"Automating Apartheid": Facial Recognition Tech in Palestine
Aug 21, 2023
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Dr. Matt Mahmoudi, lead researcher on the Amnesty International report 'Automating Apartheid', discusses the deployment of facial recognition technology in Palestine. They explore how it consolidates discriminatory policing practices, the 'gamification' of these systems, their impact on Palestinian lives, and the possibility of repurposing existing CCTV systems for similar militarized policing.
Facial recognition technology in Palestine reinforces apartheid practices and intensifies restrictions on freedom of movement for Palestinians.
The deployment of facial recognition technology in Palestine involves the creation of extensive databases without consent, leading to a gamified system that rewards military units for capturing facial images.
The use of facial recognition technology in Palestine compromises privacy, instills fear, erodes social and economic life, and inhibits Palestinians' right to protest and freely navigate their everyday lives.
Deep dives
The Impact of Facial Recognition Technology on Palestinians in the OPT
The Amnesty International Report called 'Automated Apartheid' sheds light on the use of facial recognition technology in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT). The report highlights how facial recognition is reinforcing apartheid practices and intensifying restrictions on freedom of movement for Palestinians. The technology is being used in Hebron as part of a smart city initiative, where checkpoints equipped with facial recognition tools govern Palestinians' access to basic services such as medical care and education. The report also explores the surveillance and oppression in East Jerusalem, where facial recognition is used alongside Israeli security forces to suppress social life and prevent safe exercise of the right to protest. The discriminatory nature of the technology and its potential expansion beyond the OPT raises concerns about the violation of human rights in other contexts as well.
The Technological Aspects of Facial Recognition in the OPT
In the occupied Palestinian territories, various facial recognition tools and apps are being used, such as Blue Wolf, Wolf Pack, and White Wolf, deployed by Israeli security forces and settlers. These systems rely on gathering Palestinian facial images and other personal information without consent to create extensive databases. Facial recognition is utilized at checkpoints to enforce restrictions on movement and access to essential services. The technologies have gamified elements, where military units compete to capture the most facial images, leading to rewards. The deployment of facial recognition technology and surveillance cameras further reinforces the oppressive environment in Hebron and East Jerusalem, restricting privacy, instilling fear, and eroding social and economic life.
Impacts of Facial Recognition on Palestinians' Rights and Daily Lives
The use of facial recognition technology has a profound impact on Palestinians in the occupied territories. Their right to privacy is compromised as cameras have the ability to capture images inside homes. Palestinians now live with constant surveillance, making them change their behaviors to avoid being monitored. Settler harassment and the use of cameras to forcibly remove Palestinians from their homes are further examples. The systems also perpetuate a sense of permanent presence and control by Israeli security forces, eroding social, economic, and cultural life. Surveillance towers and cameras increase tension, restrict movements, and instill fear, inhibiting Palestinians' right to protest and their ability to freely navigate their everyday lives.
The Shortcomings and Harms of Facial Recognition Technology
Facial recognition technology, even with claims of accuracy, is flawed and can lead to harmful outcomes. Biases within the algorithms result in false arrests and misidentifications, particularly impacting black and brown communities. Furthermore, the collection and scraping of personal data without consent for the creation of facial recognition databases infringe upon privacy rights. Even in scenarios where the technology works effectively, it requires massive data scraping that poses significant privacy risks. Companies involved in producing such technology must be held accountable, and regulations and bans should be considered to mitigate these harms.
Resistance and Regulation Against Facial Recognition Technology
Resistance against facial recognition technology is evident in the occupied Palestinian territories, where surveillance towers have been burned down and protests continue despite the risks. At a regulatory level, the EU is debating the ban of retrospective facial recognition as a high-risk technology. Local cities, such as Somerville, Portland, and New York, have taken steps to ban or regulate facial recognition. Grassroots movements and organizations are also fighting against the use of facial recognition. The report highlights the need for comprehensive regulation and international collaboration to ban facial recognition technology and prevent the export of these tools that enable human rights violations.
For this episode of the Anti-Dystopians, Alina Utrata talks to Dr Matt Mahmoudi, the lead researcher on the Amnesty International report "Automating Apartheid" examining the deployment of facial recognition technology in Palestine. They discuss the report's findings, including how this facial recognition technology is being deployed against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and consolidates existing practices of discriminatory policing; why these systems have been 'gamified' and how they connect to other infrastructures and databases; how this is affecting Palestinians’ lives; and whether existing CCTV systems in other settings — including London — could be repurposed for similar kinds of militarized policing.
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