Our statement on Columbia University's outrageous use of police force against nonviolent protestors yesterday. We call on the University to rescind all undue punitive measures against students for the legitimate exercise of their fundamental rights:

Workers who call on Google to uphold its human rights responsibilities & question the company's potential complicity with atrocities should be applauded, not retaliated against.

Tech workers have the rights to protest & freedom of expression. Google must respect those rights.

Solidarity with all workers reportedly fired by Google for opposing Project #Nimbus - a major cloud & AI contract between Google (& Amazon) and the Israeli government -- providing tech which is likely being relied upon by Israel amid its ongoing atrocities in Gaza. 1/2

The enormity of this image:

When I was studying human rights Barnard College the rich history of protest Columbia University was the backdrop against which we discussed social movements, international human rights standards, and more.

Horrified and deeply ashamed by Barnard’s actions.

With world's attention on Gaza, Israeli settlers & soldiers are literally wiping Palestinian communities off the map. Palestinians displaced from 20 communities—at least 7 entirely uprooted. Large areas of the West Bank depopulated of Palestinians in just months. New Human Rights Watch report.

This recent decision flags a critical issue that should alarm anyone watching this 'year of elections'. Meta still doesn't explain how exceptions to its 'dangerous orgs & individuals' policy apply to elections or publish who's on the list. So political speech comes down opaquely

2024 is a huge year for elections around the globe. In India, nearly a billion voters will head to the polls starting this week.

How can the use of technology affect these elections?

It's as if Google doesn't (and possibly can't?) enforce it's own ethical AI principles for government cloud providers.

Something tells me this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Indian authorities have increased their control over digital platforms & amassed extensive personal data.

With ~ 1B set to cast votes in the elections, tech companies can act to mitigate the risk of misuse that cld further tilt the playing field to benefit the ruling party.

As Indians head to the polls, Human Rights Watch has released a new Q&A on the risks of technology being misused to undermine free, fair elections. Tech companies should invest more in content moderation, resist threats from authorities & do rigorous impact assessments
hrw.org/news/2024/04/0…

“The risk of misuse of technology in India’s election is significant and could result in further tilting the playing field in favor of the ruling party,” said Deborah Brown acting associate technology and human rights director at Human Rights Watch.

As voters in India prepare to head to the polls Human Rights Watch examined how the use of technology risks undermining this high stakes election. Read our explainer on key digital threats, incl. misuse of data, the role of tech companies, human rights standards & more

hrw.org/news/2024/04/0…

🧵In Dec, Human Rights Watch found Israel using starvation of Gaza as a weapon of war, a war crime. Today, we detail its deadly consequences: kids not only killed in airstrikes but now dying from malnutrition, dehydration, and other starvation-related complications.
hrw.org/news/2024/04/0…

New from @HRW: Following months of collective punishment, kids in #Gaza are dying from starvation-related complications. Israeli officials ordering or carrying out these actions are committing war crimes. hrw.org/news/2024/04/0…

There is much more in the article but it was hard to keep reading after this

Breaking: new Human Rights Watch report documents another apparent Israeli war crime—Oct 31 strike on central Gaza apartment building killing 106+ civilians, including 54 kids, many playing football. No evidence of military target—making strike unlawfully indiscriminate hrw.org/news/2024/04/0…

“Meta insists that there’s been no discrimination against Palestinian-related content on their platforms, but at the same time, is refusing to provide us with any evidence or data to support that claim”

⁦⁦Elizabeth Warren⁩ Bernie Sanders⁩ write to Meta theintercept.com/2024/03/26/met…

Human Rights Watch (@HRW) said, “Meta’s policies and practices have been silencing voices in support of Palestine and Palestinian human rights on Instagram and Facebook,” in a 2023 report.

Meta has denied this allegation.

How do social media moderation and censorship policies