The role of tech giants like Google and Amazon Web Services in perpetrating the plausible genocide in the Gaza is coming under increasing scrutiny. Their involvement in advanced military operations implicates them in violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL). The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has already issued recommendations to states and private companies to stop their complicity in Israel’s genocide. The tech industry’s role in state-sponsored violence cannot be ignored.
#MakeAmazonPay is a campaign of 80 organizations, across continents, that draws sharp focus on various abuses being committed by the corporate giant on labor, tax, climate, data and racial justice, and has garnered the advocacy of hundreds of legislators, and massive support from across the world. Since 2020, they have organized four global days of action on Black Friday. This year, the campaign will spotlight Amazon’s complicity in the genocide against Palestinians, as Black Friday happens fall on International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People.
Project Nimbus and Automated Weaponry: Technology in Warfare
Tech corporations like Google and Amazon are directly complicit in Israel’s widespread and systematic arrest and torture of Palestinians. According to the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Project Nimbus serves “all branches and units of the Israeli government,” including its military. Google and Amazon are therefore directly complicit in Israel’s prison system, aiding Israel’s mass arrest, torture and in some cases murder of Palestinian prisoners and hostages. Project Nimbus also provides the cloud platform for Israel’s AI-powered, live-streamed genocide.
– Palestinian BDS National Committee, July 30, 2024
At the heart of the controversy is Project Nimbus, a collaboration between Google, AWS, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), more commonly known as the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF). This project, whereby Google and AWS provide cloud computing and artificial intelligence services to the IOF, significantly enhances Israel’s surveillance and automated weaponry capabilities. One such system is the Habsora, the Hebrew word for “Gospel”, a brand new method of warfare which employs cloud technology for precision targeting, often resulting in mass civilian casualties. As Wired reports, these systems utilize sophisticated data analysis to identify and target individuals, raising critical issues regarding the distinction between combatants and civilians – a fundamental principle of IHL.
In simple terms, Habsora uses Artificial Intelligence to identify and target members of Hamas, generating 100-200 targets a day. The IOF subsequently carries out airstrikes on these targets during hours where they are almost guaranteed to be at home with their families, resulting in mass-murder of innocent people. In this instance, it can be reasonably argued that AI is used for two reasons – one: maximum destruction, by providing such a large number of targets and two: a smokescreen to hide behind in ‘justifying’ the enormous number of civilian casualties. Human verification is not required in the IOF procedure.
The deployment of Habsora, facilitated by Google and AWS, directly contravenes the principle of distinction under IHL, which mandates clear differentiation between military targets and non-combatants. +972 Mag has highlighted how these technologies blur this distinction, implicating these companies in violations of international law.
International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, supported by current ICJ rulings, explicitly prohibit states and companies from supporting entities involved in genocidal activities. No Tech For Apartheid points out that the services provided by Google and AWS are integral to the IOF’s operations in Gaza, making these tech giants complicit in potential war crimes. The Guardian further explores the dilemma faced by governments reliant on these companies: how to balance their technological dependencies with the moral imperative to divest from entities implicated in human rights abuses.
AWS in South Africa: A legacy of colonialism
AWS’s operations in South Africa add another layer of complexity. AWS, Amazon’s most profitable division, has significant contracts with major intelligence and defense organizations, including the Pentagon, CIA, MI5, and MI6. Chris Pinkham, who played a crucial role in building AWS’s cloud computing system, started his career in Cape Town and later worked on Nimbula, a project oddly similar in name to Project Nimbus.
The controversy extends to AWS’s African headquarters in Cape Town, currently under construction at the River Club site—a location of immense environmental and heritage significance to the San and Khoi communities. This development echoes the colonial dispossession historically inflicted on these indigenous groups. The Dutch East India Company, the first major corporation, established its foothold here, sparking the First Khoi-Dutch War in 1659. Today, Amazon’s headquarters being built on this site is paving over a site that is symbolic of colonial genocide and effectively amounts to genocide denial. The colonial ‘bomb’ that landed in Cape Town in the mid 1600’s subsequently led to the ethnic cleansing and genocide, as well as wars of liberation and resistance, which fanned across the entire Southern Africa, as far as Namibia, Botswana and Angola.
The site thus holds deep memories for Khoi and San people and we wish to see it used as a site of healing and reconciliation, not corporate greed and commercial gain. Amazon’s involvement in the area mirrors this colonial legacy in a startling way, highlighting the parallels between the dispossession of the San and Khoi and the current plight of Palestinians. Gaza has been razed to the ground by 70,000 tonnes of bombs and the proverbial dust had hardly settled when Israeli property developers were advertising luxury condos on the strip.
The Western Cape Government has welcomed AWS’s R15.6 billion investment in the province, despite the controversy surrounding the River Club development and its potential impact on local communities. As reported on the Western Cape Government website, this investment is seen as a significant economic boost. However, it raises ethical questions about the role of multinational corporations in perpetuating historical and present-day injustices.
The construction of AWS’s headquarters in Cape Town, a city governed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) with open ties to Israel, complicates the political landscape. The coalition government between the DA, African National Congress (ANC), and other parties presents a paradox regarding their stance on Palestine and Israel. South Africa’s struggle to recognize the genocide of the San and Khoi, despite recent legislative shifts towards inclusion, adds another layer of complexity.
In neighboring Namibia, Germany’s ongoing restitution negotiations over the early 1900s Herero genocide serve as a reminder of colonial atrocities’ long-lasting impacts. Descendants of the San and Khoi, many of whom remain outraged by the colonial-era term “coloured,” continue to seek justice. The term, still a legal category in South Africa, de-Africanizes this section of the population and highlights the enduring legacy of colonialism.
Not limited to Gaza
The use of technology in state-sponsored violence is not limited to Gaza. The assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh has been attributed to spyware similar to Pegasus, raising concerns about the unlawful use of surveillance tools. In South Africa, the death of police lieutenant Charl Kinnear was also linked to the deployment of such technologies. Recently, the several local political parties including Al Jama’ah have laid criminal charges against Herman Mashaba of Action SA’s alleged purchase and use of a bugging system to spy on councillors. These incidents underscore the need for urgent regulation of surveillance technology and the prosecution of those who deploy it unlawfully. President Ramaphosa had his phone tapped by Pegasus as reported by Amnesty.
The involvement of tech giants in the Gaza genocide necessitates a reevaluation of global dependencies on these corporations. International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law provide clear guidelines: states must not support entities complicit in human rights abuses. Governments must implement policies to contain the misuse of technology for surveillance, data mining, and automated warfare. This may be a difficult task given how these tech companies have arrogated unto themselves the right to dictate the boundaries of their own authority against the framework of an ever more loose or absent regulatory framework.
The South African case at the ICJ is a powerful example of the potential for setting a legal precedent in dealing with indigenous communities’ challenges. This case underscores the need for restorative justice and highlights the double standards often employed by Global North actors. The international community must demand accountability and ethical conduct from corporations like Google and AWS. The message is clear: technology must protect human life and dignity, not facilitate its destruction. This is an opportunity to redefine our global commitment to justice, equity, and human rights for all.
