7amleh / September 4, 2024
The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media has published a position paper titled The War on Gaza: An Analytical Reading of the Consequences and Impacts on Digital Safety among Palestinian Youth. This paper offers an analytical review of the potential effects of digital violations led by Israel, which have eroded the sense of security among Palestinian youth, while also reflecting on the stance of human rights organizations on the issue. The position paper reveals the severe consequences of weaponizing modern technology to serve the Israeli military establishment and discusses the accelerated developments in the political and field arenas, leading to the escalation of digital rights violations against Palestinians.
Israel’s use of digital technologies for destruction and intimidation has obliterated the boundaries that once separated safe and unsafe spaces in both the digital and physical worlds. These digital violations have affected the basic human rights of Palestinians, creating a state of fear that has become part of the daily life of the Palestinian people.
The paper discusses the situation of Palestinians in Gaza, who live in a state of digital darkness and uncertainty amid constant changes in corporate policies and the new uses of modern technologies. The war on Gaza has undermined all social, architectural, institutional, moral, legal, and digital structures, leaving the Palestinian people in an uncertain state. Digital platforms have played a significant role in this, dissolving the boundaries between what is safe and what is unsafe. These platforms have penetrated the security of Palestinian youth, even in their homes, instilling fear in their daily lives and depriving them of all the legal, social, economic, and technological tools necessary to protect their rights, dignity, and lives. This is in stark contrast to international conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), which affirm every person’s right to life, freedom, security, freedom of expression, and thought, as well as the right to access reliable information. Additionally, these measures have undermined rights guaranteed by these conventions, such as the right to peaceful assembly, political participation, and cultural communication. As technology has evolved, charters such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (2001), the Digital Rights Charter (2021), and the Declaration of Principles and Digital Rights in the European Union (2022) have emerged to guarantee the same rights in the digital world.
The paper concludes with a set of recommendations on the importance of intersectional human rights work among civil society organizations. It calls for critical studies to assess the risks of digital violations on the rights and safety of Palestinians, strengthening popular resilience to confront these violations, and exploring safer and freer alternatives to existing social media platforms. It further suggests establishing an external legal authority capable of holding platforms accountable and taking punitive steps against them if they violate rights and laws. Additionally, the paper offers guidance for companies and actors in the field of advanced technology, emphasizing the need to include ethics courses in engineering education, regularly update social media governance mechanisms, align default settings to protect users, and prepare in advance to face crises.
To view the position paper The War on Gaza: An Analytical Reading of the Consequences and Impacts on Digital Safety among Palestinian Youth, you can visit the link here.
