immigration OS, have automated capabilities that enable constant mass monitoring, surveillance, and assessments of people, often for the purpose of targeting non-US citizens. The research also exposes how these tools are being used by the US government to track migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and ultimately carry a high risk of being used as part of the “Catch and Revoke” initiative.

Meta's Censorship of Pro-Palestinian Content: The Truth Revealed

Notizie It

Leaked whistleblower documents reveal an uncomfortable truth: most pro-Palestinian messages never reach the public at all, due to systematic censorship. Whistleblowers report that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, actively collaborates with the Israeli government to remove content labeled "pro-terrorist" or "anti-Semitic." It's disturbing to think that these labels are often applied to simple messages of solidarity with the Palestinian people. But that's not all: according to the complaints, the removal isn't limited to posts reported by users. In fact, Meta implemented algorithms that, starting October 7, 2023, led to the disappearance of an additional 38 million pro-Palestine posts, making this operation one of the most widespread forms of censorship in recent history. The computer scientists at ICW (International Corruption Watch), who made this information public, compared their findings to an investigative inquiry, similar to those conducted by Julian Assange. Have you ever wondered how powerful an algorithm can be in deciding what we can and cannot see?